best practices for successful community collaborations: a simulated partner experience

Best Practices for Successful Community Collaborations:

A Simulated Partner Experience

Katherine Delgado, CIRS, CRS

#AIRS2013

Objectives• Review similarities and differences between non-profits and private

sector

• Review meaning of partnerships and collaborations

• Advantages of non-profits as community partners

• The right “climate” for partnerships and collaborations

• Overview of best practice resources for developing and sustaining partnerships and collaborations and an example of I&R partnership

• Partner simulation to identify resources and partners within the community

How nonprofits are similar tothe private sector

• We have products and services• We have investors• We have clients• We need to keep them both happy• We need to produce revenue to stay in business

How nonprofits are dissimilar tothe private sector

• Our clients are often dependent on our products/services

• Our products and services are usually paid for by a third party, not the client

• We compete for investors, not customers• Our investors demand are a lot more from us than ROI;

we also have to be good stewards of invested dollars• Revenues often do not cover costs, let alone produce a

profit

How Non-Profits Compare in a Bad Economy

Private Sector Nonprofits

Sales Decline “Sales” Spike

Income Declines There is no Direct Income from “Sales”

Production Slows Production Increases

Production Costs Decline Production Costs Increase

Investment Income Declines Investment Income Declines

• cost-effective and

• organizationally nimble enough to be

• responsive to changing community needs.

Well managed Nonprofits are:

Partnerships and Collaborations

Partnership Collaboration

A relationship resembling a legal partnership and usually involving close cooperation between parties having specified and joint rights and responsibilities

To work jointly with others, especially in an intellectual endeavor; to cooperate with an agency which one is not immediately connected

Nonprofits as PartnersNonprofits as partners can often offer major advantages:

• Greater responsiveness to community need• More personalized and higher quality services, better

outcomes for clients• Possibility of integrating web-based tools• Creative higher level placements• Organizing around bigger goals• Community capacity building

Nonprofits are Highly Cost-Effective Investments

At FCS, It Costs It Costs the Taxpayer:

$300 per month to keep one child out of state custody each month in our DCRCP program.

$1,200 per month to keep a child in foster care and $3,000 for residential care.

$15 per month per child for FRC and FACES programs to keep kids in school.

$2,000 per month to house a youth in jail, not including police or court costs.

$8 per call to the crisis center. $3,000-$8,000 per visit to the emergency room.

Organizationally NimbleNon-profits can adapt and adopt proven programs and keep meeting needs while decreasing overhead and administration• The Health Assist Story• FEC Centers

Responsive to Changing Needs/Demands

Where is FCS going:– Crisis and Information Services– Health Navigation and the ACA– Community Based Programs

Focus looking out and looking deep to have immediate and long term goals – our funders demand it, our clients deserve it

Is the Organizational “Climate” Ready?• Macroclimate vs. Microclimate• Is collaboration and partnership creation encouraged?• Does the organization have enough people in place to

manage roles?• What is the current level of integration in the community?• Is the goal to create a contact or enter a partnership or

collaboration?• What other capacity building initiatives have you developed?• Have you begun to utilize web-based tools in ways that

benefit other partners?• Have you tapped into assessments and other rubrics?

Types of Partnerships/Collaborations• Collaboration: greater autonomy,

no permanent organizational commitment

• Partnership: sharing information, coordinating efforts

• Strategic Alliance: decision-making power is shared or transferred

• Joint programming: management of a program of mutual interest to participating organizations’ missions

• Integration: involves changes to structure and control

• Education and Training• Capacity Building• Research & Analysis

• Can be precursor used to narrow focus

Overview of Best Practices General Partnership Links (NSLC Links Collection)

http://servicelearning.org/resources/links_collection/index.php?link_set_i d=1&category_id=235

Civic Practices Network. The community section of this web site provides information on community building through "community organizing, social capital, and urban democracy." http://www.cpn.org/sections/topics/community/index.html.

