Building Partnerships and Collaborators

A community-based participatory partnership (CBPP) is a collaborative body of individuals and organizations working together on a common goal or issue of importance to the community. It consists of a mutually beneficial relationship where all parties have shared responsibilities, privileges and power (Connors, 2003). 

Key Principles of a Community-Based Participatory Partnership 

• Has members who share a common vision, mission, goals and values.
• Has a genuine interest in and commitment to the community.
• Shows mutual trust and respect for partners.
• Recognizes the strengths and contributions of all partners.
• Shares leadership, decision-making power, resources and credit among its members.
• Ensures that each member of the partnership is treated equally.
• Fosters a safe environment for clear and open communication that values feedback from all partners.
• Values the knowledge and expertise of the partners.
• Believes community input is essential.
• Is community driven.
• Values diversity.
• Understands that relationships take time to develop and that they change over time. Adapted from Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, Principles of Partnership (Connors & Seifer, 2000)

Key Benefits of a Community-Based Participatory Partnership

• Ensures greater success by involving people most affected by the problem.
• Creates a collaborative environment and a chance to get to know and network with new partners.
• Fosters an environment of mutual learning and understanding of members’ strengths, assets and limitations.
• Provides credibility that may come from working with other partners.
• Fosters sharing of resources and creative ideas to develop programs to address community needs.
• Reduces the amount of competing and fragmented services.
• Increases financial and other resources to the whole partnership or certain group members.
• Builds community capacity through training and professional development