Building Effective Partnerships Between the Public Workforce System and Faith-based and Community Organizations
Below are excerpts, summarized content, and tools from the full Project Reach Out Guide. The full document will be posted to this site in the coming months.
Background
Since 2001, the Department of Labor (DOL)’s Employment and Training Administration, in collaboration with DOL’s Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, has invested in numerous pilot programs to increase active and committed partnerships between the Workforce system and FBCOs, and to utilize the strengths of FBCOs to serve One-Stop customers.
An example of this work is DOL’s collaboration with Seedco. In 1998, with startup financial support from the New York Community Trust and DOL, Seedco established a network of FBCOs in NYC. The network now includes 53 FBCOs (both financial and non-financial partners) that collectively provide workforce services to thousands of job seekers with severe employment and retention barriers, including One-Stop customers. Based on the success of this work, in spring of 2007, Seedco received a contract from the Tennessee Department of Human Services to create a Memphis-based FBCO network.
In 2005, based on Seedco’s success in running our FBCO network model in NYC, DOL invited Seedco to carry out a national initiative called Project Reach Out (PRO) to strengthen the capacity of five different WIBs and One-Stop operators across the country to create formal relationships with local FBCOs.
Through PRO, Seedco spent 18 months providing intensive technical assistance (TA) to five WIBs and One-Stop operators, assisting them in developing formal FBCO referral networks that could eventually evolve into financial relationships with proven FBCO providers. The Guide provides direction on how WIBs, FBCOs, and One-Stops develop their own partnerships in order to improve outcomes for One-Stop customers.
The network now includes both financial and non-financial partners that collectively provide workforce services to thousands of job seekers with severe employment and retention barriers, including One-Stop customers.
Step-by-Step Guidance and Tools
Below is step-by-by step guidance on developing and implementing a FBCO network. Each step draws on lessons from the PRO WIBs and Seedco’s experience. A summary of the content appears below. Relevant tools and sample partnership documents are included below.
Step 1: Identify One-Stop Goals and Examine Types of Partnerships that will best meet the needs of your WIB or One-Stop
When planning FBCO partnerships, the WIB or One-Stop Operator should first and foremost consider its own needs and how those needs can be met through partnership. Meeting a specific One-Stop or WIB need should be the engine that drives this process, and the design and execution of the effort should work towards this goal.
Step 2: Self-assess readiness for developing formal FBCO partnerships
While it is critical for the proposed FBCO partnership to meet a critical need for you as a One-Stop operator or WIB, satisfying this threshold does not ensure the success of such a partnership. Equally important is the One-Stop operator’s and/or WIB’s self-assessment of its own readiness and ability to take on new partnerships. Several factors should be taken into account as part of this self-assessment process, including: political or funding environment, organizational buy-in and anticipating barriers to sustained commitment, and assessing available staff resources.
- One-Stop Self-Assessment Worksheet (Coming soon)
Step 3: Research Potential Partners in Your Community
In developing a mutual referral partnership, it is important to identify FBCOs that meet the goals of the project and are willing to enter into the partnership with the One-Stop. To this end, you will need to research potential partners and the services they provide.
Step 4: Outreach to Potential Partners
Conducting outreach serves a number of purposes. First, it allows the WIB/One-Stop to share information with potential partners about its goals and ideas for the partnership. Second, it provides an opportunity for FBCOs to educate WIB/One-Stop operators and the other FBCOs about their programs, needs, and concerns about the prospect of partnership.
- Outreach Letter Template
- Flyer for FBCOs (Coming soon)
Step 5: Assess and Select Potential Partners
The success of a WIB/One-Stop and FBCO relationship hinges on the ability of each partner to meet its partnership obligations. When establishing a network of new providers that will work with the WIB or One-Stop, the ability of each partner impacts the ability of all partners to successfully serve the community. It is crucial, therefore, that partners have the capacity to deliver services that will meet the goals of the program. The Step 5 section outlines broad qualities that potential partners should possess, as well as some proven processes for selecting the best-suited organizations for partnership.
- FBCO Sample RFQ (Coming soon)
- Proposal Scoring Sheet (Coming soon)
Step 6: Formalize FBCO relationships
Once FBCOs have been selected, the WIB/One-Stop operator should take action to define and solidify the partnership. This step allows partners to formally agree on the partnership obligations and consequences for not meeting these obligations. Not all partnerships will be structured in the same way, depending on the level of formality or specific funding streams or project goals. Accordingly, WIBs/One-Stops can choose among several different tools to formalize partnerships. These tools include MOUs, grant awards, and formal sub-contracts. While many of these tools and agreement types apply to other types of partnerships that the One-Stop or WIB may have, they also work well for FBCO partnerships and should reflect in detail the expectations for the collaboration. Step 6 details tips for all formal partner agreements.
- FBCO MOU template (Coming soon)
- Sample Subcontract between Provider and FBCO (Coming soon)
Step 7: Implement FBCO partnerships
Holding a training session can be a helpful way to demonstrate commitment to the project and to make sure that everyone is on the same page. The WIB or One-Stop should also consider conducting initial site visits to assess staff readiness for project launch, gauge training and technical assistance (TA) needs, and provide one-on-one TA. The WIB/One-Stop operator should confirm that a FBCO has the capability to handle the increased client flow that the partnership will involve, and that FBCO programming will meet the needs of One-Stop customers.
