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Beginning Your Journey: Laying the Foundation for Success in the Office 
on Violence Against Women’s Disability Grant ProgramColumbus, OHNovember 4, 2010

Nancy SmithDirector, Center on Victimization and SafetyVera Institute of Justice

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Strategies for Success


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Workshop Objectives

>Discusslessonslearnedandstrategiesforsuccessbaseduponpreviousgrantees’experience.
>Shareyourownexperiencesandpromisingpracticeswithcollaboration.
>Answeryourpressingquestionsaboutstructuringyourcollaborativework.



Slide 3• November 4, 2010

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Cooperation vs. Coordination vs.Collaboration

Implications of Working in Collaboration

Strategies for a Successful Collaboration

Working in Collaboration
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Cooperation

>Shorter-terminformalrelationship
>Noclearlydefinedvisionorstructure
>Onlyshareinfoonthetopicathand


>Nosharedauthority
>Lowintensity



Slide 5• November 4, 2010

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Coordination

>Moreformalrelationship
>Moreofanunderstandingofasharedpurposeandmorestructure
>Moreopencommunicationchannelsbetweenorganizations


>Nosharedauthority,butincreasedrisk
>Mediumintensity



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Collaboration

>Formalandsustainedrelationship
>Sharedvision,missionandvalues


>Agreementaroundoperatingprinciplesandstructure
>Well-definedcommunicationchannelsatdifferentlevelsofeachorganization


>Sharedauthority
>Higherriskandintensityasresourcesareshared



Slide 7• November 4, 2010

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Table Discussion: Collaboration

Based on your previous experiences: 

>How is working in collaboration different from 
cooperating or coordinating? 
>What is needed for a collaboration to be successful? 
>What challenges can arise when working in 
collaboration, and how have you overcome them?



Slide 8• November 4, 2010

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Table Discussion: Collaboration

>What best characterizes your history of working 
together: coordination, cooperation, or collaboration?
>How will working in collaboration on this grant be 
different from how you have worked together in the 
past? 
>What lessons from your past experiences can you 
apply to your work with this collaboration? 



Slide 9• November 4, 2010

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Implications of Working in Collaboration

>You are creating something new using a group 
process, which requires:
>Active engagement of all collaboration members.
>Group agreement on all key issues and decisions.
>Agency-wide buy-in. 


>Working in collaboration takes more time.
>To explore agency and individual perspectives.
>To build off strengths and navigate differences.
>To create something new. 


>The results are often richer, more effective, and more 
likely to be sustained. 



Slide 10• November 4, 2010

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Organizations

Agency Representatives

Project Director/Coordinator

Consultants

Collaboration Composition:
Who is at Your 
Collaboration Table?
Slide 11• November 4, 2010

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Organizations

>Ideal collaboration size is between 3 –5 partners.
>The substantive focus of your work should parallel the 
mission and expertise of the agencies around your 
collaboration table. 
>Every partner agency and representative should be 
able to affect change in the lives of survivors in a 
similar way.
>Every partner should be able to contribute to the work 
of the collaboration in similar and complementary 
ways.



Slide 12• November 4, 2010

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Organizations cont’d…

>Key Considerations for Adding or RemovingPartners
>Organizational Commitment & Fit
>Feasibility & Manageability
>Overall Balance & Expertise
>Budget
>Timing





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Agency Representatives

>Successfulcollaborationsaremadeupofpeoplewho:
>Understandtheirorganization’smission,values,programs,
operations,andcriticalissues;
>Aresteepedintheirorganizationsareaofexpertiseonthecollaboration(i.e.,domesticviolence,disability,Deafculture,
etc.);
>Canmakedecisionsfortheorganizationandgarnerbuy-in;
>Cancommittime,energy,andresourcestothecollaboration;
and;
>Areplannersanddoers.




>Structuremeetingstoinvolvetherightpeopleattherighttime.



Slide 14• November 4, 2010

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Project S.A.F.E.

