Title: Since 1987, more than 70 associations are federated under the RESEAU FINANCEMENT ALTERNATIF
1Public/private partnership creation to promote
fundamental rights
- Bucharest 26 September 2007
Financed by the DG Employment, Social Affairs and
Equal Opportunities
2Introduction
- Exercise - introduction
- Trainer
- Delegates why are you following this training
and what is your interest in partnerships
3EUFIN background
- The Eufin project has two phases.
- The first phase (2004-2005) was to benchmark 17
partnerships (public/private/NGO) around Europe
to collect best practices. - The second phase (2006-2007) aims to disseminate
these best practices through a series of six
trainings. - Also, four questions have been identified for
further exchanges integration of new partners,
partnership evaluation, crisis management and
financial means.
4Training objectives
- You will understand how to prepare a partnership.
-
- You will learn to select partners wisely to
ensure the action's success and a common vision. - You will find out that sufficient financial
resources are means to the partnerships success. - You will appreciate that communication is key to
the well being of a partnership.
5What is a partnership?
- Exercise 2 teams
- Each team agrees separately on how to define the
word partnership. - Then report back to the group.
6What is a partnership?
- Exercise 2 teams
- A partnership is defined as a relationship where
two - or more parties, having compatible goals, form an
- agreement to do something together.
- Partnership implies the sharing of resources,
work, risk, - responsibility, decision-making, power, benefits
and - burdens.
- Definition proposed by Flo Frank and Anne Smith
in The partnership handbook, http//dsp-psd.pwgs
c.gc.ca/Collection/MP43-373-1-2000E.pdf
A
7Fundamental rights
- The freedom to choose an occupation and the right
to engage in work (article 15 of the European
Union's Charter of fundamental rights) - The freedom to conduct a business (article 16)
- Equality between men and women (article 23)
- Protection of family life (article 33)
- The right to social security and social
assistance (article 34) - Access to services of general economic interest
(article 36) - Environmental protection (article 37)
8Fundamental rights
9Table of contents 1/2
- 0830 Reception of delegates0900 Presentation
of delegates, objectives of the session0915
1st factor conducive to the success of
partnershipsPrepare thoroughly the partnership
to avoid misunderstandings and confusions, which
cause future disagreements, crises and splits
How can the action supported by the partnership
be delineated? How can we adjust the
partnership structure to the requirements of the
local action? How can we define the reasons
lying behind the implementation of the
partnership? How can we determine the function
expected from each partner?1045 Coffee
break1100 2nd factor conducive to the success
of partnerships Select the partners wisely to
guarantee the success of the action and develop a
common vision of the partnership How can we
canvass and select potential partners? How can
we convince potential partners? How can we
write partnership arrangements?
10Table of contents 2/2
- 1230 Lunch1345 3rd factor conducive to the
success of partnerships Provide sufficient
financial resources not to jeopardise the action
supported by the partnership How can we
provide sufficient financial resources from the
onset? How can we prevent and solve cash flow
problems? How can we increase financial
resources required for the action?1515 Coffee
Break 1530 4th factor conducive to the success
of partnerships Support the partnership to
avoid any waning of the parties interest and
decline of the action How can we develop
feedback mechanisms between partners? How can
we develop interpersonal relationships among
partners? How can we encourage partners to make
the action theirs? How can we assess the
partnership?1700 End of the training day
111. Preparation period
- First step in a partnership life
- Taking the time to prepare
Implementation
Application
- The preparation time is crucial to a partnership
- Have organisational devices become operational
- Build a common vision
Control and evaluation
Development
121. Preparation period
- Example Semaine de la Solidarité (FR)?
- For the Semaine de lépargne solidaire
Finansol, canvassing for partners was done
relying on members of the network which
introduced Finansol to potential partners. - Later, an individual meeting was arranged with
these prospects. - However, most importantly, a meeting to mobilise
banking institutions and local governments in
general made it possible to finalise the
financial pool for the French project.
131. Preparation period
- 1.1. Delineate the action supported by the
partnership
- What? -defining the goal of the action
- Who? -defining the public targeted by the
action - Where? -delineating the scope of the action
- How? -determining resources available
141. Preparation period
- 1.1. Delineate the action supported by the
partnership - Example Fonds Flamand dassurance soins
(BEL)? - For example, the geographic scope was dismissed
as key factor for the success of an initiative
because half of the projects reviewed during this
initial workshop are being undertaken at local
level (this is the case with good practices
originating from Lille, Portsmouth and Göteborg). - Others, such as the Flemish Health Insurance Fund
in Belgium are operating on a regional basis.
