The selection of an individual or organization that is responsible for coordinating tasks that allow the collaboration to progress
WHY IT MATTERS: Establishing a single person, a body of managers, or an organization as a single point of accountability can ensure structure and instill confidence in the collaborative process.
Choosing a manager.
Collaboration partners may have differing expectations of managers and of project management practices. If partners are involved in determining criteria to select a manager, they will be more likely to work with the manager and have confidence in the manager’s capacity to coordinate the collaboration’s activities. Considerations for choosing a manager may include: whether the expertise and experience of the manager align with the collaboration’s needs; whether the manager has experience working with collaborations with similar outputs, goals, and types of partners; whether the manager’s cost is within the collaboration’s budget; and whether the manager is available during the timespan of the collaboration.
“Building a Neighborhood of Economic Opportunity in Atlanta”
In 1993, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA) a $35 million grant to renovate the crumbling housing stock of the East Lake Meadows public housing complex located four miles from downtown Atlanta. Renee Glover, who had recently joined AHA as President, realized that merely renovating housing would not create a safer, more prosperous community. By 1995, only four percent of East Lake Meadows residents earned incomes above the poverty line. The unemployment rate was 86.5 percent, and the crime rate was 18 times higher than the national average. Renee assembled a diverse team composed of AHA leaders, developers, and community members to implement a holistic community approach that would provide mixed income housing, cradle-to-college education, and community wellness resources through public and private partnerships. As the revitalization process evolved, partners recognized the need for an organization focused on bringing in new partners and resources and on coordinating, integrating, and overseeing the many efforts in education, housing construction, and wellness programs that were part of the collaboration’s work. Having been a key participant in the collaboration’s planning and project launch, and with the resource capacity to focus on the Villages of East Lake, the East Lake Foundation naturally took on these responsibilities, serving as the “community quarterback.” The East Lake Foundation served as the lead organization, key convener, accountability partner, and facilitator in the collaboration. It supervised implementation by providing strategic planning, keeping the group on task, raising and contributing funding, and working to partner with organizations to ensure service quality and integration.
“The Partnering Toolbook” from The Partnering Initiative
Especially see Tool 4: Partnering Roles and Skills Questionnaire. This tool is intended for collaboration partners to assess their skills in areas like project planning and management, communications, facilitation, and more. We suggest this tool can be used by partners to identify whether one or more partners possesses the skills needed to act as collaboration manager, or whether the collaboration has gaps in these areas and should enlist a third party. “The Partnering Toolbook” is a comprehensive guide to partnering across sectors.
“Strategic Backbone Toolkit” from Spark Policy Institute
This toolkit is not related to identifying a manager but is a valuable resource for the individual(s) or organization(s) that the collaboration has chosen to act as manager — here referred to as the “backbone organization.” It includes resources related to governance, decision-making, scaling change, mobilizing and managing funding, and more.
The selection of an individual or organization that is responsible for coordinating tasks that allow the collaboration to progress
WHY IT MATTERS: Establishing a single person, a body of managers, or an organization as a single point of accountability can ensure structure and instill confidence in the collaborative process.
Choosing a manager.
Collaboration partners may have differing expectations of managers and of project management practices. If partners are involved in determining criteria to select a manager, they will be more likely to work with the manager and have confidence in the manager’s capacity to coordinate the collaboration’s activities. Considerations for choosing a manager may include: whether the expertise and experience of the manager align with the collaboration’s needs; whether the manager has experience working with collaborations with similar outputs, goals, and types of partners; whether the manager’s cost is within the collaboration’s budget; and whether the manager is available during the timespan of the collaboration.
“Building a Neighborhood of Economic Opportunity in Atlanta”
In 1993, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA) a $35 million grant to renovate the crumbling housing stock of the East Lake Meadows public housing complex located four miles from downtown Atlanta. Renee Glover, who had recently joined AHA as President, realized that merely renovating housing would not create a safer, more prosperous community. By 1995, only four percent of East Lake Meadows residents earned incomes above the poverty line. The unemployment rate was 86.5 percent, and the crime rate was 18 times higher than the national average. Renee assembled a diverse team composed of AHA leaders, developers, and community members to implement a holistic community approach that would provide mixed income housing, cradle-to-college education, and community wellness resources through public and private partnerships. As the revitalization process evolved, partners recognized the need for an organization focused on bringing in new partners and resources and on coordinating, integrating, and overseeing the many efforts in education, housing construction, and wellness programs that were part of the collaboration’s work. Having been a key participant in the collaboration’s planning and project launch, and with the resource capacity to focus on the Villages of East Lake, the East Lake Foundation naturally took on these responsibilities, serving as the “community quarterback.” The East Lake Foundation served as the lead organization, key convener, accountability partner, and facilitator in the collaboration. It supervised implementation by providing strategic planning, keeping the group on task, raising and contributing funding, and working to partner with organizations to ensure service quality and integration.
“The Partnering Toolbook” from The Partnering Initiative
Especially see Tool 4: Partnering Roles and Skills Questionnaire. This tool is intended for collaboration partners to assess their skills in areas like project planning and management, communications, facilitation, and more. We suggest this tool can be used by partners to identify whether one or more partners possesses the skills needed to act as collaboration manager, or whether the collaboration has gaps in these areas and should enlist a third party. “The Partnering Toolbook” is a comprehensive guide to partnering across sectors.
“Strategic Backbone Toolkit” from Spark Policy Institute
This toolkit is not related to identifying a manager but is a valuable resource for the individual(s) or organization(s) that the collaboration has chosen to act as manager — here referred to as the “backbone organization.” It includes resources related to governance, decision-making, scaling change, mobilizing and managing funding, and more.