Bloomberg Philanthropies has released a free resource for city leaders – Collaborative Cities: A Guide for Designing, Implementing, and Sustaining Strategic Partnerships – to help them strengthen cross-sector partnerships in order to better tackle the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis. The guide shares strategies for building and administering effective collaboration across the sectors of government, philanthropy, non-profit, and business.
“One of the most important ways Bloomberg Philanthropies can help cities build a stronger foundation for the future is by providing mayors and other leaders with guidance on how to explore and implement strategic partnerships,” said Patti Harris, CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies and former deputy mayor for New York City. “This report helps do that by drawing on lessons learned and best practices from our work, and from cities around the world. Of course, successful partnerships across sectors don’t just happen, and they don’t spring from the pages of a manual. They take hard work – and they require strong, creative leadership to foster collaboration.”
The Collaborative Cities guide reviews some of the key components necessary to effectively administer public-private initiatives, including:
- legal and ethical guidelines – establishing and adhering to the rules and requirements that govern conduct;
- engagement and communications – bringing stakeholders together and building trust through consistent dialogue;
- management and oversight – creating a structure that is streamlined and accountable with appropriate staffing;
- budgeting and fundraising – determining, raising, and allocating the resources necessary for a partnership to succeed; and,
- measuring outcomes – designing metrics and processes for quantifying success and communicating impact.
“Local leaders are responding to unprecedented challenges and many are developing innovative solutions in collaboration with cross-sector partners,” stated Megan Sheekey, strategic partnerships lead at Bloomberg Associates. “Enhancing service delivery, responding to crises, and addressing systemic issues are just some of drivers of public-private partnership in cities, however, thoughtful leadership and governance for this work is crucial for success and sustainability.”