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"How do I find partners for my project?"
"What do people mean when they ask you who your project partners are?"
"How do I make working in partnership work for me?"
The headlines
When applying for funding or pitching for projects, you’re often asked, “Who are your partners?” But why are partnerships such a big deal?
A partner, in the context of our kind of organisations, is an organisation that is giving resources, knowledge, people power or supporting your project in some way to make it more effective and helping you deliver. They may also be offering financial support but usually it’s about what they contribute to your project free of charge.
Whether you’re after funding or to amplify the impact of your work, collaborating with the right partners can supercharge your work. So here are 5 tips on getting those partnerships right.
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5 Tips for Finding and Working with Partners
1. Know why partnerships matter
Collaborating with partners can bring all kinds of benefits to your project or your organisation. If you’re starting your organisation, working in a new area, or with a new community, partners can boost your credibility—working with established organisations gives funders and venues confidence in your work.
Partners can also bring resources like space, materials, or marketing reach, cutting costs and multiplying your audience. They can bring specialist skills and expertise to help you deliver your project effectively, especially on complex themes like mental health or climate change.
Be clear about why you want to build a partnership before you jump in.
2. Venture into the unknown
While other local organisations, statutory organisations (council, health etc) or schools might be an obvious choice or easy win, don’t restrict yourself to the obvious.
I’ve supported organisations collaborating with a bat preservation society, bus company, shopping centre, sexual health clinic and nightclub, for example. The best partnerships work for what your project really needs, and often if you go outside of the non-profit world you can find some gems that bring all kinds of new enthusiasm, resources or ideas.
3. Make them your bestie
Partnerships don’t have to be complicated to be effective, but they do require trust. If you’re getting in touch cold, start with a clear and concise ask—explain your project (briefly) and why you’re reaching out to them specifically. Start with small collaborations and build from there.
Strong relationships often develop over time, leading to bigger and better partnerships in the future. You might start a conversation with someone and then a year down the line the perfect project comes up and they’re on the ‘phone to you, ready to jump in because they already know your work.
4. Make it a healthy relationship
Set expectations early and document them, even if it’s just a quick email outlining responsibilities. Define what’s included in the partnership; you want specifics on how support offered will work or what resources will be shared. This clarity avoids misunderstandings and helps keep things running smoothly.
5. Be on the lookout
Not every partnership will fit every project, but staying in touch and maintaining positive relationships can open doors later. Even small things, like a partner including your event in their newsletter, can lead to more significant support in the future.
Keep those connections cosy warm, and gather potential partners like a squirrel gathering nuts to hoard away for when the time is right.
LinkedIn is more exciting these days than it used to be and can be a low effort way of keeping your organisation in people’s minds. Networking events, training courses and conference coffee breaks are also a prime time to introduce yourself (ask them about their organisation, you don’t have to do a sales pitch in their face).
Every time you meet an interesting person from a potentially useful organisation, see if there’s an easy way to keep in touch- invite them to one of your events, get on their mailing list or vice versa, connect on social or attend something they're running.
What Next?
Start by chucking down a list of potential partners on sticky-notes: both within and beyond your usual networks. It can be specific organisations or types of company or expertise you’re keen to connect with. Then pick one action to make something happen- it could be connecting with them on social or having a nose on their website to see what events they have coming up.
You don’t have to dedicate all your time to this but just the process of putting it all down on sticky-notes will wake it up in your brain and next time you’re in the room with a potential partner organisation your spidey-senses will start tingling.
If you want help with other aspects of running your organisation, plus regular tips on building partnerships, join the squad and get a monthly dose of free support.
If you want to pump up your organisation’s fundraising potential, my main programme, Sticky-note Strategy, helps you create a visual plan for your work (with jargon-busting creative activities, using sticky-notes!). You’ll develop your pitch, organise your programme, involve partners and collect proof of why your work matters.