>Suffolk County, NY
>Collaborating Partners
>Victim Information Bureau of Suffolk (VIBS) Family Violence and 
Rape Crisis Center
>United Cerebral Palsy Association of Greater Suffolk County, Inc


>Core Working Group
>Program Director-Level Staff
>Project Director
>Meets Bi-Weekly (more if needed)


>Full Collaboration
>Includes Working Group Members and UCP Chief Operating Officer and 
VIBS Associate Director
>Meets Monthly





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The Equal Access to Safety Initiative 

>Hampden County, MA
>Collaborating Partners
>YWCA of Western Massachusetts 
>Goodwill Industries of Springfield/Hartford Area


>Core Collaboration
>Vice President (1) & Directors (3)
>Project Manager


>Strategic Engagement of Other Decision-Makers
>Inform Key Decision-Makers of Progress and Key Issues on On-Going Basis
>Convene Meetings with Board Members, Executive Directors, and Key 
Agency Staff at Beginning of Each Stage of Work
>Invite Executive Directors and Other Key Staff to Attend Core Group 
Meetings at Key Points





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H.O.P.E. Collaborative

>Haywood County, North Carolina
>Collaborating Partners
>The ARC of Haywood County
>Haywood County Department of Social Services
>Haywood Vocational Services
>R.E.A.C.H. of Haywood County
>Smoky Mountain Center
>30thJudicial District Domestic Violence-Sexual Assault Alliance


>Collaboration Members
>Executive Directors or Decision-Makers from Each Agency 
>Project Co-Directors


>Each Member is Responsible for Getting Buy-In from 
Other Agency Decision-Makers.



Slide 17• November 4, 2010

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Collaboration Structure Considerations

>Agency size, structure, and decision-making authority
>Knowledge, expertise, and interest of individual staff 
members
>Availability of resources (financial, time, and other)
>Type of work being done



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Collaboration Structure cont’d…

Collaboration structures evolve as the work 
evolves.


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Project Director/Coordinator

>Serves as dedicated staff to the collaboration, but is 
employed by one agency of the collaboration.
>Collaboration should agree upon key aspects of the 
position. 
>Title 
>Roles and responsibilities
>Supervision and management structure
>Support 


>But, recognize that the agency that employs Project 
Director position has unique and additional 
responsibilities. 



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Project Director cont’d…

>Main responsibilities include:
>Building and maintaining relationships, 
>Leading the collaboration through the planning and 
development phase,
>Overseeing and managing the implementation phase, 
>Drafting deliverables, and
>Serving as liaison to Vera and OVW.




>Works best when the Project Director/Coordinator is 
not also serving as their agency representative on the 
collaboration.


>Key qualities include:
>Excellent project management and facilitation skills,
>Skilled collaborator and communicator,
>Diplomatic,
>Loves to plan and coordinate, and 
>Can balance the process and the outcome.





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Consultants

>If your collaboration has plans to involve consultants, 
be sure to:
>Assess whether they are needed,
>Clearly define their scope of work and timetable, and
>Determine how you will keep them informed of your work 
progress.


>The use of consultants have been most successful when 
consultants have worked on discrete pieces of work, like 
conducting focus groups or creating a website, and not those that 
are central to the development of the collaboration’s goals and 
process. 



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Agency Representatives

Organizations

Strategies for Maintaining 
Engagement and Buy-In
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Table Discussion: Engagement

>What might be some challengesto keeping people 
engaged? 


>What strategiescan you employ to overcome them? 



Slide 24• November 4, 2010

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Key Strategies for Agency Representatives

>Be aware of what motivates everyone around the 
table.
>Play to the strengths of individuals around the table.
>Celebrate your successes.
>Remember the “why” behind each step in the process.
>Recognize that building a strong foundation (i.e.., 
relationship building and planning) takes time and has 
a big pay-off.
>Avoid thinking that implementation is the only “real 
work.”



