Increasing the Capacity of Individuals, Families and Communities

Capacity Benchmarking Tool
For Faith- and Community-Based Organization

Table of Contents | Part III: Program Monitoring | Part V: Fundraising

Part IV: Community Linkages and Partnerships

What are Community Linkages and Partnerships?
The extent of an organization’s impact and its image depend on good relationships with community members and institutions. Community linkages provide connections that help develop an understanding of the environment in which the organization operates and build the community’s understanding of the organization. Partnerships may be formal or informal collaborations between two or more organizations to fulfill common goals.

Why are Community Linkages and Partnerships important?
The organization’s relationships within the community often determine its success in a number of key areas, such as:

• Marketing services so that people know about and can access them;
• Working efficiently with others to provide a continuum of services;
• Ensuring a high level of integration with, acceptance by, and support from the community;
• Attracting funding and other resources; and
• Influencing public policy to improve circumstances related to the organization’s mission.

What topics are covered in the Community Linkages and Partnerships section?

Community Linkages

Community Partnerships

Community Linkages

Community Linkages	Needs a lot of work (1)	Needs some work (2)	Needs a little work (3)	Meets Current Needs (4)
Best Practice: The organization, its purpose, and its leaders are known and welcome in the community.
Basic Benchmarks
1. The executive director, or delegated staff, arranges meetings, site visits, and information sharing with community members and organizations.
2. A board representative joins the executive director in the hosting sessions for community members to learn about the organization.
3. Board members help identify key individuals in the community for staff to meet. Sometimes the board members make the introductions and other times staff reach out on their own.
4. In coordination with the executive director, board members promote and speak on behalf of the organization. They speak to government officials, business leaders, leaders of other nonprofit and public agencies, funders, constituents, and the community at-large.
5. Some staff and board members attend neighborhood and community meetings to: (1) support the community, (2) stay informed about community needs and priorities, and (3) invite community approval and support for the organization.
Enhancement Benchmarks
6. Some staff and board members serve as board members to other community organizations.
7. The board develops annual and long-range public relations plans. The plan includes: Lists of people to educate about the organization (e.g., private citizens, neighborhood groups, government officials, business leaders, potential clients, leaders of other social service agencies, and potential funders); Marketing goals and strategies that promote the organization, its services, and a positive image; and A description of the resources needed to implement the strategies.
8. Board members and staff stay informed about perceptions, conditions, and policy issues that may affect the organization.
9. The executive director and board members educate the community about the organization’s concerns and opportunities. Some ways to educate the community include: Writing letters and notices for local newspapers, newsletters, and email recipients; and Arranging for television, radio, cable, and billboard public service announcements.

Community Partnerships

Community Partnerships	Needs a lot of work (1)	Needs some work (2)	Needs a little work (3)	Meets Current Needs (4)
Best Practice: The organization has established collaborative relationships with key community members and institutions.
Basic Benchmarks
1. The organization is familiar with the other programs working with the same population and providing similar or related services.
2. The organization consults community leaders, residents, funders and potential funders about which needs are already being addressed and which require additional or new investments.
3. Program design takes into account what is already being done by other organizations.
Enhancement Benchmarks
4. Formal referral arrangements with organizations providing related services are explored.
5. Partnerships and other alliances that improve the quality, increase the amount, or expand the range of services are explored.
6. The organization considers potential partner organizations when assessing grant opportunities that call for a broader scope of programs or greater volume of service than currently provided or anticipated.

Tips and strategies for establishing community partnerships:
	Develop a network of organizations with which service delivery collaborations are possible.
	The executive director and board chair periodically meet with other community organizations to understand each organization’s capacity and ensure collaborative or at least cooperative relationships between the organizations.
	Develop or connect with an existing referral system or community-based resources.
	Manage partnership relationships with a clear understanding of: each party’s roles; an agreement about how, what and when to communicate; how each party will do the expected work; and regularly scheduled evaluations of the partnership. These concepts may be written up in a contract or Memorandum of Understanding.
	If resources are available, the partners may engage a neutral third party to facilitate communications.

Congratulations! You have completed your assessment of the Community Linkages and Partnerships capacity area. Use your responses to determine the most important capacity building priorities. Please review the “How to Use This Tool” section on page 4.

Table of Contents | Part III: Program Monitoring | Part V: Fundraising