IBLF - Partnerships

PARTNERSHIPS

Organisations partner with others because they recognise that they can achieve more by working together rather than in isolation.

"Partnership is a cross sector collaboration in which organisations work together – committing resources as well as sharing risks and benefit – to achieve sustainable development goals."

A partnership approach has the potential to add value to each of the collaborating organisations as well as those directly impacted by the partnership and its activities. Partnerships, at their best, bring new innovation and energy to intractable development issues and can have far greater reach and influence than single sector approaches.

Since 1992, IBLF has led the field in promoting cross-sector collaboration (in which business is an important part of the solution) as the most effective and sustainable way of achieving development goals.

Our experience leads us to believe that partnership approaches are highly adaptable to different cultural contexts and that partnerships can operate at international, national and local levels. They can also add value at both strategic / policy and operational / delivery levels.

Successful partnerships operate with a number of core principles including: Equity, Transparency and Mutual Benefit.

It takes equity in a partnership (each partner having an equal ‘voice’ and being valued for the resources and competencies they bring) to engender genuine respect.

It takes transparency in a partnership to build trust between players with – typically – diverse experience, expertise and values.

It takes an acceptance of the importance of mutual benefit by each partner to build sustainable relationships.

It is critical for organisations to invest in building the capacity of individuals to work effectively as partnership practitioners or ‘brokers’. It is also important to invest in making organisations themselves more fit for purpose as partners.

The Partnering Initiative

The Partnering Initiative is a programme of IBLF that develops methodologies and provides advisory services for effective cross sector partnerships for sustainable development.

The Partnering Initiative works with all sectors at both strategic and operational levels to promote and support cross-sector partnerships that are appropriate, effective and innovative by:

Building leadership – both organisational and individual
Strengthening sustainability and impact – of a partnership’s activities
Promoting rigour – in thinking and practice