151. Preparation period
- 1.2. Adjusting the partnership structure to the
requirements of the local action - Action near the target group
- Defining the geographical zone
- Partners proximity
- The need for a local network even if the contract
is on a national level
161. Preparation period
- 1.2. Adjusting the partnership structure to the
requirements of the local action - Example ADIE (FR)?
- Structures with a smaller but far-reaching scope
is a key factor for success these structures are
based on a 'core' team comprising one to 11
full-time paid staff. - Conversely, the team may be brought up to
strength with several hundred employees when the
staff of regional structures taking part in a
project are taken into account (network of
volunteers and people employed by local banking
agencies).
171. Preparation period
- 1.3. Defining the reasons underpinning the
implementation of the partnership - Exercise 2 teams
- List potential reasons that could motivate the
implementation of a partnership. Give concrete
examples.
181. Preparation period
- 1.3. Defining the reasons underpinning the
implementation of the partnership - Fill a gap not yet fulfilled by existing entities
- Defend fundamental rights
- Build complementary and synergies
- Private or public partner bring credibility
- Pool resources to reduce costs and administrative
tasks
A
191. Preparation period
- 1.4. Determining the expected part of each
partner - Exercise 3 teams
- Each team represents an actor (public authority,
NGO or private bank). Discuss and define your
role in a partnership.
201. Preparation period
- 1.4. Determining the expected part of each
partner
A
21Coffee break
222. Selecting partners
Example - Mairie de Lille (FR)? It is also
instructive to note that in the case of two
projects initiated by the authorities, the choice
of partner banks was a lot smoother process than
in the other cases. In Lille, 95 of the
project is funded by public authorities.
232. Selecting partners
- 2.1 Contacting and selecting partners
- Exercise - Together
- What steps would you take to find partners for a
project? - What aspects should be thought of?
242. Selecting partners
A
- 2.1 Contacting and selecting partners
-
-
-
- Where can partners be found?
- Current contacts
- Networking
- Sector players
List of potential partners
Trick of the trade Always contact more partners
than needed to avoid last minute desistance
Partners selection
Be careful!!! Not to create dependency
relationships with a type of actor
252. Selecting partners
- 2.2. Convincing potential partners
- Which stakes?
- Proving the relevance of the project
- Sharing a common vision
- Optimum communication since the beginning
- In which way? Adjusting arguments to the target
(private public)? - A strategic target public authorities
-
262. Selecting partners
- 2.2. Convincing potential partners
- Example - Integra (SK)?
- It is important to persuade banks to forge a
partnership to promote fundamental rights with
social economy organisations, but first of all
public authorities need to be convinced. - In the case of the Integra Foundation for women
entrepreneurs (Slovakia), the focus was more on
getting the public authorities to see the value
of the project, as they were not very familiar
with innovative schemes. However, their
reluctance was soon overcome.
272. Selecting partners
- 2.3. Writing partnership agreements
- Detail all points and check partners have well
understood them - Usually bilateral, in rare cases trilateral
- Beware translations!
282. Selecting partners
- 2.3. Writing partnership agreements
- Example ANDC (PT)?
- Project sponsors all acknowledged the importance
of drawing up bilateral partnership agreements to
define a project's key values, aim, target
audience, etc. and putting this down on paper. - The ANDC, among others, uses contracts as a basis
for defining the part played by each partner,
thereby establishing each partner's contribution
and level of involvement.
29Lunch break
303. Providing sufficient financial resources
- Example Bridges Community Venture (UK)?
- A higher level of financial resources generally
involves a search for further partners. - For example, Bridges Community Venture reserves
the right to allow its capital to be opened up to
new partners so as to be able to make fresh
investments in the most economically deprived
areas of England as a result of setting up new
companies or expanding existing businesses.
313. Providing sufficient financial resources
- 3.1. Providing sufficient financial resources
- Financial needs identification
- 3 funds collection approaches
- top down
bottom up
mix - Remark sometimes funds coming from public
sources can harm other granting possibilities
(for example religious funds)?
public
public
public
private
private
private
323. Providing sufficient financial resources
- 3.1. Providing sufficient financial resources
- Example Portsmouth Savers Credit Union (UK)?
- The financial resources are of crucial importance
for the longevity of a project but capital is
often in short supply for these structures, so a
partnership is obviously justified for financial
reasons. - Funding for the activities of a social economy
organisation therefore takes the form of
financial grants or guarantees awarded by
public-sector partners, as is the case with
Portsmouth Savers Credit Union. - This British entity has also appealed to
financial institutions to take a stake in the
capital or grant a subordinated loan.
333. Providing sufficient financial resources
- 3.2. Foresee and answer cash-flow needs
- Exercise 2 teams
- List potential cash-flow problems and think about
possible solutions to these issues.
