An employee is at their best when they are at the right job with right organization or company, and I’m lucky enough to have found the right fit. It’s been three years since I started working with the Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF) as a Program Coordinator for the Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs and Mobile Value Added Services Program. The program is designed to provide women entrepreneurs with broad-based training, specifically business skills and financial capabilities, to help them strengthen and scale their businesses.
So what have I learned from my time at YTF? First, I’ve had the chance to really shape my career as a development worker. Despite my educational background as a social worker, YTF has helped cultivate a terrific skill of finding and engaging different partners locally for our gender-based programs. This is a role I enjoy playing.
A Partnership Philosophy
Those in similar program coordinator positions may wonder why I find it easy to find and engage partners within a short period of time, especially when many other organizations find it difficult to get a right partner for their project. At YTF, we work hard to build incredible relationships with likeminded organizations. We view every organization we work with as a partner, coming alongside YTF’s work as a critical support. That is why we sacrifice everything to create success with every partnership agreement we enter into.
It is very crucial to build a strong and sustainable partnership with credible and appropriate organizations. A thorough understanding of your program and programmatic goals typically creates a strong instinct and decision process on who to partner with to achieve success. There are plenty of benefits to bringing together a successful partnership. Each organization brings something unique to the table and learns something different when they enter into a partnership. Plus, the scope of each organization is expanded exponentially as more people get to know each organization in new locations and each partner builds a stronger network.
Finding and Cultivating New Partnerships
At YTF, we’ve discovered partners are easy to find. Many are waiting to see who will call or email – it just takes the first outreach. Many of our new partners come by recommendations from current partners.
Knowledge of your program will guide you into getting the right partner. First, it’s critical to look for the partner whose organization has a similar mission to the program you manage. Second, don’t rely on a potential partner’s self assessment about their capability. Rather, a solid knowledge of the program and your needs, plus thorough research about the partner, will determine their credibility.
Criteria Checklist
When you first contact a potential partner, there are key characteristics you should look for to determine their credibility. Here are some of my top evaluation steps I go through in the due diligence process before recommending an organization as a new partner for YTF.
- Website: The organization must have a website for you to research their activities to understand their mission and vision.
- In-Person Meeting: The potential partner must have a physical and functioning office. Visit the organization to see things for yourself. Don’t be in a hurry when you visit and find out as much as you can about them by interacting with the staff and everybody you come in contact with. I try to see myself as a staff member in their organization and work with them for the day to get a true sense of how they work.
- Relationships over Revenue: The partner’s core interest must be on building a relationship with you and not financial compensation from the program. I’ve found some organizations are driven by the financial benefit instead of identifying with other partners.
- Experience: The partner must have a track record of successfully carrying out similar projects with the types of clients you are seeking. This experience will help you ascertain how knowledgeable the partner is about your program’s concepts and how well they can perform.
- Practical Functions: The partner must have the ability and capability to reach out to the expected client; in many cases the youth and women we work with
- Externally Vetted: Their organization must be credible NGO registered with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Nigeria, for instance, or equivalent vetting organization, and have a corporate bank account.
The best part about building a strong partnership is creating a thriving environment for your organization to function, especially by reaching new locations where you are not based. My work at YTF is not only inspired by the participants I interact with every day, but also the beneficiaries I’ve learned about by getting to know our partner organizations and learning what they do to impact people’s lives.
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Ifeoma Isiogu is writing from YTF in Nigeria where she is a Project Coordinator for YTF’s Gender & Entrepreneurship Programs. With an educational background in social work, Ifeoma is passionate about working with women and youth to educate them on ways in which to advance their businesses through financial education, networking and business skills.
