Partner for Mutual Benefit
Once you have completed an assessment of your existing partnerships and your desired partnerships, the next step is to agree to build those new relationships.
Different community organizations (think potential partners) have distinct missions. Knowing the vision, mission, goals, and responsibilities of each organization can help you forge mutually beneficial partnerships.
Be aware and thoughtful both of how your efforts overlap and of each organization’s funding mechanisms to ensure a great relationship with these valuable partners.
The Main Street Approach acknowledges that partnerships are key to affecting change in a community. In fact, transformational strategies are more likely to succeed when they include other organizations with missions that align with them.
A long list of potential partners can be shortened by answering a few questions:
- Why would they want to partner with Main Street?
- What resources and benefits do we offer to them?
- What is the compelling story we will tell to a potential partner that defines a win/win result?
- What can this partner provide that Main Street needs (contacts, funding, volunteer support, grant writing)?
- What problems can you help your partners solve?
Remember, relationships should be mutually beneficial, but may not always be equal all the time. Also, no one will give money or time to an impossible situation — offer hope and a picture of the future, and how their support will help.