Understanding Partners

This exercise will help you to consider whether you know enough about the partnership organizations with whom you plan to work.

It will allow you to assess your understanding of a number of areas, including:

• the values, mission and objectives of your partnership organization
• your partnership organization's culture
• how your partners like to work
• the interests of your partners and what they want from the partnership

Task

• Download the Understanding Partners Worksheet below.

• The first few questions are also shown in the table below.
• Work through each of the questions in turn. If there are any areas where you feel you could improve your knowledge, place a tick in the 'Action Required' column.
• Now answer the following questions:
1. What areas were identified where you have insufficient knowledge of your potential partner organization?
2. What reason can you give for not knowing these important details?
3. Would you consider postponing the launch of the partnership until you have become more familiar with your potential partner?
4. Can you anticipate any problems which could arise if you continue to enter the partnership with insufficient knowledge of your potential partner?
5. Does your partner know enough about your organization?
6. If not, how can you remedy this?

For each organization do you know:

Notes

Action Required

1. How they are set up?

2. Where their funding comes from?

3. What their structure is?

4. The size of the organization?

5. What their values are?