mapping community assets & building partnerships
DESCRIPTION
Mapping Community Assets & Building partnerships. Why develop partnerships?. More minds, diverse ideas to tackle issues Increase the impact New leadership or expertise Increase resources Broaden the scope More advocates for your cause. Drawbacks/challenges. Weak partners Compromise - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
MAPPING COMMUNITY ASSETS
&BUILDING
PARTNERSHIPS
More minds, diverse ideas to tackle issues
Increase the impact
New leadership or expertise
Increase resources
Broaden the scope
More advocates for your cause
WHY DEVELOP PARTNERSHIPS?
Weak partners
Compromise
Less control
Inequality of power
Individual organizations may not get credit
Contributions vary
Time and resources to develop and maintain
DRAWBACKS/CHALLENGES
Community work…
It’s all about relationships!
KEY PARTNERSHIP PRINCIPLES:
FIRST…People and organizations are motivated by their self-
interest. Find and appeal to your common self-interests, and fi nd your common interest.
SECOND…Partnership-building is a dynamic process that requires
continuous attention and eff ort.
MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL PARTNERSHIPS
THIRD…Like with all relationships, it’s important that at an
early stage of development, partners learn to deal with confl ict.
FOURTH…Use what resources and time are available, and
adapt. Tap into existing resources – start building relationships; be friendly with groups that have similar goals; cooperate, coordinate or collaborate where it makes sense.
MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL PARTNERSHIPS
TYPES OF PARTNERSHIPS
Cooperation
Coordination
Collaboration
Shorter-term, informal relationships
Longer-term effort around specific project or task
Long-term, more complex and formalized relationships
Shared information only
Some joint planning and division of roles
New structure with commitment to common goals
Separate goals, resources, structures
Some shared resources, rewards, and risks
Pooled resources, shared rewards, leadership, risks
Relationships
Roles
Resources
Ris
k and R
ew
ard
s
Transactional to Transformational
Low intensity to High intensity
1. Assess: Identify needs and assets
2. Prepare: Begin building relationships
3. Frame issues: Establish terms
4. Make decisions: Create a plan, manage confl ict
5. Implement decisions: Carry out plan, monitor
6. Maintain relationships: Evaluate, adapt to changes
STAGES OF PARTNERSHIPS
Complementary to needs-based approach
Start with the strengths and resources that exist, not what is absent
Creative solutions to complex problems
Opens up new ways to address key issues: new patterns, new ideas, new energy, new relationships
Empowering: sees people/communities as citizens and producers, not just clients and consumers
Relationship-driven
ASSESSING & PREPARING:AN ASSET-BASED APPROACH
ASSET-MAPPING
Each group has a card with a community issue or need
Individually list 10 assets within a 4-block (1-mile) radius of your home that could help address the issue or need
In your group, share your ideas and debrief: What were some of your common themes? What were some of the more creative matches made
between the community need and assets? How might this approach be applicable to your VISTA
service?
ASSET-MAPPING ACTIVITY
Document the assets (strengths) in your community
Strategize how best to use resources/understand community
Starting point for building partnerships
Helps break down silos and build positive community
Dynamic: continue to update as community/resources change
Format can be creative
ASSET MAPPING: A PLACE TO START
Collect info on weaknesses and challenges facing community
Helps determine needs for new/expanded services
Can help with accessing funding resources
Increase community understanding of problems
NEEDS MAPPING
BUT… Ignores capacities and strengths
Sees outside experts as only resources for help
Problems have to be seen as increasing in order to get funding
Community believes it is deficient
Targets isolated clients, not energies of entire community
NEEDS MAPPING
Collect info on capacities, skills, strengths of individuals and groups
Might include: Individual assets Institutional assets Physical space Neighborhood economy Informal associations Relationships and networks Stories/history of a community Programs/services
Keep in mind: Complement, not supplant existing strategies
ASSET MAPPING: WHAT TO INCLUDE
ASSETS VS NEEDS MAP
Needs Map
Assets Map
How will you define your “community” that you are asset-mapping? Specific population, geographic boundaries,
faith/ethnic/racial community, etc
Who will help you in this process? Start with your supervisor!
What type of info will you gather and from whom?
What info do you already have?
What resources and partnerships already exist? Start with your VISTA site! Get to know your own organization and already existing
partnerships, associations, networks, and any already existing asset maps
BEFORE YOU MAP
What is the scope and your goal for mapping?
What are your organization’s/program’s goals and objectives, assets/gaps? How will partnership enhance your goals?
What is your process? How will you go about conducting your community asset research?
How will you document your research? What are you going to do with the information you collect? Community resource guide, searchable database, identify
partners for a specifi c project/task, etc
BEFORE YOU MAP (CONT.)
Tools: Visual map Community/school/neighborhood tour Newspaper investigation Photography Google maps Others
Include: People Programs/services Community resources
DOCUMENTATION
Who is at the organization(s) or in the community? (that is relevant to your project)
What do they do?
When and to whom are they available?
How do they communicate with parents, community, stakeholders? How can you best contact them?
What strengths could they potentially bring?
How might they align with your organization/program/project?
DOCUMENTATION: PEOPLE
What are existing programs and services available in the community (relevant to your project)?
Who do the programs serve?
What services do they provide?
How eff ective are they at addressing needs?
How might they align with your organization/program/project?
DOCUMENTATION: PROGRAMS/SERVICES
Who else is in the community (companies, informal associations, etc)? (relevant to your project)
What do they do? Who do they serve?
Do they have existing partnerships or relationships with your organization?
What resources or strengths do they have relevant to your project? (volunteers, space, services, money, in-kind donations)
How might they align with your organization/program/project?
DOCUMENTATION: COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Identify strategies to approach your potential partners
Negotiate a framework for decision-making and terms of agreement for each partnership Roles and responsibilities Structure/management Credit Publicity/marketing Planning and info-sharing Evaluation
If necessary, formalize with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or Letter of Agreement (LOA)
NEXT STEP: DEVELOP PARTNERSHIPS