Congregations Caring for Children

Principles of Successful Partnerships

Principles of Successful Partnerships

Principles of Successful Partnerships

Principles of Successful Partnerships

Principles of Successful Partnerships

Wisdom from Our Colleagues

Take time to develop the partnership.

Get to know each other's philosophies and become familiar with each other's ser 

vices. Be patient; building trust and cultivating openness takes time. As partners,

identify the non negotiables things that you can't relinquish.

Draw from the strengths of all partners.

As you assess and come to know the expertise and resources of each partner, call on

everyone's individual strengths to build your joint ventures. Recognize and speak

often about the strengths of your partner(s) this builds confidence on both sides.

Seek openness, honesty, and mutual respect.

When partners bring an open mind, the ability to listen, and the desire to explore

new ways of working and delivering service, they foster innovation and growth for

all partners. Communicate ideas clearly and concretely.

Thrive on an atmosphere of positive thinking.

Continually open up possibilities for the partnership and programming. Be flexible

and reasonable.

Recognize excellence and seek it.

Knowing what is going well and what needs to be better are first steps in continuous

quality improvement. Partners should seek expert consultation and should measure

their services against the highest standards and best practices.

Hold to a vision and know how to get there.

Articulating the vision often and establishing clear, measurable steps on how to get

there will move the partnership forward. Review goals and steps at least annually,

and use the goals to measure progress. Express critical as well as positive feedback in

ways that it can be heard.

Abide by rules and honor agreements.

Successful partnerships are based on respect for the rules and regulations for all

funders and collaborators. Successful partnerships have detailed written agreements

that are reviewed regularly.

Implement a systems focused approach.

Partners with a systems focused approach plan thoroughly and develop procedures

so that their relationship functions smoothly. Systems become the backbone of the

partnership's operations. Systems for oversight, self assessment, customer/commu 

nity responsiveness, and communication help to ensure high quality.

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