C4C/Partnerships

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Computers for Communities, Ottawa, Canada

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Partnerships

Finding Potential Partners

There are many sources for identifying potential partners:

1) Community Events

Get out into your community and meet the people that are working to make your community better. Talk to them about some of the challenges they face in finding partners and ask if they know any organizations that would be great partners for C4C.

2) Websites

There are a number of different websites that list community organizations. Here is a list of some valuable websites:

• Community Information
• Search Ottawa Citizens Associations
• List of Community Associations
• List of Market Leaders
• Ottawa Business Journal Magazines

Leads - in progress

• Carlington Community Health Centre - Randy
• Nepean, Rideau and Osgoode Community Resource Centre, Randy
• Jewish Family Services Ottawa - Randy

Current Partners

• Partners

Partnering Process

The partnership process often varies depending on who the potential partner is and depending on the discretion of the person in charge of managing the process but at a high-level, the partnership process usually involves the following steps:

1) Identification - find out what organization(s) you'd like to partner with, who to contact the partnership

2) Investigation - do your homework on the organization. Look at their website, read annual reports and see what kinds of programs they run and who their current partners are.

3) Contact - reach out the organization and attempt to make contact

4) Meet - set up a meeting and discuss each organization and potential synergies and opportunities to work together.  This can be done in person or over the phone.  

5) Get Board of Directors approval - report your meeting to the board of directors and get approval on any next steps such as donation of computers or setting up of lab.

6) Draft and sign Partnership Agreement - work with the partner to draft a partnership agreement that you can both sign that outlines what each organization will be responsible for and for how long.  

7) Publicize! - work with the partner organization to draft a joint press release and perform other tasks necessary to publicize the partnership.

8) Deliver - work with other C4C volunteers to make sure the partnership agreement is fulfilled.

9) Renew - when the partnership agreement is almost over, reach out and start to talk about renewal.  

Opening Note

There are many different types of introductory emails you might sent a potential partner.  They might vary depending on how much contact (if any) you might have had with the organization before you are emailing a contact but my goal for the opening email is to try and secure a follow-up phone call or face-to-face meeting.  In order to accomplish this, I think it is important to quickly introduce what C4C does and how C4C differs from other organizations that refurbish computers. At the same time, give the contact links to additional information that they can read if they are so inclined.

Subject: Computers for Communities and PARTNER ORGANIZATION

Body:

Hello,

My name is FIRSTNAME LASTNAME and I am POSITION with Computers for Communites (C4C).

C4C is an Ottawa-based non-profit that aims to bridge the digital divide in the Ottawa area by refurbishing computers and donating them back into lower-income areas. While there are other non-profits or charities similar to C4C, we differ because we donate computers free of charge and we also run labs where we teach individuals to refurbish computers. In exchange for 24 hours of volunteering, our volunteers can receive a cpu for their own personal use.

I'd like to talk with you or anyone else at ORGANIZATION about how our two programs can take advantage of some synergies in what we both do to help people in the Ottawa area.

Does this sound like something you'd be interested in?  If yes, please let me know what your availability is like if we can schedule time to talk more in person or over the phone.  If there is somebody else in your organization that I should be talking to, please let me know.  

Here is some additional information about C4C:

Website: http://computersforcommunities.ca/

Video:http://bit.ly/c4c-Video1

Success Stories:  http://wikieducator.org/C4C/Success_Stories

Thanks,

NAME 

Pre-Agreement

1. Identify the contact person with the beneficiary organization.
2. Email C4C background information - background, FAQs, responsibilities and benefits (i.e., PR, social media, logos, etc.)
3. Meeting with C4C - Then we sit down with them and explain the process and decide if the org is a good fit. We find out what their demand is.

• We discuss if they are setting up a lab or if it is going to individuals.
• We discuss what the terms of the partnership would look like and what both parties are willing to contribute.

1. The beneficiary organization handles the distribution and we have contact with one or two people.

• As long as the machines are not altered, C4C will offer 24 hours of community tech support for a period of one year.
• Contact Dave Sampson to set up a meeting with the right C4C volunteers including the Partnership Coordinator (Danny).

After Agreement

• Arrange for photography, publicity, and logos, etc.
• Arrange for recognition, etc.
• Evaluation chat
• Testimonial / Reference
• Story / Profile

for C4C Volunteers

If this is a redirection of 24 hours of volunteering you have acquired then you are responsible for picking up the computer, claiming the volunteer hours with C4C. Each volunteer is entitled to a computer after 24 hours of logged volunteer service for person use or to pass along as they wish.

test new section

(: Yep, this section works mighty fine) - Randy Fisher 22:25, 24 November 2010 (UTC)