From a public policy perspective, the momentum toward partnerships can be seen as an emerging policy approach toward capacity-building for social service delivery. Today governments across the western world actively promote a concept of partnership as a new, efficient and low-cost mode of capacity-building. This holds true for the field of adult literacy and basic skills training across Canada.

Canadian governments are strongly encouraging partnerships in service delivery, program and professional development, and research in the field. In particular, there is evidence that the momentum for building partnerships between private businesses and literacy organisations in the program design and delivery of workplace literacy training is becoming stronger.2

Partnerships within the voluntary sector are also in a different place today than they were a decade ago. In the 1990s, when funders started requiring partnerships of their grantees, many voluntary organisations were thrown into a reactive mode, and ended up in partnerships motivated by a desire to meet funding criteria or share the burden of risk.3

More recently, voluntary organisations have had to become more reflective and strategic in their partnership building efforts, as demanded by funders: the emerging funding framework for the sector is characterized by an increasing emphasis on partnerships in requests for proposals and choices of funding mechanisms.4

While most voluntary organisations are indeed very positive about the potential for partnerships, many are worried about this recent trend of funders to impose partnerships on the sector. The full range of implications of this emerging trend is still unclear, including the implications for the literacy field.

Recent decades have brought with them significant change in the voluntary sector. Today, the sector has an expanded mandate to lead effective social change. The trend toward partnerships, with its political and policy implications for society becomes particularly significant and needs to be carefully analyzed in light of that expanded mandate.

Voluntary organisations, including those in the field of adult literacy, are accountable to society, as well as to their partners. While making the most of partnerships in their quest for delivering quality services, the voluntary sector needs to strike the right balance between their accountability toward partners and funders on the one hand, and their accountability toward society on the other.

References

  1. For more on partnerships in the field of workplace literacy, see: "Workplace/Workforce Literacy: Building Linkages for Action" Symposium Report, The Ontario Literacy Coalition, Toronto, Ontario. May 31, 2005; Alison Campbell: "Strength from Within: Overcoming the Barriers to Workplace Literacy Development" The Conference Board of Canada, 2003; Alison Campbell: "Creating a Sustainable Workplace Literacy Program" The Conference Board of Canada, 2005.
  2. Building Sustainable Non-Profits: The Waterloo Region Experience. Centre for Research and Education in Human Services, 2004.
  3. Katherine J. Scott. "Funding matters: the impact of Canada's new funding regime on nonprofit and voluntary organisations," 2003. http://www.ccsd.ca/pubs/2003/fm/

photo of Frances Lever

Nominations for the 10th Annual Frances Lever Memorial Award

Do you know a person who should be recognized for their dedication to and involvement in literacy? The OLC is now accepting nominations for the 10th Annual Frances Lever Memorial Award. Please see the nomination form enclosed with this newsletter for more information about the award and about Frances Lever.

Deadline for Nominations: April 21, 2006