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Partnership Evolution >
Sustaining Involvement
This is the 8th of 9 units of CPFOA’s Partnership Evolution
Additional resources to achieve your partnership’s desired impact abound in the community among stakeholders who may not be immediately involved with your collaboration. These key individuals—whether they are heads of agencies, elected officials, important business leaders or media personalities— influence not only one another, but other people and groups outside the partnership. And make no mistake: They have the power to help, or hinder, your effort over time.
It is crucial to engage these outside stakeholders. And learning what their needs are and how to build win-win relationships with them, even when you may be at odds on some of the issues, benefits you both and improves your chance for success.
All communities, from small and rural ones to large urban ones, are rich in resources. To tap them, you need to develop targeted strategies for approaching key stakeholders involved. Keep in mind that when these powerbrokers see your partnership’s progress toward community impact, they will likely do one of three things: contribute their assets, react neutrally or block the way.
That’s why building—and maintaining—relationships with outside stakeholders is so crucial. Sustaining stakeholder involvement is about building relationships, maintaining them and staying involved over the long-term. Be aware that the key stakeholders will change through the life of your efforts, so revisit who they are and how you need to approach them periodically throughout your work.
By using the tools in this unit, you will learn how to deal with the movers and shakers in your community. This section presents four essential strategies to sustain their involvement with the partnership and align your interests with theirs:
