Inviting organizations to join a partnership requires strategizing on who to invite, articulating the partnership’s value add, each partner knowing their role, and being open to shifts in how partners participate over time.
While a partnership works in service of addressing an emerging community need, how and what gets addressed requires its own strategy. After establishing how to work together, you need something to work on.
This activity is ideal for:
- Partnership members with experience in facilitating meetings
- Partnership members with experience in engaging communities
- Partnership members with experience in data collection and analysis
What you’ll need:
- A method for taking notes
The steps:
To identify a focus, your partnership needs to 1) identify a potential topic and 2) create a process that allows the partnership to hear what matters most to communities.
One way to do this is to facilitate an assets and needs mapping process that engages communities AND provides data for your partnership. Examples can include:
- Community workshops: Engaging activities designed to identify and prioritize community needs. (Example: The World Cafe.)
- Town halls: Open forums for community members to discuss issues and share their opinions.
- Community walks: Walks or tours of the community to engage residents in conversations about their environment and needs.
- Site visits: Visiting community-based organizations to speak with staff and participants on their perspectives on what they see.
(I’ve purposely left off the traditional data collection methods such as surveys, focus groups, etc. While surveys are great for getting large amounts of data, anonymity can lead to a level of detachment from communities. Also, focus groups are a step above surveys, but capacity may pose an issue for the partnership due to the number of focus groups that may be needed.)
You can focus on one process or do a combination. Also, the number ways you engage communities will be based on the partnership’s capacity. After you’ve identified a topic and schedule the event, consider asking your community:
- What are the most pressing issues facing our community right now related to [this topic]?
- What has our community already done to address [this topic]?
- What existing programs or resources related to [this topic] have been effective or ineffective?
- What stands in the way of our community addressing issues related to [this topic]?
- What related issues do you believe should be addressed first and why?
- How can we ensure our efforts are inclusive and respectful of all community members?
- What potential impact do you think addressing [this topic] will have on the community as a whole?
- What support can the community offer to the partnership in support of [this topic]?
- How can we encourage more community members to get involved in addressing [this topic]?
- What barriers might prevent community members from participating in efforts related to [this topic]?
- What expectations do you have for this partnership in addressing [this topic]?
- How should the partnership be held accountable to ensure progress on [this topic]?
- How can we gather ongoing feedback from the community to improve our efforts related to [this topic]?
- What are some ways we can learn from past efforts or other communities’ experiences in addressing [this topic]?
Let’s process
The purpose of this activity is to conduct an assets and needs mapping process that engages communities and provides data for your partnership in order to narrow your focus.
While the partnership may already have existing data, establishing an ongoing engagement process with the community will be crucial in the partnership’s success.
Key takeaway
Narrowing down your partnership’s focus is crucial for maximizing impact and ensuring alignment with community needs. By asking targeted questions, partnerships can gain valuable insights directly from community members. This participatory approach not only helps prioritize actions but also fosters a sense of ownership and collaboration.
Try this activity and let me know how it goes for you (or if you need any help).
Raise Your Voice: What’s one way you can support your partnership in narrowing its focus? Share your thoughts in the comments section below,
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