Partnership Types

This matrix can be used to assess the level of partnership engagement for any project partner. Work down through the list in the
left hand column, then mark a 0 in the N column, depending on whether the partner would or would not contribute this. A Yes
indicates a contribution of some kind, and will be reflected in the numbers of the next columns. Then score in the L/M/H
columns (low, medium, high) the level to which this partner might be able to contribute. The final score will indicate the level of
partnership commitment which would be available to the partnership.

Partnership Contribution N L M H Reasons for Partnership Agreement

0 1-3
1. offer interest and expertise to the project
2. communicate about the project to third parties
and potential stakeholders
3. contribute access to target groups as project
beneficiaries
4. participate in strategic decision making
5. participate in decisions about project
implementation and project activity delivery
6. deliver activity directly to beneficiaries
7. contribute resource to any of the project
activities or project management (provide in-
kind funding)
8. receive project dedicated money for
participation at any level of the project
(receive portions of project grant)
9. spend time to contribute to decision making
or to deliver project activity
4-6 7-9
#
#
There may be issues of data protection, vulnerable people
* protection and permissions to work with some
beneficiaries
There may be issues of permission (delegated powers
* from Trustees or other managers) to make decisions on
behalf of organisations
There may be issues about permissions to make
* implementation decisions
There may be issues about organisational and legal
* permissions as well as professional qualifications to
conduct activities
There may be issues of organisational permission to
* divert/allocate resource to a project ‘additional’ to an
organisation’s work
There may be issues of accountability structures, the
* capacity to manage money, levels of money able to be
received by organisations
#
10. engage in project management There may be issues of organisational permission to
(administration, monitoring, evaluation,
* divert/allocate resource to a project ‘additional’ to an
organisation’s work
reporting)
11. act as lead partner, working as project co- There may be issues of organisational permission to
ordinator
* divert/allocate resource to a significant project
‘additional’ to an organisation’s work
12. act as lead partner, working as project bank There may be issues of accountability structures, the
* capacity to manage money, levels of money able to be
received by organisations, levels of agreed organisational
risk
Column Totals

Agreement Needed? Y N
Final Partnership Score

# Any partnership contribution with a hatch indicates the need for a clear partnership document of understanding; if the
partnership contribution also carries and asterisk, these understandings will be included in the partnership agreement
* Any partnership contribution with an asterisk indicates the need for a clear partnership agreement, appropriate to the level of
commitment and decision making within the partner organisation

Elizabeth Gray-King
Gray-King & Gray Ltd 2009