Building Strategic Partnerships
Overview
Partnerships let organisations achieve what they cannot do alone, but many fail because of unclear goals or poor management. This course covers how to identify the right partners, design partnership agreements, govern joint work and measure the value partnerships create.
Who should attend
Business development and partnership managers, senior managers, and government and NGO partnership staff.
Training methodology
Interactive presentations, practical exercises, case studies, group discussions, role-plays where relevant, and a personal action plan that participants apply in their own work.
Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Identify partnership opportunities that support strategy
- Select and assess potential partners
- Design partnership models and agreements
- Govern and manage partnerships effectively
- Measure partnership value and manage exits
Course outline
Day 1Why Partner
- Types of partnerships
- Strategic rationale
- Benefits and risks
- Partnership lifecycle
- Discussion
Day 2Finding the Right Partner
- Partner criteria
- Due diligence
- Cultural fit
- Initial negotiations
- Assessment exercise
Day 3Designing Agreements
- Partnership models
- Memoranda of understanding
- Roles, contributions and benefits
- Risk sharing
- Drafting exercise
Day 4Managing Partnerships
- Governance structures
- Joint planning
- Communication and trust
- Resolving disputes
- Case study
Day 5Value and Renewal
- Measuring partnership value
- Reviews and health checks
- Renewal or exit
- Partnership portfolio
- Action plan
