2.2 Identifying

Discussion

Identifying potential partners begins with a selection process in which you choose with whom you want to work and then meet with them to share ideas and ascertain their interest in being involved. In the Action on Livelihoods example from Case Study 1, this stage would have included research on all the potential partners. Some of these are already known (such as the Ministry and local government) so the right contact person would just need to be identified, whereas others would require broader research in order to identify the specific businesses, special interest groups, NGOs and programme evaluators that fit the project’s requirements. Each of these partners needs to be contacted and engaged in discussion and negotiation about their interest and potential role and responsibilities within the project.

This stage may involve some kind of assessment of the potential partner organisations (an ‘organisational-capacity assessment’) to understand their strengths and expertise, as well as reading through project and annual reports to understand how they work and get a sense of their organisational challenges as well as their successes. During this stage you may also be securing partners’ involvement by motivating them and encouraging them to work with you.

During the identifying stage, you may find it useful to look at the People and Connections Map which can be found on page 68 of the DIY Toolkit [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] . This tool can help you understand relationships between stakeholders.