The Partnership Brokers Association

Earlier this year, PBA let our networks, Associates and alumni know that we had partnered with ANZ Bank in Australia to establish and launch inaugural Partnering Awards – which were designed to raise awareness in Australia, of the importance of attention to good partnering processes in cross-sector partnerships in support of delivering important social change outcomes.

The Awards attracted an outstanding group of cross-sector applicants from across Australia, and four finalists were identified by the judging panel, who were drawn from experienced PBA Associates and accredited PBT alumni: Kate Hayes, Cam Willis, Cath Scarth, Trish Edwards, Ingo Kumic and Michelle Commandeur. The judging panel was co-convened by long-time Julie Mundy and Helen Fenney, who guided the judges through a rigorous judging process, jointly developed by ANZ and PBA, which considered the PBA partnering principles amongst other criteria.  Of all the principles, applicants spoke most convincingly to that of ‘courage’ and how they had had to operate outside their comfort zones to do things differently in order to succeed together.

Just Healthy Families (JHF), a health justice partnership embedding free legal help into health and social service settings across Tasmania, was announced as the recipient of the inaugural ANZ-PBA Partnering Award. The JHF initiative aims to co-locate lawyers with health professionals, to ensure lawyers are routinely in the right place at the right time when clients need assistance from their trusted health or social service provider. The JHF partnership is a collaboration between two legal services (Women’s Legal Service Tasmania and Tasmania Legal Aid) and three health and community partner organisations (Child Health and Parenting Services, Child and Family Learning Centres and Hobart Women’s Shelter) as well as the University of Tasmania and Tasmanian Government. In receiving the award, the JHF partnership will also be given professional development opportunities with PBA, up to the value of $6,000 (incl. GST).

ANZ’s Janet Liu, the Just Healthy Partnerships representatives, PBA’s Julie Mundy.

The Women’s Legal Service Tasmania CEO, Yvette Cehtel said: “This project is a Tasmanian first, approached in a truly innovative way. We asked lawyers to step out of their comfort zones and try something new. As partners, we’re honoured to have our vision and work celebrated through this Award. Together, we know we can continue to achieve positive outcomes for the over 3,000 women we’ve assisted throughout the life of this project.”

PBA Associate, Julie Mundy said: “We received some impressive applications from a range of sectors. Just Healthy Families demonstrated a strong culture of openness between partners with the co-location of the JHF lawyers within the health services in order to enable vulnerable families to access their services in a trusted environment.  The success of the program, in turn has helped build trust between partners who could see first-hand the impact the service had on clients.”

Other finalists for the award were partnerships established by Our Watch and Victoria University (Prevention of Gender-based Violence in tertiary education settings ), Inland Rail, TAFE NSW, Clontarf Foundation and Martinus Rail (First Nations Skills Development & Training), and Justice Connect and Telstra (Building Digital Inclusion and Legal Resilience).

ANZ Head of Social Impact and Community, Janet Liu said: “The ANZ-PBA Partnering Award was established to recognise effective cross-sector partnership practice in Australia. ANZ and PBA believe good partnering practice can lead to transformative change and sustainable relationships, ultimately delivering long term benefits for the Australian community.”

The Awards night was hosted spectacularly in late October by ANZ at their headquarters, and was well-attended by over 100 decision-makers and partnership practitioners. Ian Dixon, one of the pioneers of cross-sector partnering in Australia and a key PBA Associate over many years, was kind enough to emcee the event and shared his experience of partnership brokering over the career. Two of the judges, Cath Scarth and Cam Willis, also shared their insights from the judging and their own brokering experiences, on the night. It was great to see a good turn-out of Australian PBT Alumni, Associates and trainers at the event, who rarely get the chance to gather and celebrate.

Some of the PBA crew in attendance: Yeshe Smith, Dianne McLay, Ian Dixon, Michelle Halse, Julie Mundy and Cam Willis.

It has been a wonderful experience forging the partnership with ANZ and working together to design and deliver the inaugural Awards. It seems fitting too that the cross-sector Awards are delivered by a cross-sector partnership! We very much hope that the Awards will continue and flourish from here on. Our next steps are to undertake a reflection to see what we have learned along the way and consider what we would do differently.  Cam, Julie and Michelle will also be working to synthesis some learnings from the first year’s applications which we plan to share more broadly in the coming months.

For further information about the Awards, please feel free to contact Julie Mundy juliepmundy@gmail.com

Grenoble Ecole de Management, ANR Cross-PASSE Project, are organizing a Research Meets Practice Webinar on “Cross-Sector Partnerships: What Can Go Wrong and What Can We Learn from It?”

Drawing on insights from recent research, the speakers will explore the challenges that can emerge in partnerships, with a particular emphasis on potential societal risks. The webinar will highlight key findings on what can go wrong, especially in terms of negative societal impacts, and provide strategies for anticipating and mitigating these risks. Subsequently, participants will have the opportunity to join two out of three breakout groups, each concentrating on a specific aspect of managing partnership risks.

