Partnerships in the Voluntary Sector

POLITICS AND POLICY

By Askin Taner, OLC Public Policy Analyst

IN THIS ISSUE OF THE NEWSLETTER, the OLC explores partnerships. We start by providing some background on partnerships in the voluntary sector in general, and discuss the context in which 'partnerships' has become a buzzword.

Today, 'partnership' is used to characterize a wide variety of arrangements between and amongst organisations. At one end of the spectrum are relationships which are based on narrowly defined, immediate interests of the parties involved. At the other, 'partnership' is used to describe arrangements where shared visions, objectives and budgets bring about outcomes that none of the parties could have achieved alone.¹ This type of partnership is usually based on both immediate and long term, broadly defined interests. Wherever they lie on this spectrum, partnerships are seen as a universal remedy for the voluntary sector in delivering better value to society.

It is now widely agreed by those in the field of adult literacy that partnerships hold a potential for progress in the field, and literacy organisations have been engaging in an ever-increasing number and type of partnerships. While our understanding of why precisely partnerships are necessary, and what exact benefits they are likely to bring is still evolving, reports from the field provide growing evidence that literacy organisations are getting better at partnering.

In the last two decades, partnerships mushroomed in almost every corner of the globe, and across very diverse fields in the voluntary sector. By the end of the 1990s, the demand for partnerships had increased so sharply that there was now money to be made in non-profit partnership brokering by private businesses. Prestigious universities took notice and started offering postgraduate programs in domestic and international partnering.

The idea that partnerships hold the key to societal well-being has become a rather influential one. Many large private Canadian corporations have bought into the idea by proudly going into partnerships with voluntary organisations focused on social service delivery. While advocates of socially responsible corporations view this shift to 'change from within' as highly beneficial to society, for critics these partnerships represent little more than a new form of dependency on the part of the voluntary sector.

The voluntary sector has skillfully survived the funding setbacks of the 1980s and 1990s, and it has emerged as a significant player in civil society and social service delivery in the new millennium. Not surprisingly, it has also successfully adjusted to the trend of partnerships by adopting a 'practical' outlook vis-à-vis sponsors, supporters, donors, suppliers, clients, customers, and even deserving causes.

References

1. Ben Tuxworth and Florian Sommer, "Fair Exchange? Measuring the impact of not-for-profit partnerships" Forum for the Future June 2003.

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