Partnering Background

Forming a partnership involves bringing together two or more groups, organizations, companies, or government agencies that are not otherwise connected. The responsibilities of each party and its roles are defined in a written document such as a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).

Partnerships work best if both sides have something to gain. It can be tangible: staff expertise, financial backing, a mailing list, political connections, etc. It can be intangible such as improving a group’s image in the community, or it can be a combination of both. Finding partners may be easy or may take some lobbying to show an organization or company how it will benefit from being involved.

Most often partnerships are formed due to mutual interests in the same resource or goals. For instance, a state department of natural resources may recruit a paddlers’ group and an anglers’ group because both use the same river and feel access is an important issue. The groups may formally agree to participate in a task force, provide copies of their membership lists, provide volunteers for events and meetings, or raise funds to achieve the goals of the project. Partnerships may last just for the duration of a particular project or may evolve into a permanent committee or authority that has ongoing management responsibilities.

Partnerships do differ from sponsorships. While partners share responsibility for getting work done for the duration of a project, sponsors financially back, and may assist in planning, only a specific event. The sponsor’s interests may be to gain goodwill and generate positive press about itself as opposed to long-term interest in a resource.

For examples of successful RTCA conservation partnerships in Alaska visit our Conservation Successes Section

You are pursuing goals that will affect other people and organizations.

You need more resources, whether financial, political, or human, to accomplish your goals.

You want a strong coalition that shows how interests are in agreement.

You are aware of several strong interest groups that have already voiced opposition to any efforts and want to formalize their participation in the planning process.

You are running a small project and your agency or group owns the land, no one else uses it, and you have all of the needed resources to accomplish your goals.

You really just want a stamp of approval on what you’re doing. Partners may bring in their own opinions and recommendations in exchange for resources, and you have to respond.