The Engaged Community: Maximizing Community Impact (NSLC Fact Sheet)

Best Practices Community Partnerships, Corella & Bertram Bonner. Foundation http://www.slideshare.net/BonnerFoundation/best-practices-community-partnerships-1301755

Overview of Best Practices The Ten Principles of Partnership: The Foundation for the Community-Campus

Partnership

National Service Knowledge Network“Creating, running, and sustaining campus-community service-learning

partnerships”

Partnerships for Higher Education Service-Learning. (NSLC Fact Sheet) http://servicelearning.org/lib_svcs/bibs/cb_bibs/school_cmty/index.php

The Wisdom of Community-Campus Partnerships (NSLC PowerPoint) http://servicelearning.org/resources/online_documents/partnerships/cmt

y_campus/

Tools and Methods for Evaluating Service-Learning in Higher Education (NSLC Fact Sheet)

Community Partner: Service-Learning Toolkit (2008), Jenna Knapp (PDF)

Overview of Best Practices Faculty Toolkit for Service-Learning in Higher Education (2007), Sarena D. Seifer

and Kara Conners (PDF)

Strategies for Creating an Engaged Campus: An Advanced Service-Learning Toolkit for Academic Leaders (2001), Barbara Holland, Elizabeth Hollander, and Cathy Burack (PDF)

Looking In, Reaching Out: A Reflective Guide for Community Service-Learning Professionals (2010), Barbara Jacoby and Pamela Mutascio

Service-Learning Research Primer (2010), Kathryn S. Steinberg, Robert G. Bringle, and Matthew J. Williams (PDF)

Partnership/

Collaboration

Jointly developed structure and

shared responsibility

Commitment to mutual goals

Mutual authority and accountability

for successSharing of

resources and rewards

I&R Partnership Example• Service-Learning Partnership with Volunteer State

Community College• Students update I&R resources

• Published on compaq.org• http://www.compact.org/program-models/the-volunteer-state-community/22380/

• Received 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll Award – the highest federal educational recognition for service-learning and volunteerism

I&R Partnership Example• Twenty Factors that Influence Successful

Collaborations Mattessich, Paul W. et al. Collaboration: What Makes it Work

(Second Edition), St. Paul, Minnesota: Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, 2001.

• Includes factors Related to:• Environment • Membership Characteristics• Process and Structure

• Communication• Purpose

• Resources

Augustino-Wilke and Delgado, 2013

Vol State is known as a source of community leadership, as is Family & Children's Service, which has been in existence for 70 years and is part of the United Way umbrella of services . Once the idea of partnering to establish the project was in place and understood by both organizations, the "name recognition" allowed us a respectable place to begin.

The project supervisor/faculty member had been implementing the project for 2 semesters prior to the formal partnership, thus the legitimacy of the project as well as the committment, reliability, and competency had been demonstrated at the time of initial collaboration. Too, the partners understood the academic institution’s and community agency’s overarching philosophy and mission of service-learning were aligned. *It helped having our Community Partner Preceptor as a VolState graduate.

No opposition to partnering present, while overall general support for service-learning and building community partnerships was/is highly encouraged by the Office of Service-Learning. The project preceptor was also a "new" faculty member, thus the political and social climate seemed to be “right” for starting a collaborative project like this one.

Evidence

1. A history of collaboration or cooperation in the community

2. The collaborative group is seen as a legitimate leader in the community

3. A favorable political and social climate

Factors Related to the Environment

Table 1. Evidence of Twenty Influential Factors Supporting the Successful Collaboration between Volunteer State Community

College and TN 2-1-1 Service-Learning Project.


6. Members see collaboration in their self-interest

7. The ability to compromiseExamples include restricting agency updates to six main course components; adjusting student tasks based on individual student capacity; adjusted schedules based upon overlapping obligations; flexible call center days

Service-learning and career development opportunities for students; cost savings to Family & Children's Service ($210,375) and movement towards accreditation

We elected to begin with trust and a willingness to accept that each side would need to be engaged to "make this work." Visits/meetings to respective sites further established a sense of responsibility to others (2-1-1 callers, volunteer counselors, and student needs).

Initially, we thought that all the people involved in our collaboration represented a cross section of those who have a stake. We later learned of the additionally necessary parties needed for support (Division Dean, Department Chair of Faculty Member).

