Collaboration & Partnerships

The impact of the pandemic has led to further calls for more joint working between charities, as seen in studies such as Rebalancing the Relationship and the Future Vision report. 

db associates are strong advocates for partnerships between organisations, but also realists about what this means in practice. There can be significant benefits in service delivery, voice and influence and in economies of scale, but the cultural and operational challenges involved should not be underestimated. 

There are a wide range of options in regard to partnership working, from the ad-hoc and short term to the permanent and formal. The Collaborative Map developed by La Piana shows this spectrum in a helpful manner. There are also constructive ways of allowing the understandable cultural sensitivities and concerns to be aired.

We have wide experience of working with charities who want to collaborate. One recent project was to consider the potential income generation and marketing opportunities and challenges for two children’s hospices exploring a merger. Client confidentiality means that we cannot disclose the names. However, one of the CEO’s involved said, 

‘David produced a very thorough report based on evidenced financial analysis and appreciation of the potential cultural and operational impact of a merger. His findings and recommendations were extremely beneficial in enabling us to consider future options.’  

Whatever your objectives and approach to partnership working, using an experienced and independent and knowledgeable third party to support the process can be of great benefit. Please contact us if you want to talk further.