How can you get different community outreach organizations to work together?

1 Identify common goals and values

The first step to getting different community outreach organizations to work together is to identify what they have in common. What are their shared missions, visions, and values? What are the issues or causes that they care about and want to address? By finding the common ground, you can establish a mutual understanding and respect for each other's work and perspectives. You can also use this as a basis for defining the objectives and outcomes of your collaboration.

2 Communicate clearly and frequently

The second step to getting different community outreach organizations to work together is to communicate clearly and frequently. Communication is essential for building trust, resolving conflicts, and ensuring alignment. You should establish regular channels and methods of communication, such as meetings, emails, phone calls, or online platforms. You should also be transparent and honest about your expectations, challenges, and feedback. Communication should be respectful, constructive, and inclusive, and you should listen actively and empathetically to each other's views and needs.

3 Share resources and responsibilities

The third step to getting different community outreach organizations to work together is to share resources and responsibilities. Sharing resources can help you leverage each other's strengths, expertise, and networks, and reduce duplication and waste. You can share resources such as information, data, tools, training, funding, or volunteers. Sharing responsibilities can help you distribute the workload, increase accountability, and foster a sense of ownership and commitment. You can share responsibilities such as planning, implementing, monitoring, or evaluating your collaborative activities.

4 Celebrate diversity and creativity

The fourth step to getting different community outreach organizations to work together is to celebrate diversity and creativity. Diversity and creativity are assets for community outreach, as they can bring new ideas, perspectives, and solutions to the table. You should acknowledge and appreciate the differences and similarities among your partners, and encourage them to express their opinions and suggestions. You should also be open-minded and flexible, and willing to try new approaches and learn from each other.

5 Recognize and reward achievements

The fifth step to getting different community outreach organizations to work together is to recognize and reward achievements. Recognizing and rewarding achievements can help you maintain motivation, morale, and satisfaction among your partners, and demonstrate the value and impact of your collaboration. You can recognize and reward achievements by giving feedback, praise, appreciation, or recognition. You can also celebrate milestones, successes, or learnings together, and share stories, testimonials, or best practices with others.

6 Evaluate and improve your collaboration

The sixth and final step to getting different community outreach organizations to work together is to evaluate and improve your collaboration. Evaluation and improvement are essential for ensuring the quality, effectiveness, and sustainability of your collaboration. You should regularly monitor and measure your progress, results, and challenges, using indicators, data, or feedback. You should also reflect on your collaboration, and identify what worked well, what didn't, and what can be improved. You should then use this information to make adjustments, improvements, or changes to your collaboration, and communicate them to your partners.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?