Stronger together

 

If we have learned anything over the last couple of months, it is the value of our relationships and our connections. Our community and social service sector have worked tirelessly to ensure people can access the support and services they need. But we haven’t been able to work in our usual ways. The landscape changed and it changed very suddenly. What we saw though, was the development of new conversations, connections, and partnerships.

Working together we have managed to co-create systems that have enabled service provision, communication across the region and across sectors and clarity of the community ecosystem in the region. The impact can be great, but to work together effectively, it is important to keep some key principles in mind:

  1. Shared purpose – ensure your purpose, your goals and your intended impact is aligned

  2. Shared participation – that the workload is spread across those involved and there is clarity on who takes responsibility for each task. The roles that people play needs to be clearly defined

  3. Relationships – Built on trust and open communication. This can take time and it is worth investing that time to build an authentic relationship

  4. A structure – This needs to support action and decision-making and includes leadership and governance

  5. Accountability – An agreed system for accountability and clarity on managing conflict should there be internal disagreements

  6. Review – Take the time to reflect regularly on how things are going. Take the opportunity to learn from successes and failures and to strengthen through both

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We expect that over the next few months the increase in need will continue and this may be complicated by the potential of reduced funding and greater competition for resources. We anticipate traditional fundraising events will no longer be appropriate, particularly in the short term, so the need to adequately resource community organisations will become pressing. Working together creates opportunities to address wider needs, increase internal capacity and to expand our thinking. 

Certainly there can be challenges when working with others, but if we get the foundations right with aligned values, purpose and vision, then we are certainly stronger together.

 
 
Lisa Ryan