Partnerships are a recurring agenda item, whether you’re reviewing existing collaborations, considering new ones, or troubleshooting what’s not working. To support those conversations, we want to share insights from a recent Foundations Circle event on Challenges and Breakthrough Moments in Ecosystem Partnerships, where speakers shared stories about what it takes to build relationships that last.

 

Their reflections echo what we at the Institute of Philanthropy see as three essentials for partnerships with staying power—offered here are tactical prompts to consider before and during your next meeting:

1. You balance big-picture thinking with tangible action
Lasting partnerships don’t settle for surface-level solutions—they address root causes with coordinated, practical steps. At Foundations Circle, one speaker described how an initiative began with a government co-funding facility to supply vital nutrition commodities, such as prenatal vitamins. While the mechanism was effective; it quickly became clear that commodities alone were not enough. Without strong health systems and a viable private sector to produce those goods, impact would stall.

 

The partnership pivoted to tackle all three—commodities, systems, and private-sector capacity—ultimately evolving into a flagship investment fund.

 

  Tactical takeaway: 

• Identify one root cause your partnership is addressing—then list the concrete actions you're taking to solve it.
• Map out which sectors (public, private, community) and which players are involved, and where gaps remain.
• Pinpoint immediate opportunities to improve cross-sector coordination in your current initiative.

 

2. You plan engagements early and often
Trust is the foundation of any strong partnership, and it starts with empathy built up over sustained, regular engagements. Understanding your partner’s needs, priorities, and constraints builds alignment and respect. Stakeholders should be involved from the outset, ideally in the design phase, not added in later.

 

Tactical takeway:

• Review your stakeholder map: who’s missing from early-stage planning?
• Schedule a pre-meeting or listening session with key partners before finalising decisions.
• Build a checklist for early engagement: timing, roles, and feedback loops.

 

3. You see today’s meeting as one of many  
True impact takes time and partnerships are rarely linear. Different stakeholders operate on different timelines and progress often comes through persistence. One panellist summed it up: “Give yourself time for a hundred battles before winning one.”

 

Approaching your next meeting this way helps reframe setbacks and reinforces patience as a condition for scaling impact.

 

  Tactical takeaway:

• Define what a “small win” looks like for this phase of the partnership.
• Set a timeline for follow-up meetings that reflect each stakeholder’s pace.
• Document today’s decisions with a note on how they connect to long-term goals.