Step 8: Ongoing Management of FBCO Partnerships
There are three key ways to manage your FBCO network’s performance: collecting and analyzing data; holding partner meetings; and assigning staff to maintain contact with FBCOs and provide support. Step 8 also outlines the importance of qualitative assessment to supplement the data that is collected on performance, and how a corrective action plan (CAP) can be used to guide a FBCO partner in improving its performance over time.
- Sample Referral Tracking Sheet (Coming soon)
- Sample Management Report
- Sample Continuous Performance Improvement (CPI) (qualitative assessment tool) (Coming soon)
- Sample CAP (Coming soon)
Lessons Learned
Outlined below are a summary of factors that favor successful FBCO partnership creation:- Existing informal ties to FBCO community. One-Stops with existing ties to FBCOs can successfully leverage these connections in order to facilitate (and expedite) the outreach and FBCO research work. One-Stop staff can draw on personal rolodexes to get FBCO representatives to the table for initial partnership meetings.
- Leadership and front-line staff buy-in for project. Developing partnerships requires considerable effort and perseverance. Without adequate commitment and support from WIB and One-Stop leadership, as well as the staff that delivers services, the partnership process can become stalled or ineffective. Therefore, it is critical that One-Stops garner support at all levels for establishing FBCO partnerships.
- Clear, realistic goal or outcome for the partnership. The most successful FBCO partnerships are structured in such a way that they meet specific needs of both the One-Stop and the FBCO partner(s). Often, both One-Stops and FBCOs decide to partner in order to establish better community relations and good will or to secure additional funding through collaboration, without first identifying mutual and specific benefits for the partnership. By establishing the goals and intended outcomes of a partnership in a very transparent manner, both sides are more likely to feel satisfied with the partnership and remain committed to the work in the long-term.
- Mix of large and smaller FBCO partners with varying capacity levels. One-Stops should carefully balance competing desires to build relationships and leverage the strengths of lower-capacity smaller groups in the long-term, while also ensuring the network’s ability to get to scale and produce good outcomes in the short-term with higher capacity groups. By recruiting a mix of smaller and larger FBCO partners, One-Stop systems can meet their goals in the short-term, while building FBCO capacity in the longer-term.
- WIB and One-Stop staff person(s) dedicated to managing FBCO partnerships. Selecting a dedicated One-Stop staff member (or members) to shepherd the partnership effort is critical in ensuring success in this work. This staff person can centrally coordinate and track activities, timelines and performance data, and serve as the face of the project to FBCO partners.
- Policy or environmental shifts that favor partnership development. External factors can play a significant role in how FBCO partnerships are developed. Policies and politics as well as other types of environmental factors often influence the direction that One-Stop systems take in connecting to FBCOs. In fact, WIB or One-Stop operator leadership changes or shifts in mission changes can provide the impetus for FBCO collaboration or conversely can serve to impede such collaborative efforts.
- FBCO Leadership and front-line staff commitment. In addition to securing internal buy-in, it is important to carefully assess interest and commitment levels from FBCO partners. Numerous FBCOs may express interest in partnering but not all will be able to meet One-Stop needs if FBCO leadership is not invested in the project. It is therefore important to structure the process in a way that serves to gain buy-in from FBCO staff and leadership.
- Tangible or intangible incentives for proposed partnership. Before embarking on the FBCO partner selection process, WIBs and One-Stops should take stock of the financial and in-kind resources they can offer prospective candidates in addition to what they expect from partners. Particular attention should be paid to assessing FBCO needs and interests and trying to structure the partnership in a way that responds to their needs.
- Changes in WIB/One-Stop staff and/or priorities. Significant shifts in WIB/One-Stop staffing or leadership can pose a challenge to developing partnerships. Often a new executive director or change in organizational strategy may derail or negatively impact FBCO relationship-building, especially if new leadership lacks commitment to the partnership strategy. On the other hand, organizational or leadership changes can also have positive effects on partnerships, particularly if the shifts create a greater commitment to community collaboration or if new staff brings with them strong FBCO relationships.
- Misalignment of WIB and One-Stop goals and incentives. WIBs and One-Stop operators do not always have the same goals and incentives, presenting a potential pitfall in the FBCO partnership process. A WIB may want to engage FBCOs in the One-Stop system in order to serve more hard-to-place clients and/or improve community relations. One-Stop operators, on the other hand, are generally more concerned with operational issues and may not be on board with this goal, particularly if they do not see a clear benefit in terms of easing of One-Stop staff workloads or meeting specific performance goals tied to payment from the WIB. Therefore, it is critical for WIBs and One-Stop operators to jointly consider how FBCO partnerships can meet each of their needs.
- Past unsatisfactory experience with FBCO partnerships. Negative impressions or bad past experiences with FBCOs can hinder partnership development. Leadership must address any preconceived notions or negative past FBCO experiences of WIB and One-Stop staff early in the partnership process.
