Collaborating

At this stage, you and your partners have a formal agreement. You are working towards developing enhanced capacity to achieve a shared vision.

What This Stage Looks Like

• The partners use creative, synergistic, and innovative approaches.
• The partners have new organizational structures and financial agreements.
• The partners have a long-term engagement.
• The partnership is an institutionalized and credible collaboration in the community.
• The partnership has a well-defined mission based on member interests.
• The partnership has an effective leadership team.
• There is high risk but also high trust.

How to Sustain and Strengthen Your Collaboration

• Engage in regular strategic planning.
• Manage and measure performance.
• Nurture your membership and team.
• Identify processes for managing conflict.

Examples from the Field

Establish new organizational structures and financial agreements.

The Wyoming State Suicide Prevention Program contracted with a nonprofit agency to oversee their statewide portfolio of prevention efforts, which focused on underage drinking, substance abuse, tobacco use, and suicide. Working with this single fiscal agent required dramatically increased collaboration between substance abuse and suicide prevention units, at both state and local levels.

Erica Matthews, Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention Manager (0:49)

Identify processes for managing conflict.

When the Wyoming State Suicide Prevention Program reorganized to contract with a state-level prevention organization, it resulted in reduced control of prevention dollars and potential loss of jobs at the local level. The prevention organization addressed this challenge by hiring many of the same individuals who previously managed more siloed prevention contracts at the local level, thereby maintaining continuity and relationships at the local level.

Erica Matthews, Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention Manager (0:42)