Focus on Foundations First 🔧 (16-23/40)

Whether you're exploring partnerships or currently in one, your score shows multiple foundations need strengthening first before pursuing formal partnerships. This isn't a failure—it's valuable strategic clarity.

What This Means

Multiple foundational elements need strengthening before partnership will be successful. Pursuing collaboration right now would likely:

  • Stretch your organization too thin

  • Lead to unsuccessful partnerships that damage relationships

  • Distract from the core mission work you need to be doing

The Strategic Move: Build Your Foundation First

The organizations that excel at partnership didn't start there. They built strong internal capacity, then leveraged it through collaboration.

Focus on these fundamentals for the next 6-12 months:

  1. Stabilize core operations - Ensure your primary programs and funding are solid

  2. Build internal capacity - Strengthen staff, systems, and board governance

  3. Get strategic clarity - Define your mission, unique value, and growth strategy

  4. Develop organizational systems - Create feedback loops, communication protocols, decision-making processes

What Now?

Identify your 1-2 weakest dimensions (where you scored 0-5 out of 8)

  1. Create a 90-day action plan with specific steps to strengthen those areas

  2. Build internal alignment with your board/leadership about partnership readiness

  3. Return to this assessment in 3-6 months to track your progress

Want Support?

I help organizations build capacity and prepare for future partnership opportunities.

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