When: Thursday, November 07, 16h00-17h30 CET

Registration: https//forms.office.com/e/N7nF2y5H7y

ResearchMeetsPractice_Webinar11.24_Flyer

The Partnership Brokers Association and ANZ are inviting applications for the inaugural Australian ANZ-PBA Partnering Award. The applications close on Friday 16th August 2024. Further information and application forms can be found here: https://www.anz.com.au/about-us/esg/community/award/

The award celebrates cross-sector partnerships which demonstrate excellence in the management of Australian-based collaborations between organisations which address a social or environmental issue. The winning partnership will receive professional development opportunities with PBA up to the value of $6,000 (incl. GST) and be recognised at the Awards evening.

In June 2023, partners of the Sustainable Development Goals Partnership (SDGP) facility of RVO gathered to share their experiences and write their stories about engaging in Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). The writing workshop (‘writeshop’) was part of a four year PBA accompaniment trajectory to RVOs SDG Partnerships. A number of PBA Associates worked on this accompaniment trajectory. The writeshop is a method of the Barefoot Guide to help practitioners reflect on their practice, and was facilitated by the Barefoot Guide Connection together with PBA.

Stories from the frontline of Public Private Partnerships is an anthology of eleven compelling stories, each of them a testament to the trials, triumphs, and untapped potential inherent in PPPs. Accompanying the stories are an analysis and insights, all of which capture the essence of our collective pursuit: to find ways to work together that make a difference.

This year’s edition of the CSSI Symposium is hosted by the University of Cape Town.
PBA Associates will host an online panel discussion on 5th April on Working with communities: Can partnership brokering help to navigate power imbalances (and promote inclusion)?
The panel will be convened by Leda Stott and Bulbul Baksi, and the speakers will be Kwasi Amponsah Boateng, Anindita Majumdar, Olukayode (Sbaba) Soremekun and Peni Tawake. Drawing upon experiences from different country and cultural contexts the panel will discuss whether partnership brokering and the promotion of principle-based collaboration can make a difference in the navigation of power with and among marginalised communities, and how it might assist communities to express and make use of their own power.

To learn about dates and locations of upcoming PBT courses, please go to the Training Programme page. This is where you can find course brochures with detailed information about each training and links to application forms to enrol. Our Training Manager, Emma, will be happy to answer your questions: training@partnershipbrokers.org.

PBA is running the flagship Partnership Brokers Training in Canberra 28 Nov – 1 Dec 2023 at the wonderful Shine Dome at ANU.
There’s a lot of talk about genuine partnerships in the air right now and the training provides opportunities to examine this language and reflect on the principles and practices needed. Interested? Join our trainers Yeshe Smith and Arthi Patel for this course!

For more information please see the course brochure.

Click here to apply.

PBA contributed to an advocacy campaign involving UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, The Partnering Initiative and others, focused on creating a more enabling environment for partnerships. PBA Associates prepared a paper for the final report on the contribution and value that partnership brokers bring to partnerships.
The report was launched at the UN General Assembly in September. One of the key findings of the study was that a very significant determinant of a partnership’s success was related to having an independent third-party specialist providing facilitation and support. The report pointed out that partnerships need to invest in the process of partnering, where possible with the support of such a specialist (broker), to ensure inclusion, unlock innovation and set the partnership up for success. They should also build in stronger monitoring to demonstrate value creation, measure progress to allow adaptation, and keep the partnership healthy and effective.

• The Unite to Ignite report
• The Unite to Ignite case-studies

What if a simple tool could bring greater harmony, understanding, and effectiveness to collaborations, especially between public and private partnerships? In Richard Wecker’s recent paper, he explores exactly that, using the concept of the Public-Private Partnership Canvas (PPPCanvas).

Richard introduces the PPPCanvas as a strategic tool for partnership brokering. This powerful approach pushes beyond the memorandum of understanding and into the realm of actionable planning. From managing and maintaining partnerships to reviewing and revising them, Richard posits that the PPPCanvas is not just another method, but a communication bridge and a catalyst for co-creation.

In the world of business, achieving alignment in partnerships is crucial but often challenging. Whether you’re from the public or private sector, Richard anticipates your concerns and addresses them upfront. Will this tool tip the scales in favor of one party? Will it risk oversimplification of complex, multi-stakeholder partnerships? These questions and more are answered with remarkable clarity, transforming initial skepticism into informed anticipation.

But the real magic of Richard’s work isn’t in what he explores – it’s in what he envisions. The PPPCanvas isn’t just a tool – it’s a transformative conduit. It can lead to perspective shifts, power shifts, and even a new paradigm of mutual respect and collaboration.

Richard’s approach focuses on the practical application of this tool while being aware of its potential pitfalls. He reminds us that the utility of such a tool is not standalone, but nested within transformational exercises. This duality provides a framework that both structures thinking and fosters innovation.

