What Nobody Tells You About Strategic Partnerships
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Everyone I've ever worked with will tell you that partnerships are vital to this work; from funders requiring joint grant applications to national networks partnering with grassroots organizations to collective impact efforts across sectors, the idea that we should work together isn't exactly groundbreaking. I will stand ten toes down that any work that is truly impactful requires it.
AND ALSO: the reality of strategic partnerships can be a lot messier and, at times, more exhausting than the glossy collaboration stories we see in impact reports. Sometimes it's incredibly tempting to retreat back to our desks and just do it ourselves. The truth is, just like any worthwhile relationship, strategic partnerships require intentional design and thoughtful management to enhance our work rather than bury us in Doodle polls and meandering Zoom calls.
This post speaks to several unspoken truths about partnership work and offers practical tips to ensure your collaborative efforts actually move the needle instead of just creating more meetings.
Unspoken Truth #1: Not all partnerships are strategic.
I've sat through countless meetings where organizations were partnering simply because they were "supposed to" or because a funder suggested it. Let's be honest - some partnerships exist primarily on paper or persist through inertia rather than intention.
What makes a partnership truly strategic? It creates something neither organization could achieve alone. It combines complementary strengths, reaches new audiences, or tackles complex problems from multiple angles. Most importantly, it advances your mission more effectively than going solo.
Signs your partnership might not be strategic:
Meetings feel like an obligation rather than an opportunity
The "partnership" is really just referrals or occasional information sharing
You can't clearly articulate the unique value created by working together
The effort invested consistently outweighs the outcomes
Making partnerships more strategic:
Start with a clear "why" - What specific gap or opportunity does this partnership address?
Define concrete outcomes that neither organization could achieve alone
Be honest about what you bring to the table and what you need. Map it out!
Create space for regular reflection: "Is this partnership still serving our mission and communities?"
Be willing to gracefully exit partnerships that aren't creating multiplicative value.
Unspoken Truth #2: Your standard metrics won't capture what makes partnerships valuable.
Traditional metrics often fail to capture the full value of partnerships. When organizations work together, the impacts go beyond immediate program outcomes to include strengthened relationships, increased organizational capacity, and systems-level changes that don't always fit neatly into grant reports.
Why partnership measurement is different:
The timeline for real impact often extends beyond typical reporting cycles
Some of the most valuable outcomes are relational or capacity-based
Attribution gets complicated - who gets "credit" for what?
The ripple effects of good partnerships can extend far beyond the original goals
Practical approaches to partnership measurement:
Create a shared definition of success at the outset (and document it!). Get clear about what metrics matter to you, individually and collectively, and commit to tracking them.
Measure both tangible outcomes AND relationship strength/health
Track process metrics: How efficiently are decisions made? How quickly are challenges addressed?
Capture stories and unexpected wins alongside the numbers
Develop simple partnership health check-ins (I use a quick 1-5 scale on factors like trust, communication, and value).
💡 Steal this question: "If this partnership ended tomorrow, what would be impossible for us to achieve on our own?" The answers often reveal the true value that might not show up in standard metrics.
Unspoken Truth #3: Conflict is normal, and consensus isn't always possible.
The most uncomfortable truth about partnerships is that conflict isn't just inevitable—it's necessary for innovation. Groups that never disagree are usually avoiding the hard conversations that lead to breakthrough thinking. And chasing perfect consensus often leads to watered-down decisions that nobody loves.
The partnership conflict paradox:
Partnerships with too much conflict fracture and fail
Partnerships with too little conflict produce safe, uninspired work
The sweet spot is productive tension that challenges assumptions while maintaining respect
As someone who is admittedly conflict averse and strives towards harmony, this has been a growth opportunity for me (personally AND professionally!) Something that has helped me is using reflective listening to first listen to understand before asserting an opposing opinion or making a judgement. Get curious!
Navigating partnership disagreements:
Establish ground rules for healthy conflict before you need them
Distinguish between disagreements about means (how to do something) versus ends (what you're trying to achieve)
Create dedicated space for divergent thinking before pushing for convergence
Build decision-making protocols that don't require unanimous agreement for every choice
Practice naming tensions early rather than letting them simmer
💡 Pro tip: Navigating conflict is a lot less scary when you have built trust ⬇️
Unspoken Truth #4: There are no shortcuts to building trust.
We've all been in those kickoff meetings where everyone enthusiastically agrees to collaborate before racing back to their individual priorities. Then we wonder why the partnership feels hollow three months later.
The truth is, effective partnerships run on trust, and trust runs on time. The partnerships that weather storms and create lasting impact are those where partners deliberately invest in relationship-building before and during the work.
Why trust-building gets shortchanged:
The urgency to show immediate results pushes relationship development to the back burner, and grant timelines rarely account for the “getting to know you” phase.
We assume a shared mission equals shared values and ways of working.
We underestimate how differently organizations interpret the same words and concepts.
What trust-building actually looks like in practice:
Creating space for partners to share their origin stories, organizational values and establish shared definitions.
Discussing working styles and decision-making processes before diving into the work.
Building in social time that might seem "inefficient" but pays dividends in collaboration.
Acknowledging power dynamics and addressing them openly whenever possible.
Starting with small, achievable wins before tackling more complex challenges.
Closing Thoughts
Strategic partnerships at their best can transform our work and multiply our impact. At their worst, they drain precious resources and create beautiful mission statements that never translate to action.
The difference often lies not in the partnerships we choose, but in how intentionally we design and nurture them.
Need help getting started? My Strategic Partnerships Toolkit provides practical templates and worksheets to help you assess potential partnerships, map complementary strengths, and create accountability structures that work. Sign up for my newsletter to download the toolkit and transform how your organization approaches partnerships.
