The Partnership Playbook: Continuous evaluation and improvement
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EmailSuccessful community partnerships rely on ongoing evaluation and improvement to ensure that youth served are given the greatest opportunities to thrive.
A community partnership is a collaborative effort between individuals or organizations working toward a common goal. The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments emphasizes that successful partnerships require shared responsibility, with schools, community groups, organizations and agencies working together to support youth development and education. In youth programs like 4-H, businesses, community organizations and volunteers play an important role in creating opportunities that help young people learn and grow through teamwork and shared resources.
Evaluating partnerships is essential for growth and success. By setting clear goals, using different evaluation methods and involving participants, you can gain valuable insight into what is working in your partnership and what needs improvement.
Here are some steps to guide the partnership evaluation process:
- Refer to SMART goals with partner(s)
- Check in on the SMART goals that were written to measure if the target is being achieved.
- Decide what to evaluate
- Make sure the evaluation focuses on the goals of everyone involved.
- Use more than one method
- Gather information in multiple ways, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations and reviewing program materials.
- Include stakeholders in the process
- Get input from everyone affected by the partnership, including participants and each of the partners.
The results of the evaluation methods, both formal and informal, should guide future decisions for both current programs and partnerships, and future ones. When implemented effectively, these decisions can be used to make continuous improvements that strengthen a partnership or, when necessary, can help you make the difficult decision to move on and end a partnership that is not working well. Continuous reflection and modification can help ensure partnerships are beneficial for everyone involved.
To learn more about community partnerships, check out the rest of the Partnership Playbook series:
- The Partnership Playbook: How partnerships make youth programs better!
- The Partnership Playbook: Types of partnerships
- The Partnership Playbook: Initiating a partnership
- The Partnership Playbook: Building a strong foundation with partners
- The Partnership Playbook: Driving successful partnerships through goal setting
- The Partnership Playbook: Identifying red flags in a community partnership
Michigan State University Extension relies heavily on community partnerships to increase the reach of the work we do. For more information about partnering with MSU Extension in your community, contact your local 4-H program coordinator.
