Choosing a possible program model
Before you begin looking for community partners, consider the needs and resources you have identified in your community. Do you already have a family literacy model in mind that would address those needs? If not, this is probably a good time to review the description of models in Chapter II. Having a model in mind, even as a possible option, can be helpful in determining who would be an appropriate partner.

Identifying needs and resources in your agency
Once you have identified a type of family literacy program that you think might work in your community, you need to consider why your organization wants to partner with other agencies. Although we discussed the general benefits of partnerships in Chapter III, it is important to clearly and systematically identify what your needs and motivations are. Based on the type of family literacy program you've chosen as a possible model (or the program you are actually delivering), think about what your needs are for that program. For example, if you are interested in Books for Babies, you will need access to parents of newborns. If you want to run a Homespun program, you need a supply of sets of children's books. You'll need a comfortable, non-threatening facility for hosting Mother Goose workshops.

Consider the following questions. The focus is on needs at this point, not on specific partners.

• What do you hope to gain by forming partnerships with other agencies that you cannot accomplish or provide internally?
• Do you hope to gain financial or in-kind support? If so, what would that support consist of?
• Do you hope to access expertise in other disciplines? If so, what kinds of expertise are you looking for?
• Do you want to receive or make referrals to or from other agencies? • Do you or your agency have expertise that others could benefit from? If so, what is it?
• What other reasons do you have for seeking partners?
• What value would be added to the proposed project by involving partners?

You will also need to consider what benefits or value you could offer to other agencies. THE PARTNERSHIP MUST BE OF MUTUAL BENEFIT, OR IT WILL NOT BE SUCCESSFUL. Think about what potential benefits working with your agency would offer to other organizations.