A habit I’ve picked up from an evaluation colleague is referring prospective clients to other colleagues who may be a better fit, even if I’m interested in the project.
I do this as I’d rather an organization choose the best person for their needs, rather than solely choosing based on referral.
I also make recommendations for other colleagues to be considered when building out a partnership or collaboration, especially if they have a specific skill set or expertise that a partnership would benefit from. For example, if I were invited to a space that’s more maternal health or birth equity focused, I’d carefully consider the partnership if a strategic planning, evaluation or research perspective is needed, and will refer to another colleagues if the partnership needs a different perspective.
Similar to choosing a consultant, there are several factors to consider when assessing if your organization should join a partnership.
And, sometimes, it’s ok to turn it down.
In a recent webinar I participated in as a panelist, an attendee shared, “I especially am taking away your point about examining whether an organization should have a role in a given partnership.”
Let’s talk about it.
For a recent project, I conducted qualitative interviews with maternal health and birth equity experts. One was an executive director of a U.S.-based nonprofit in the south. The executive director shared an experience of being hired as a subcontractor for a large-scale project with a larger entity. The organization, lacking the subject matter expertise, was hired to house the project based on their infrastructure. Also, the funder recommended the executive director’s organization as a sub-contractor.
As the person with the subject matter expertise, the executive director carried the bulk of the work and questioned why the funder didn’t come directly to their organization, especially as their organization was familiar to the funder.
Situations like this remind me of the assumptions we make on who can do the work, what their infrastructure and overall capacity are, and who holds the most knowledge on the subject matter. This also ties into the bias of working with another organization due to long-standing relationships.
As you consider joining a partnership–whether as a coalition working towards a shared vision, or in working together to identify findings and provide recommendations– it’s important to not only consider the types of partnerships you’re engaging in, but also whether your organization should play a role in the partnership.
Consider these questions:
- What is our unique contribution to this partnership? (ex: subject matter, infrastructure, relationship building, etc.)
- Do we have staff that are subject matter experts?
- Do we have the infrastructure to “hold” this work?
- In partnership, how can we distribute the work equitably?
- If our organization isn’t the ideal partner, who can we refer out to?
For example, if a partnerships calls for understanding and advancing access to abortion in rural communities, an ideal partnership may consist of:
- A subject matter expert with lived experience in accessing abortion in rural communities
- A clinical subject matter expert in rural communities access to healthcare
- An advocacy subject matter expert in abortion care access (surgical abortion and the use of self managed abortion)
- A subject matter expert in intersectional analysis (abortion care, rural community needs, transportation, etc.)
- A subject matter expert in research and data analysis
- A subject matter expert in community based solutions to addressing abortion access in rural communities
Key takeaway
Examining whether your organization should have a role in a given partnership allows you to think thoughtfully and strategically.
This type thinking is radical, challenging you to focus on abundance rather than scarcity. There will be more opportunities, more partnerships, and plenty of work to go around.
And in many cases, the opportunity to pass on can lead to attracting significant partnerships in the future.
Raise Your Voice: How does your organization determine whether to have a role in a partnership? Share your thoughts below in the comment section.
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