Choosing the right partner…

[Partnering For Good Course Leader]

Share your thoughts on what could be done to ensure the most suitable people represent their organisations in your partnership, and what plans can be put in place for when they move on

[Katie]

it shoudl be someone with the interest and capacity. Take applications, and vote for most suitable candidate

[Ivy]

Before seeking a partnership, one should do their research and find out who to communicate it to in the organization. E.g in emails, one could cc the head of the organization and also the head of linked departments if you have their contact details to ensure you have the right people on the table.

Documentation of every stage of the partnership is important as it ensures that in case any of the partners switch roles, those present and incoming can easily follow through and take up the duties as expected.

[Nishchhal]

It is important that a right person is given the responsibility to the partnership. That means it to be people in leadership or middle management, who have a direct effect on the activities through the partnership. This way they plan better to improve the partnership approach. Also, it is important to keep the internal team update about the partnership thus, minuting all the decisions by the team leader is important.

[Saba]

SDG-3: Good health. As health projects mostly need technical know-how of the subject. Hence, instead of the CEO, it is better to have an expert for the partnership like the health worker if the funding is limited

[Priya]

Depending on the nature of the partnership, a representative who has very good communication, people management and time management skills should be given the responsibility to be the point of contact from an organization for that partnership goals to be achieved.

[Marta]

As recommended by the OECD partnering guidelines, the co-ordinators of the partnership shoud be nominated by the partners. A partner should bring a specific asset and knowledge to the table to act for the common partnership objective (have a deep understanding of the situation and be willing to collaborate) but should also have a minimal personal motivation to join this partnership effort; as well as certain skills in terms of working in a diverse team. Also, when the candidate is selected (or even before), rules of conduct should be established for all partners to abide by them (e.g. good communication between actors, regular attendance of meetings, continuity of personnel, regular transfer of information among the partners).

[Riona]

Someone that can implement the change and oversea it till the end.

[Andrea]

It would be ideal to be able to chose the person who understands the cause and shares the same passion to help it. However, you would have to ensure that this person does not hand it down to someone to do the work for him, as that person may not share the same interest and will become an obstacle. I agree with Ivy who shared that documenting everything and a contract would ensure that the partnership is sustainable regardless of the person in charge. If the partnership is mutually beneficial, then there would be more likelyhood that the partnership is a strong and sustainable one.

[Emily Yasmin]

I agree with Ivy and Andrea that documentation is necessary to keep track of what is done in the event that the contact person switches roles. I also think that putting the people with the most experience and interest in this field should be the contact person, potentially with an assistant who can either step up to fill in the lead position or can bring the new person up to speed.

[Holiday]

It should be the person who knows the relevant procedures (such as project manager or HR who has a overview about how the organsation in general works)in their organisation and willing to share because the same passion about acheiving SDGs matters.

[Natalie]

The way to ensure this is to select the person who not only on paper is the most suitable, but one that is most passionate about the project. Since partnerships require consistent communication and work, the leader must be excited for it to be achieved.

Documenting everything, including failures, would allow for the partnership to continue after the person leaves. This would allow for the next person to continue the parternship with the correct knowledge.

[Lyla]

In order to have the most suitable people representing your partnerships, there should be a process to ensure that those people who are chosen can clearly articulate the goals of the partnership and the objective that they are attempting to achieve. Additionally, they should be competent in managing and overseeing projects and skilled at communicating with others.