2 + 2 = 5 FROM COLLABORATION TO PARTNERSHIP BRANKA PEURAČA Partnership Practioner & Meliora d.o.o. RAFAL SERAFIN Polish Environmental Partnership Foundation & Partnership Brokers Association

OUR 2 OBJECTIVES: 1.To argue that partnerships and partnering are a special type of collaboration 2.To provide tips for making partnerships more effective in delivering results Branka Peurača Meliora d.o.o. Croatia

BASED ON OUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AS PARTNERSHIP PRACTIONERS, AS WELL AS THE WORK & RESOURCES OF: The Partnering Initiative Partnership Brokers Association

3 Questions to begin with: 1.Are you participating in a partnership? 2.Is your organization an effective partner? 3.Is your sector an effective partner?

PARTNERING AS COMMUNICATION RAFAL SERAFIN

BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER - A WARNING! DO NOT PARTNER, if you can define and achieve your objective without collaborating with others

PARTNER when you recognize that: 1.you cannot achieve your goal by working alone… 2.only by working cooperatively with others you can achieve greater innovation, impact, scale, reform and/or sustainability.

DEFINING PARTNERING An ongoing relationship based on sharing costs, risks and benefits, which means: Co-creating initiatives, projects & programs Committing resources Mutual accountability

PARTNERING IS MESSY & UNPREDICTABLE “… when you assemble a number of men to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests and their selfish views. From such an assembly can a perfect product be expected?” Benjamin Franklin Constitutional Convention 17 September 1787

Common partnering challenges:

Partnering is above all a communication challenge. Far from being incidental or peripheral, good communication is actually the heart or, perhaps more accurately, the heartbeat of all effective partnering.

BUILDING A COMMON ‘PARTNERING LANGUAGE’ Branka Peurača Meliora d.o.o. Croatia

AREAS OF COMMUNICATION Internal to each organization Internal to the partnership External to the partnership

Communicating core partnering principles RESPECT TRUST SUSTAINABILITY because it leads to

The Partnership Cycle as common language

DIFFICULT TERMS FOR SOME PEOPLE / SECTORS PARTNERSHIP-BUILDING ALTERNATIVE TrustTransparency / honesty ProfitBenefit Common objectivesComplementary objectives Business planAction plan FundingResourcing PrioritiesValues CommitteeFocus / Working / Task group Market analysisScoping exercise ConsultationParticipation Exit strategyMoving on strategy Terminology as communication

DEALING WITH CONFLICT Relationship Conflict Data Conflict Interest Conflict Structural Conflict Value Conflict

PARTNERING AS COMMUNICATION What do partners contribute to partnership impact? How do you think your partners understand ‘partnering’? Who are your actual or potential partners?

Communication as partnership brokering

ENVIRONMENTAL PARTNERSHIP EXAMPLES FROM POLAND Mobile Krakow Campaign Malopolska Local Food Project Zakopane Green Winter Olympics Bid

DELIVERING MORE THROUGH PARTNERSHIP ACTION 2+2=5 BRANKA PEURAČA Branka Peurača

PARTNER FROM HELL Mendacious, lacks experience and expertise irresponsible, distrustful, employs incompetent family members and friends which causes miscommunication with partners. Branka Peurača

PARTNER FROM HEAVEN Experienced, supportive, truthful about motives, respectful, flexible, timely warnings about limitations. Branka Peurača

FALSE PARTNERS Same people, facilities, experience and outreach are shared by each of the partners, only formally registered as separate entities. Branka Peurača

IMPERFECT, YET SUCCESSFUL PARTNERS Despite different organizational cultures and ways to deal with conflicts, able to recognize the problem and talk openly about it. Committed to the proclaimed goals and flexible in pursuing them. Branka Peurača

Have we clarified to ourselves which partners are needed and why? Branka Peurača

BE HONEST – WHAT DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION NEED FROM THE PARTNERSHIP? How can we make sure that our current and potential partners provide what we need? Branka Peurača

Planning partnership DOCUMENTS TO DEFINE: Intention to work together; Intellectual property; Partnership agreement; Detailed task description with responsibilities and deadlines; Protocols on communication, monitoring, decision- making and disagreements. FRAME FOR DESIGNING COOPERATION: Kick-off meeting; Other meetings: regular, representative, and in-sync with M&E activities; External support: TA, M&E, facilitator, contracting authority; Lessons learned. Branka Peurača

In your experience… …which are the most serious risks for establishment and maintainence of partnership? Branka Peurača

In your opinion, what makes a partnership successful? Skills: Branka Peurača Processes:

Let’s reconsider 3 questions posed at the start in terms of communication: 1.Are you participating in a partnership? 2.Is your organization an effective partner? 3.Is your sector an effective partner?

REFERENCES & RESOURCES Branka Peurača Meliora d.o.o. Croatia

FOR MORE ON PARTNERING: The Partnering Initiative Partnership Brokers Association Polish Environmental Partnership Foundation

BRANKA PEURAČA Meliora d.o.o. RAFAL SERAFIN Polish Environmental Partnership Foundation & Partnership Brokering Association