The Power of Partnerships To Create Meaningful Impact

For more than a decade, The Patterson Foundation (TPF) has partnered with The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation (THI) to provide our four-county region (Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties in Florida) with another tool to change how communities approach issues and to develop innovative, collaborative partnerships that might not otherwise form.

But what makes a partnership last all these years, while still making an impact? 

In a recent Beyond The Blog podcast, Debra Jacobs, TPF’s President and CEO, spoke with Rich Harwood, THI's President and Founder, to discuss just that. Together, they pull back the curtains and share how the alignment of leadership, willingness, readiness, capacity, and culture amongst their two organizations has been critical to a successful and evolving partnership. 

The foundation of the partnership has always been alignment. As shared by Debra Jacobs in a blog, “Since its inception, values have undergirded how TPF works. We know meaningful community change happens over time by engaging with people, businesses, nonprofits, government, and media. We ask the questions: Who else cares? What is possible? Yes, we never arrive with the answers; rather, we strive to learn and work with others… TPF has worked with Rich Harwood for over a decade because so many tenets of Harwood align with TPF’s values.”

And this is further emphasized throughout the podcast conversation. 

In a time where there is a tendency to arrive with answers and solutions, both TPF and THI have developed a process of discovery and believe in the value of taking the time to discover people’s shared aspirations and bringing them along the journey to make those aspirations become a reality. People are at the center of the work, as reflected in their respective mission statements:

• The Patterson Foundation strengthens people, organizations, and communities in ways that foster wide participation around shared quality-of-life aspirations.
  
  
• The Harwood Institute equips people, organizations, communities, and networks with the tools to bridge divides, build capacity, and tackle shared challenges.

And these statements are not just words on the wall or on the website. As you’ll hear in the podcast, when and if you take a listen, it’s demonstrated in how 

• TPF launches book circles to foster participation in conversations centered on a book's central theme, creating connections and uncovering aspirations. 

• THI is helping illuminate the issues that matter most to people while deepening understanding of the underlying conditions in DeSoto County, creating a foundation for meaningful action.

• This shared partnership continues to evolve and grow, creating ripples that extend beyond our four-county region and into other communities seeking another way to make an impact.  

Debra and Rich have much to share on the impact and ripple effects that can emerge when organizations invest in community-driven relationships, collaboration, and public innovation. Watch the podcast below or listen here.