Factors Related to the Membership Charachteristics Evidence

4. Mutual respect, understanding, and trust for members and their respective organizations

5. An appropriate cross section of members




Factors Related to Process & Structure Evidence

"Ownership" felt from both parties; feel benefits for callers, students, and community; student learning objectives; increase in capacity of 211 service to provide accurate information to callers in need or a crisis situation; newly- implemented listings provide access to resources desperately needed

Thorough documentation and notes for each phase of project, weathered faculty change

8. Members share a stake in process and outcome

9. Multiple layers of participation

10. Flexibility in both structure and methods11. Development of clear roles and policy guidelines12. Adaptability or the ability of the collaborative group to sustain itself in the midst of changes

Every level (upper/middle management, operations) within each partner organization has at least some representation and ongoing involvement in collaborative initiative; agency leadership and Service-Learning Director

Update focus evolved to meet curriculum needs; assessment and survey methods advanced

MOU

Call center added; consistent timelines, project implementation parrallels school semester

13. An appropriate pace of development

Table 1. Evidence of Twenty Influential Factors Supporting the Successful Collaboration between Volunteer State Community College

and TN 2-1-1 Service-Learning Project.


Regularly interact and provide updates; meet 2-3 times a week for 2-month duration during semester, provide ample time to reflect, plan, and discuss progress and challenges; phone, email, text

Factors Related to Communication Evidence

14. Open and frequent communication

15. Established informal and formal communication links

Formal planning meetings with 211 leadership team before each semester began; structured call center times throughout semester; structured student "reviews" at end of each semester; regularly meet with Director of Service-Learning for guidance, feedback, and collaboration




16. Clear attainable goals and objectives that are communicated to all partners and can be realistically attained

17. Shared vision

18. Unique purpose

Partners share the credit for the partnership’s accomplishment(s); writing, co-led presentations/publications; both dedicated to vision and mssion

The people in this collaborative group are dedicated to the idea that we can make this project work; rise up to help one another if project deadlines overlap with other interfering obligations

Partnership Agreement; established and SMART goals; student instruction packets

Factors Related to Purpose Evidence

Table 1. Evidence of Twenty Influential Factors Supporting the Successful Collaboration between Volunteer State

Community College and TN 2-1-1 Service-Learning Project.


19. Sufficient funds, staff, materials, and time

20. Skilled leadership

Strong leadership skills; strong network of supportive leaders above project faculty, helps encourage sustainability for the future and provide guidance and insight; conference attendance and scholarly research further promotes leadership development; project has been shared with other 211s and United Way Community Liaisons

Our collaborative group has adequate “people power” to do what it wants to accomplish; agency adds supplemental staff when needed; community member staff has sufficient time to participate in call center days throughout semester; agency provides new agency reports as needed and program materials to demonstrate agency mission

Factors Related to Resources Evidence



Partner Simulation:

Does the organization need a partner?How does the organization find a partner?

Then what?

Partnership Simulation Step 1:Determine whether your organization has unmet/underfunded needs and whether forming a partnership/collaboration to meet those needs would enhance organizational effectiveness

Partnership Simulation Step 2:Identify and research potential partners• Research local agencies or schools; look for a

good fit• Empower employees to look for partnership

opportunities

Partnership Simulation Step 3:Understand your core values and those of your potential partner

1. Determine whether your organization has unmet/underfunded needs and whether forming a partnership/collaboration to meet those needs would enhance organizational effectiveness

2. Identify and research potential partners.• Research local agencies or schools; look for a good fit• Empower employees to look for partnership opportunities

3. Understand your core values and those of your potential partner

4. Draft a partnership proposal

5. Submit your proposal to potential partner

6. Coordinate a follow-up meeting or call

Partnership Simulation

Partnership Scenario

How might you improve the effectiveness of your organization based on this scenario?

Reflection&

Questions

Thank You!Katherine Delgado, CIRS, CRS2-1-1 Call Center SupervisorFamily & Children's Service

615.320.0591 ext [email protected]

www.211tn.org

#AIRS2013

best practices for successful community collaborations: a simulated partner experience

Documents

community partners

community needs

community needmore

businesshow nonprofits

managed nonprofits

court costs

sustaining partnerships

direct income