NGOs without borders: Readiness for collaboration and models for developing collaborative partnerships

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) seldom have the luxury of adequate human, fiscal, material and time resources to fulfill the needs of the populations that they serve. NGOs working in the health sector are no exception to this reality. Relationships between NGOs are often competitive, sometimes complementary, and infrequently collaborative. Collaboration is a process that enables goals to be reached that cannot be achieved by an agency working alone. Additionally, collaboration can bring added efficiency to the process and increased effectiveness to outcomes. Then, how could NGOs develop creative partnerships among themselves to maximize their resources and effectiveness? What are the key areas about each that have to be ascertained in developing a successful partnership? This session would address the models that are available to facilitate partnerships among NGOs working towards common goals. It will identify and discuss the key elements to be assessed for a strategic fit for a successful working partnership. A checklist, developed from evidence available from published literature, will be shared with the participants. Evidence-based approaches to evaluate the benefits of a collaborative partnership will be discussed with appropriate examples. This presentation is part of the panel entitled “NGOs without borders: Reducing inequalities in global health” organized by the “NGO Connections Committee” of the International Health Section.