Strategic partnerships

Elaine Paterson

Fund Development Committee Chair and

Monjeya ElGhadamsy

Committee Member

Objective

Enable Member Organisations to raise their profile and leverage new

opportunities through strategic partnerships

Exercise (15 minutes)

Identify another person in the room you can work with and discuss:

1.What is a partnership? Write a common definition.

2.What are the advantages of working in partnership? List the advantages.

A definition of partnership

“ Partnerships are voluntary and collaborative relationships in which all parties agree to work together to achieve a common purpose or undertake a specific task and to share risks, responsibilities, resources, competencies and benefits. In priority, principles of priority to partners are shared values, clear expectations, defined roles, specified contributions, joint decision-making, and mutual monitoring, evaluation and opportunities to learn”.

Towards Global Partnership, Kofi A. Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

Advantages offered by working in partnership (1)

• Innovative approaches and solutions can be found and implemented

• A range of mechanisms enabling each partner to share their own specific competencies and capacities in order to achieve both common and complementary goals more effectively, legitimately and sustainably than when each partner operates separately

• Access to more resources by drawing on the full range of technical, human, knowledge, physical and financial resources available to all partners

Advantages offered by working in partnership (2)

• Dynamic new networks offering each partner better channels of engagement with the wider community and greater capacity to influence the policy agenda or other agendas

• Greater understanding of the value, values and attributes of each partner thereby building a more integrated approach to solve or address a problem

• Visibility and exposure to a larger audience

7 steps to build a partnership

1. Assess needs

2. Finding partners

3. Preparing to approach

4. Approaching potential partners

5. Working together

6. Monitoring and evaluation

7. Celebrating success

Step 1Assessing your needs

and planning a strategy

Assess the current situation in your organization using various tools. Consider where you want your organization to be in the future. What are your needs and how can forming partnerships help you to achieve your goals?

Step 2Finding suitable partners

Search for suitable partners. What connections do you already have? Do potential partners share your values and aims? Learn how to localise global alliances and partnerships, attract resources through partnerships and set up partnerships between MOs.

Step 3Preparing to approach

a potential partner

Gather evidence of your organization’s strengths by using case studies of previous projects. Develop a ‘pitch project’ to showcase your organization’s skills and address the issues which are important to you.

Step 4Approaching potentialpartner organizations

Approach potential partners in an appropriate way, such as through informal contacts or official connections.

Always ask to the best person in your association to make the contact. The choice of the person depends on the partner you are approaching and the contact person you have in the prospect partner organisation.

Step 5Working together

Finalise the process of working together and the project activities. This includes looking at the project in more detail, defining roles and responsibilities, and considering the challenges you might encounter.

Step 6Monitoring and

Evaluation (M&E)

Monitor the project as it happens. Evaluate the project after it has finished. This is an important way of providing accountability to your partner and learning for the future.

Step 7Celebrating successand future planning

The final step is to build on your experiences during the partnership. You can use your M&E information to make the project sustainable and raise your organization’s public profile by celebrating successes.

Share successes10 minutes

Examples of WAGGGS Key strategic partnerships with the UN

• UN Programmes and Funds:

• UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

• The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS(UNAIDS)

• UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

• UN Development Programme (UNDP)

• UN Population Fund (UNFPA)

• The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

• United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)

• UN Specialized Agencies:

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)

• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

• World Health Organization (WHO)

• World Bank Group

UN Women: partner of Stop the Violence

UN Women brought to the partnership:

1.Legitimacy

2.Increased visibility

3.Funds

WAGGGS brought to the partnership:

1.A worldwide movement with 10 million members

2.A network of partner organisations that can also deliver the programme

3.Good reputation and experience with girls and young women

Examples of WAGGGS Key strategic partnerships with donors

UPS:

•5 years, supporting existing programmes

•2 million USD

•Created contacts with other potential donors and influencers

Dove:

•3 years, financing a new programme

•3 million GBP

•Will create global visibility and marketing opportunities

Exercise – park your comment

Take post it notes and write:

1.If you have already used the WAGGGS toolkit

2.What you would like WAGGGS to do to help you developing successful strategic partnerships

After the workshopuse these tools to guide your

work

• WAGGGS toolkit on Strategic Partnerships

• The Partnering tool book

Any question?

Thank you!