Mapping your partnership ecosystem

Before approaching any organisation, do a structured mapping exercise. This prevents you from pursuing partnerships based on name recognition or convenience rather than strategic fit.

Draw a diagram with your project at the centre. Place potential partners in three circles:

•       Inner circle — High alignment, high priority: organisations whose mission closely overlaps with yours, who have resources or capacities you need, and who are realistically accessible to you. These are your immediate targets.

•       Middle circle — Partial alignment or specific resource: organisations that don't share your full mission but could contribute something specific — a space, a network, an expertise. Worth approaching for targeted collaborations.

•       Outer circle — Monitor and develop: organisations that are relevant in the long term but not yet accessible or aligned. Map them now; approach them later as your project grows.

For each inner-circle organisation, answer three questions: Do we share core values? Would working together create more impact than working separately? What specifically can we offer each other? 

A partnership is a relationship. And like any relationship, it is built on trust — which takes time to develop and can be destroyed in a moment.

•       Lead with listening. In any first conversation with a potential partner, your goal is to understand their mission, their challenges, and their priorities — not to pitch your project. Ask questions. Show genuine interest. Find the intersection between what they care about and what you're building.

•       Start small. Before proposing a major collaboration, suggest a small joint activity — a shared event, a co-facilitated workshop, a resource exchange. Small steps build the mutual understanding and trust that make larger partnerships possible.

•       Be honest about your stage. You don't need to be established and fully funded to attract partners. What you need is a clear mission, a genuine community need, and the honesty to say: 'We're early stage. Here's what we have. Here's what we're looking for. Here's what we can offer you.'

•       Document agreements. Even informal partnerships benefit from a simple written summary of what each party commits to: roles, resources, timelines, and how decisions will be made. A one-page Memorandum of Understanding prevents misunderstandings before they become conflicts.

•       Maintain the relationship. Partnerships need ongoing attention. Share updates, celebrate shared successes, acknowledge difficulties. Organisations that feel valued as partners stay engaged; those that are only contacted when you need something quickly disengage.