by Emily Bowers, CAE, KCSAE Director
Do you remember the first time you stood on a diving board? Jumping in seemed like a big risk. Diving into the water headfirst from the height of the board seemed impossible.
But you probably did it anyway. It might have been because you didn’t want your friends or siblings to make fun of you. Or it might have been you simply overcoming your fears. Either way, you jumped in. If you belly-flopped, you probably didn’t run right back to the ladder to try again, but if you didn’t, you most likely ran for the ladder (and possibly got yelled at by the lifeguard) because you were so anxious to try again.
Considering a partnership for your association is a lot like standing on the end of that diving board, staring at the water far below. Sometimes you’re not sure if your dive into partnership will end gracefully or in a belly flop.
But creating partnerships doesn’t have to be scary. If you approach them strategically and do the right things to minimize your risk, a partnership can be a great way to add value for your membership.
As associations with sometimes limited budgets, partnerships can be essential to providing the best value possible for our members, but not every partnership is the right one. It’s important to evaluate our partnerships and enter into strategic relationships that fit the way we work while providing tangible benefit to our members.
Maximize Value
The great thing about partnerships is that they allow you to provide more to your membership than you could ever do on your own, but it’s important to know what your membership actually wants.
Seek out feedback
One of the best ways to maximize value through partnerships is to constantly be assessing your membership and what you are currently doing. Assuming you know what your audience wants without asking them elevates the risk that comes with any partnership.
Instead, create mechanisms for members to provide regular feedback, whether that be through an online survey, small focus groups, or informal chats. Having a clear understanding of your members needs and wants allows you to more strategically target companies and organizations that can help you offer those things through a partnership.
Let go of what’s not working
Sometimes increasing value means setting aside programs and partnerships that aren’t working. It may be that your membership’s needs have changed over time, or it might simply mean that a partnership you thought would work hasn’t been as beneficial as you thought it would be.
Don’t keep doing the same thing simply because that’s what you’ve always done. Be open to change. If a partnership is a belly flop, don’t keep jumping off the diving board the same way every time. Make adjustments, so your membership can thrive.
Mitigate Risk
Partnering with someone new comes with some inherent risks. No matter how much you think a partnership will work or how well you think you know the partner, until you jump off that diving board together, you don’t really know if things will work out.
There are, however, some things you can do to limit the risk.
Have a network
Being a part of organizations like ASAE is a great way to decrease your risk when looking for and implementing strategic partnerships. ASAE cultivates relationships that give you a direct connection to trusted partnerships.
Often within that network, someone will have worked with the person or business you are thinking about partnering with, giving you valuable insight.
Look nearby
Looking for partnerships within your own sector to partner with people who have the same goals or audience as your organization is a good way to minimize risk. When everyone already has the same goals, it’s much easier to get on the same page.
Provide clarity
Mistakes are often made when one entity in the partnership misunderstands what the other partner wants. Mitigate risk in a partnership by providing clear, direct communication. Be very clear about what you want, what you need, and how much budget you have to work with.
When everyone understands the goals and resources up front, miscommunication is much less likely to occur, saving everyone from a painful belly flop.
Take the Dive
When they work, strategic partnerships provide incredible value for our members. When both parties are invested, collaborative brainstorming happens and everyone wins.
So, don’t stand at the end of the diving board, never taking the leap. You’ll miss out on important opportunities to provide maximum value to your members.
Go ahead. Take steps to mitigate your risk, but take the dive and land gracefully in the waters of a strategic partnership that delivers maximum benefit to your membership.