Consultancy launches new partnership guide for not-not-profit sector

‘A practical guide to working with partnerships’ explains the key stages to building a mutually beneficial collaboration with a like-minded not-for-profit or charitable firm.

N² Consulting’s managing director Nicola Davis says that this type of working is becoming more necessary for small organisations that want to survive in the current economic climate.

Davis said: “With the economy in flux and purse strings tightening, a growing number of funders are putting their trust and money in larger alliances that they see as a ‘safe bet’ and smaller charities are missing out.

“For many, building a good partnership with a compatible organisation that shares their ethics and services is a serious route to successfully competing with the larger companies to win contracts, to punch above their weight, and share skills and resource.”

The guide is launched in partnership with Nottingham Council for Voluntary Services (NCVS). Manager Jon Stevens said it couldn’t have come at a better time for the third sector.

Stevens tells: “Many organisations know the benefits a good partnership can bring, but what is often lacking is the ongoing guidance and support needed to make it work on a long term basis. Firms want to know how to organise themselves, make important decisions and evidence the benefits of working with another organisation? This guide will provide some of those answers, in a clear, structured and concise way.”

Davis concludes: “Joining two organisations is never an easy task, but it is important to remember that when a partnership is structured correctly and managed in the right way, it has the potential to massively improve service delivery and make working lives easier and more productive.”

To download a PDF version of the guide visit www.n2-consulting.com.