Steps To Building A Collaborative Partnership

Good collaborative relationships are initially created by routine interactions between organizations both on and off campus. It’s through these interactions that potential partners learn about one another, identify each other’s expertise and interests and begin to build the essential foundation of trust and respect for one another. It’s also through these experiences that organizations begin to identify potential candidates for partnership when the need for collaboration arises. Good community-campus partnerships are intentional, with a focus on “careful preparation, excellent implementation and meticulous follow through,” as well as evaluation of results.

The following building blocks take you through the necessary steps to build an effective and sustaining collaborative partnership.

• Step 1: Determine the need and readiness
• Step 2: Recruit the right people and organizations
• Step 3: Assess resources needed
• Step 4: Determine structure of the collaborative partnership
• Step 5: Develop a communication strategy
• Step 6: Agree on and develop an action plan
• Step 7: Identify risk factors for the collaboration
• Step 8: Create an open environment
• Step 9: Celebrate successes