This tool is part of a wider toolkit developed by ACDI/VOCA to support practitioners in engaging with the private sector.
The main objective of the tool is to provide a framework and guidance for assessing the resources, behaviours, and relationship health factors that contribute to partnership success. Through using the tool, programmes will be able to better understand different areas of focus to strengthen their partnerships and strategies for making pivots where necessary.
Based on research and rigorous studies, it prioritises two key questions:
- If staff members have a couple of hours a week to invest in partnership health, what behaviours and practices most contribute to partnership health? (It can serve as a job aid for Partnership Managers, and to help guide their performance)
- How can we proactively monitor the strength of the relationship, and correct as needed? (Noting that when partnership health improves, development results improve. So taking time to pay attention to, and invest in, partnership health leads to a valuable return on investment on the development results side.)
Through using this tool, the goals are to encourage regular reflection and adaptation to improve the health of the partnerships, thus leading to improved results as well as provide an early indication on the partnership’s ability to achieve desired outcomes.
Along with this companion guide, which explains how to use the tool, the tool itself can be found as an editable Excel document