NOTE: This training is part of the Institute for Trustees Series hosted by the Essex County Community Foundation, Greater Worcester Community Foundation, the Community Foundation for MetroWest and SouthCoast Community Foundation and requires registration.

While most of us know that partnerships are essential to meaningful social impact work, ensuring those partnerships are strategic, authentic, and mutually beneficial can be another thing entirely. The right strategic partnerships have the power to amplify the impact of your work, grow your capacity, and tackle complex problems that no single organization can address alone.

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how to identify, design, and sustain partnerships that create genuine value for all involved. We'll move beyond transactional relationships to examine what makes collaborations truly strategic—from aligning missions and values to creating governance structures that balance diverse stakeholder interests.

Drawing on real examples from nonprofit partnerships, participants will learn practical frameworks for:

• Conducting partnership readiness assessments to identify your organization's collaborative strengths and gaps

• Mapping potential partners based on complementary capacities and shared values

• Designing clear governance structures and communication protocols that prevent common partnership pitfalls

• Creating mutual accountability systems that build trust and sustainability    

Whether you're considering launching a new coalition, revitalizing an existing partnership, or simply want to leverage collaborative opportunities more effectively, you'll leave with concrete tools and strategies you can implement immediately. Participants will engage through a combination of framework presentations, small group discussions, real-world case studies, and collaborative problem-solving around partnership challenges they're currently facing.