October 22, 2013

Presented by:

Beth Yoke, YALSA Executive Directorbyoke@ala.org@yalsa_director

LEVERAGING PARTNERSHIPS TO INCREASE IMPACT

ACT Now:

Overview

•Why partner?•What is a partnership?•Steps to success•Resources•Info Sharing

www.rexblog.com

Why seek partnerships?

What is a partnership?

used in a broad way “partnerships” describes relationships between people, organizations, agencies & communities that work together and share interests

PARTNERSHIPSsteps to success

Determine Needs

Review your library’s & your department’s strategic plan and seek feedback from your Teen Advisory Group

Develop a list of goals or needs and think about what a partner could contribute to help you address them successfully

Inventory Assets

•meeting & display spaces

•a newsletter, website & social media presence

•highly trained staff

•direct access to community members

•a network of existing community groups, partners, supporters & volunteers

•the capacity to implement programs

•a wealth of in-depth, quality information, tools & resources

•a focus on serving the entire community

•volunteer opportunities

•good PR/reputation enhancement

•donation/sponsorship opportunities

External:•Youth & after school groups•Businesses & business focused groups•Charitable organizations

•Workforce development•At-risk youth•STEM•Immigrant advocacy•Community development

•Schools•Government agencies

Internal:•Friends of the Library•Other departments

Identify & Vet Potential Partners

Build & Maintain Relationships

Can be time-consuming initially

Communication & people skills are critical

Include partners in the work of the library

Build good communication channels

Find ways to make the partner look good

Continue to have conversations about their needs & priorities

Develop an understanding of their processes

Co-Develop a Program

Use each other’s goals to jointly develop a program that meets both parties’ needs

Clearly identify who is responsible for what Set a reasonable timeline Check-in often to ensure forward progress Design an evaluation component

Implement Program

Utilize a marketing plan to get the word out Communicate often Make adjustments as needed Collect and share successes

Evaluate

How did the partnership impact your teens? What is better for them now?

Measure the success of your joint effort and to what degree it met the needs/goals you originally developed

Is there any potential to grow or expand the partnership?

Also take into consideration practical things, like whether or not their staff are easy to work with

Adjust or Move on

Work with the partner to make any needed refinements or improvements

If you’ve outgrown the partnership for any reason, be up front and move on It’s never personal—focus on your library’s and

department’s strategic plan and goals

Keep the door open for future partnering

Further exploration

Building Strong Partnerships with Businesses, http://ow.ly/pNMU0 (.pdf)

“Corporate Partnerships for Non-profits: a Match Made in Heaven?” http://ow.ly/pNSvj (.pdf)

“It Takes a Neighborhood: Purpose Built Communities and Neighborhood Transformation” http://ow.ly/pHAtY

“Public Library Partnerships which add value to the Community: the Hamilton Public Library Experience” http://ow.ly/pHzRJ

Information Sharing

What haven’t we covered? What would you like to know in more detail? What successes, challenges or resources do

you want to share? What’s one thing you’ve learned

you can use at your library?

Thank you!

Beth Yoke

YALSA

www.ala.org/yalsa

byoke@ala.org

312.280.4391

@yalsa_director