Slide 25• November 4, 2010

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Key Strategies for Organizations

>Upon returning from your orientation have explicit 
conversations with key stakeholders about the 
requirements of the grant for your agency. 
>Convene meetings with key stakeholders as the 
implications of this work for them become clearer
>Senior management
>Key program personnel
>Fiscal
>Human resources
>Facilities





Slide 26• November 4, 2010

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Key Strategies for Organizations continued

>Include project-related information in existing staff and 
board meetings
>Convene meetings with key stakeholders at key 
milestones
>Charter
>Needs Assessment Report
>Strategic Plan





Slide 27• November 4, 2010

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How much time per personTimeline

BudgetMemorandum of Understanding or Contract

Other Considerations for the 
Planning & Development 
Phase
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The amount of time and resources each 
agency contributes is difficult to estimate 
and varies.


Slide 29• November 4, 2010

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How much time per person?
>Attendance at In-Person Collaboration Meetings
>Purpose of meetings varies depending on where your 
collaboration is at in the process
>Meeting schedules vary (weekly for 2 hours, twice a month 
for 4 hours, etc.)
>About 8 hours a month


>Non-Meeting Related Contributions 
>Work on assignments from meeting
>Reviewing materials and providing comment
>Informing key stakeholders in agency of collaborations work
>Getting agency buy-in
>About 4 hours a month





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How much time cont’d…
>Retreats 
>Time away from the office to focus on a specific area of your 
work together
>Cross-training (.5 day)
>Collaboration Charter (1.5 days)
>Needs Assessment Plan & Tools (2 –3 days)
>Strategic Plan (1.5 –2 days)




>Technical Assistance Engagements
>2 in-person meetings/trainings per year (2 days per meeting)
>? Conference Call Series/Webinars (?)





Slide 31• November 4, 2010

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How much time cont’d…
Activity

Average Number of Days/Year

Collaboration Meetings

12

Work In-Between Meetings

6

Collaboration Retreats

5.5 -7

All-Site Meetings/Trainings

4

Conference Calls/Webinars

?

TOTAL

> 27.5 –29 




Slide 32• November 4, 2010

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Timeline

>The amount of time spent in planning and 
development varies from collaboration to 
collaboration.


>For the planning and development phase it takes an 
average of:
>15 months for local collaborations.
>18 -24 months for state collaborations





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Timeline

>Factors that influence timetable include:
>History of working together
>Familiarity of subject matter
>Number of partners
>Vision alignment among partners and with OVW 
>Amount of time dedicated to the work
>Number of unforeseen diversions
>OVW approval 





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Timeline cont’d…

Be aware but flexible with your timeline. It should mirror 
your work process and what is required to create a 
strong foundation for developing relationships and 
making changes within your organizations.


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Timeline cont’d…

>The amount of time you spend in a given component 
of the work should be reflective of the time that was 
needed to successfully complete it.
>Be concerned about the timing of your work if it is 
being drawn out or delayed by lack of contributions 
among your team members or inefficient work 
process. 



Slide 36• November 4, 2010

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Table Discussion: Your Timeline

>How does the average timeline for past collaborations 
differ from your expectations around your timeline?
>What are the benefits and challenges of having a 
longer than anticipated timeline? 
>What are the benefits and challenges of having 
flexibility around your timeline?
>What strategies can you employ to keep the work 
moving while being responsive to the needs of the 
work?



Slide 37• November 4, 2010

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Budget
>Each agency should be paid fairly and equitably for their 
contributions to the collaboration.
>Payment structures for project partners vary and should be 
outlined in MOU. 
>Monthly or quarterly payments in exchange for agreed-upon 
contributions are most common.
>Agreed-upon contributions tend to be qualitative and not quantified 
in hours. 
>Successful collaborations build in a process for checking in about 
the budget.


>Collaborations submit a budget modification along with their 
strategic plan at the end of the planning and development phase 
that details the budget for implementation. 
>The amount of money agencies receive during the 
implementation phase may vary from the planning and 
development phase.



Slide 38• November 4, 2010

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M.O.U or Contract
>Many collaborations have found it useful to revise their 
Memorandum of Understanding or agency contracts at 
two points in the process.
>Start of Planning & Development Phase
>Start of Implementation


>These agreements typically outline: 
>Scope of Work: the agency’s contributions and commitments 
to the collaboration, including work process. 
>Payment: how much money the agency will receive in 
exchange for their work, when and how payments will be 
distributed.





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Questions and Reflections