Whether you are a seasoned professional in partnership brokering or just beginning your journey, this paper offers a new lens through which to view your work. Richard invites you to join him in this exploration, to test, adapt, and iterate the PPPCanvas in your own practice.

Intrigued? I bet you are. The journey into the depths of partnership brokering and the PPPCanvas is just one click away. You can reach out to Richard Wecker to dive deeper into the practical application of his innovative approach.

Revolutionize your partnership brokering today, harness the power of PPPCanvas, and join the conversation with Richard Wecker!

If you’ve ever worked in the development industry, you may have felt a sense of unease about the power dynamics at play. This month, in our Stories from Practice, we meet Soli Middleby, who delves into this discomfort and offers insights on how to navigate it, through her paper, “Mediating the power imbalances of development: A paradox for partnership brokers,”

Middleby argues that the western development industry is built upon complex and historic power imbalances that tend to center the interests and perspectives of donors. This can undermine effective partnerships and ultimately perpetuate the very inequalities that we aim to address.

Using the practice of partnership brokering as a lens, Middleby explores how these power imbalances operate in practice, how they can be disrupted, and how they are ultimately reproduced by brokers and other development professionals. She concludes that we face an uncomfortable paradox in which our work to transform power imbalances also maintains the identities, institutions and interests that reproduce them and that how we choose to hold this paradox is critical if we are to ever ‘rethink development’

This paper is a thought-provoking read for anyone in the development field who is grappling with these issues. It challenges us to consider how we can hold this paradox and still work towards rethinking development. You can read Soli Middleby’s paper here,  for more practical insights.

Join our trainers, Lola Gostelow and Mariana Merelo Lobo on our next in-person PBT cohort in London. The dates are  7 – 10 November. This course is for those who manage multi-stakeholder partnerships and collaborations and provides:

• A framework for creating robust, efficient and impactful partnerships
• Unique, fit for purpose tools and techniques for brokering partnerships that get results
• Enhanced confidence and competence as a partnership practitioner
• Strategies to overcome common and complex partnership challenges
• Personal and professional insights that build competencies to support successful partnerships

Check the course brochure for more information.

For other dates and locations please go to our Training Programme page.

Annie Sloman

This month, in our Stories from Practice, we meet Annie Sloman, as she explores and reflects on how partnership brokering should, and can, support decolonization of aid.

Based on her experience as a partnership broker in Timor-Leste, Annie Sloman discusses possible contributions of partnership brokering to decolonization and combatting racism in international development and humanitarian action.

She unravels the hidden assumptions about power and privilege that we often take for granted in our practice, and how such assumptions can, in fact, be counter-productive in reducing systemic inequalities that we are working so hard to overcome.

She gives insightful ideas on how issues of power and privilege can be addressed immediately and continuously in ongoing partnership activities.

Read Annie’s paper for six practical guidelines as to what you can and should do differently in your practice, as a partnership broker – especially if you wonder whether your practice re-enforces colonial inequalities or transforms societies for a better world.

Food for thought…

Could offering pro bono partnership brokering services be more rewarding and more effective than being contracted for a fee? Would it have an impact, in any way, on the principles of good practice?

This month, our Stories from Practice, draws your attention to the possibilities and pitfalls of pro bono partnership brokering as discussed by Australia-based partnership broker CAMERON WILLIS.

“The experiences of those who have worked in pro bono capacities, testify to how pro bono positioning can shift the nature of the relationships and the nature of engagements, including for partnership brokers. The acknowledgement of pro bono services, and respect for such offerings, can bring an openness to an engagement: allowing new ideas to be explored, different techniques trialled, and learning to be shared. For some, this will stand in contrast to fee-for-service engagements, that may have more limited room for exploration or innovation. For an inquisitive, curious and improvement-oriented broker, these can be significant rewards that advance both a partnership, and the practice of a broker. Effectively communicating the benefits of this way of working may require us to re-think the language we use around pro-bono services to more effectively convey the freedom, adventure, and growth that can come from these types of engagements.”

Download Cameron Willis’ paper here and share with us about your experiences on pro-bono partnership brokering services. You can also connect with Cameron and other brilliant partnership brokers via PBA LinkedIn.

Join PBA Associates Bulbul Baksi, Leda Stott & Ros Tennyson during a panel discussion at the upcoming CSSI 2022: Cross Sector Social Interactions Conference. This will be a facilitated dialogue drawing on both academic and practitioner insights of participants on how partnership brokering can assist transformation in different contexts.
Click here to learn more.

PANEL: Partnership Brokering: Changing the Rules of the Game. From challenges to breakthrough.
DATE:   22^nd June 2022 | Time: 15:00 – 16:40 CET
REGISTER:   https://event.wur.nl/cssi-2022/subscribe

Please share this invitation with your networks.