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Building Community Partnerships

Outreach Doesn't Take place without partners

One thing we know for sure is that community partnerships are ingredients of outreach success. Community relationships created via outreach help distinguish public broadcasting as an essential community service. The community is the starting point - their needs will help define your outreach goals. Their resources will help build your collaborative projects. The impact you have, working together, will build your station's capacity, credibility, audience and brand.

This section deals with building partnerships, defining partner roles, sharing resources, and successfully collaborating on projects that prompt positive change in your local community. Here are five questions we suggest public television stations ask when starting a project:

  • Does this project provide an important opportunity to partner with local organizations?
  • Will the partner organizations have resources that make the project easier to accomplish or more fundable?
  • Are local organizations doing related activities?
  • Will this project be viewed as competition or support?
  • Is the timing right?

Defining Partnerships (pdf file 41k)

This document highlights three types of partners (community organization, media, and funder), listing partner expectations and roles.

Pre-Nuptial Agreement (pdf file 54k)

This document highlights a series of questions that partners need to think about, using humor and the metaphor of marriage to help ensure a successful relationship.

Community Partner Fact Sheets

These Fact Sheets describe the goals of a number of organizations who are interested in exploring possible partnerships with PBS stations. These sheets also go into their cultural environment and give contact information.