Celebrate
Celebrate each significant milestone in culturally relevant ways. One success is an achievement. Multiple successes cement you and your partners standing as leaders and innovators.
Structure
Without agreed-to meeting schedules, agendas, and understanding partner needs such providing as food and childcare, partners may remain on the letterhead. But that’s the only place you’ll see them.
Hold regular meetings during planning, action and assessment phases. You’ll need partners collaboration on meeting style, communication, and feedback throughout the project, so find ways to ensure their involvement. Consider how you to elevate their stories.
Communication
Whatever choices are made, all stakeholders (including residents) deserve to hear about them, and to learn why the outcome did or didn’t fully reflect their views and feedback.
Be upfront about problems such as initiatives falling short of goals. You don’t want partners and stakeholders to learn what’s happening — good or bad — from someone else. Few partnerships thrive in the dark.
Publicity
Put elected officials up front when their voice meets partners feedback and project goals. Understand, they make take credit for the benefits the project delivers. Building those relationships may make the next project easier to get started.