Top 10 tips for partnership (or consortium) working
1. A partnership or consortium is made up of individual organisations within an overarching project. With this in mind, be sure to consider whether each partners role (the outputs/activities they are seeking funding for) is proportionate to the size of their organisation. Consider this both in terms of their financial standing/history and in their capacity to physically deliver the work.
2. Partners should consider sitting down together and creating a shared mission statement, set of focus areas and values. This will get partners thinking more like a unified entity rather than individual organisations under a shared banner.
3. Unify measurement and evaluation systems as much as possible. Shared practices here will make capturing, measuring and ultimately communicating outcomes much easier, particularly for the Lead Provider who will need to collate and demonstrate outcomes on behalf of the partnership/consortium to the funders.
4. Be responsive more than retrospective. Project partners should aim to meet regularly and have clear lines of communication for matters which arise between meetings. This will support the project to tackle issues at the earliest possible stage, improving outcomes and shared working practices in ‘real’ time.
5. Play on the strengths of individual partners within the overarching project. We all have strengths and weaknesses, as well as focus areas in delivery (activities/services) and diverse target cohorts. Be very clear about what each partner brings to the table, call on each other’s strengths and support each other to improve practice where needed.
6. Be realistic about both the outputs (eg. number of sessions you plan to deliver) and the outcomes you feel you can achieve with the people and communities you support. Don’t over commit, as these numbers need to be demonstrable as the project progresses.
7. Referral pathways both within the overarching project and with specialist services outside of it (eg. mental health, early help) are extremely important. Carefully consider how you might form and nurture relationships and clear communication lines with diverse providers and stakeholders to support wider opportunities.
8. Service User (beneficiary) steering is of high importance, so create a plan around how you will engage them, when and how they will shape the project with you, as well as how to keep them engaged throughout the project duration. This will also strengthen your ability to secure future funding, as service user steering is becoming increasingly important to many funders.
9. Carefully select the project’s Lead Provider/Partner, ensuring they have the right leadership team, skills and capacity to undertake the task. Also ensure that enough focus within the budget is allocated to support the roles, time and resources they need to deliver leadership functions.
10. Consider creating a shared online platform; a central ‘home’ for the consortium to share documents, resources, minutes of meeting's, project plans etc. This will ensure all partners have a go-to location for resources from wherever they are, whenever they require it. This may require a small commitment up front, but will ultimately save time and effort; no more searching through long email chains for that attachment!