343. Providing sufficient financial resources
- 3.2. Foresee and answer cash-flow needs
A
353. Providing sufficient financial resources
- 3.3. Increasing financial resources for the
action - Which goal? Financial self-sufficiency
- How?
- Increasing the capital
- Integrating new partners
- Loans
- Sponsors
- Public issue of shares
- Raising funds through donations
- Good results
- Remark Financial self-sufficiency must not be
achieved by losing management autonomy.
363. Providing sufficient financial resources
- 3.3. Increasing financial resources for the
action - Example Microfinance Coalition (RO)?
- For example, in the case of MicroFinance
Coalition, the success of micro-credit
development programmes resulted in the payment of
extra financial resources. - This will however not prevent searching for
alternative financial resources so as to be less
financially dependent on current partners.
37Coffee break
384. Supporting the partnership
- Example Guarantee Fund (SV)?
- The Guarantee Fund in Göteborg project sponsors
agreed that the written reports that have to be
handed in at regular intervals and meetings
between partners promote management transparency
and, consequently, encourage more accountability.
394. Supporting the partnership
- 4.1. Developing feedback mechanisms among
partners - Exercise Together
- List all communication and interaction means a
partnership could use.
404. Supporting the partnership
- 4.1. Developing feedback mechanisms among
partners - Information sharing
- Management reports
- Newsletters
- Adjust information to partners
A
414. Supporting the partnership
- 4.2. Developing interpersonal relationship with
partners - Which goal?
- Establish an atmosphere of trust
- How?
- Regular meeting
- Steering committees
- Personal and informal relationships
- Important to involve partners in these events
424. Supporting the partnership
- 4.2. Developing interpersonal relationship with
partners - Example Mairie de Lille (FR)?
- Looking beyond the regular meetings, some good
practices have been successful in establishing an
informal or even a personal relationship with the
partners. An example is the policy conducted in
Lille by forging informal ties, the project
sponsors also encourage the partners to espouse
the sponsors' values and objectives. - Promoting an appropriation of the values and
objectives is one of the keys for ensuring the
longevity of a project this provides a means of
settling disputes more straightforwardly in the
event of a crisis or when a founder decides to
leave, for example. Informal contacts (through
telephone conversations, exchanging e-mail
messages and any other type of contact apart from
formal ones) are therefore of crucial importance
for the launch of a partnership. - This applies not only to institutions but also to
individuals, as part of the bid to guarantee that
the structure as a whole espouses a project.
434. Supporting the partnership
- 4.3. Owning the action
- Which goals?
- Settle more easily a dispute
- How?
- Selecting wisely your partners
- Each partner should mobilise his/her organisation
globally - Issue dependence toward one person in a partner
organisation.
444. Supporting the partnership
- 4.3. Owning the action
- Example ADIE (FR)?
- Once the partners have been shown just how
important the cooperation is and the need to
encourage each structure to back a project, the
next step is to ensure that the partners adopt
the same approach towards the project. - In the case of the ADIE, for example, meetings
were held with each partner as often as necessary
and each partner was included in the project as
soon as the activities had been decided upon.
454. Supporting the partnership
- 4.4. Assessing the partnership
- Which goals?
- Improve the quality of the partnership
- Improve credibility
- Be transparent with the use of partners funds
- How?
- Internal assessment
- External assessment
- Frequency of assessment
- What methodology ?
- Compare the goals (qualitative/ quantitative)
with achievements - Identify new needs
- Implement the corrections required
464. Supporting the partnership
- 4.4 Assessing the partnership
- Example Enigma (DE)?
- The key players in the social economy typically
call for an external assessment. In the case of
Enigma Siebte Saüle Microlending, this system has
turned out to be extremely valuable for making a
root-and-branch assessment of the partnership
mechanism, such as the crisis management
methodology. - More importantly, an external audit has enabled
the quality of work undertaken to be
acknowledged, thereby allowing Enigma Siebte
Saüle Microlending to be recognised as expert in
their field.
474. Supporting the partnership
- 4.4 Assessing the partnership
- Example Microcrèdits per a dones
- emprenedores sense avals (ES)?
- Ideally, a steering committee will be set up to
monitor how the partnership develops, and how the
action is prepared, carried out and assessed. - This is the case for Microcrèdits per a dones
emprenedores sense avals. Public authorities are
part of the credit acceptance committee which is
convened every three weeks. - With their regular meetings, these steering
committees avoid creating any heavy organisation.
485. Training assessment and thank you
- Please take the time to fill the training
assessment form and thank you for your attention! - Have a nice evening!!