Lesson 3: Find Your Partners
Introduction
Lesson 3: Find Your Partners
As your project begins to take form, it’s time to start thinking about who you are going to work with to make it happen. Finding partners for your project is hugely valuable for whatever you might be doing. It is also a must-have if you are considering applying for funding.
Lingo
Partner: A project partner is a collaborating individual, organisation, collective who will have a role in the proposed project. This may include in-kind or cash contributions such as expertise, staff time, use of facilities, etc.
To get started, read the opening paragraph on pg. 8 of the Apply for Funding guide you downloaded by Sabrina Mahfouz which summarises finding partners.
Now, we are ready to get started.
In this lesson, we will focus on 3 main aspects of finding partners:
How to Find Partners
Reach Out to Partners
Confirm Partners
Before you begin, download your Working Document
Module 1: How to Find Partners
Whether working on personal development or planning an exhibition or event, it’s important to think about finding partners to collaborate with and / or support your project.
This may mean finding a venue or studio space to work with, a mentor to guide your practice, or even an organisation to help promote your project. Having partnerships can help spread the word about your project and also reduce costs, as creative partners can often provide complimentary services through in-kind support.
Lingo
In-kind support: A contribution of equipment, supplies or other tangible resource, as distinguished from a monetary grant. Some organisations may also donate the use of space or staff time as an in-kind contribution.
Step 1: Outline the type of partners you need
Whatever your project may be, it’s important to think about who you’d like to work with and how they can help make your project a reality.
Example
Let’s go back to the performance project example in Lesson 1 and think about the useful partnerships that could support it being successfully delivered.
We mentioned in Module 2 that we aimed to secure 5 project partners for the performance, let’s think about who some of these partners may be:
Venue Partner: We know that we want an in-person performance, so securing a venue partner is the first priority. As renting spaces is costly, it would be useful to find a community / arts focused venue that may be able to provide a theatre or rehearsal space 'in-kind' to reduce costs.
Streaming Partner: We mentioned that the performance will also be livestreamed online. Here, you could think about partnering with an online streaming platform to broadcast the performance. This is of particular use if the platform has a varied / large audience that we can tap into.
Media Partner(s): Given that the performance focuses on mental health, it’s highly beneficial to reach out to a few different media outlets to talk / write about the performance. Being featured is a great way to spread the word about the performance and reach a wider audience.
Promotional Partner(s): Finally, it’s great to collaborate with other artists / organisations / platforms to help develop the work or spread the word about the performance to their respective communities.
Your Turn
Q1. What kind of partners will you need?
(answer on your downloaded Working Document)
Module 1: How to Find Partners (cont.)
Step 2: Research partners who match your needs
Now you’ve got your partner types defined - great!
It’s now time to think about which potential partners to reach out to.
To get started, watch Rachel Dobb’s speak about identifying stakeholders.
Lingo
Stakeholders: A stakeholder is anybody who can affect or is affected by an organisation, strategy or project.
As Rachel mentions, start thinking about the people / organisations that you’d like to partner with who will also be a good fit for your project.
Think about…
Who already works in similar fields to your project?
Whose already been involved in a similar project?
Can your project help anyone else achieve their goals?
Who has the skills you need?
Can anyone contribute financially?
These are really important questions to get you thinking about finding suitable partners for your project.
Example
Let’s take the venue partner for the performance project discussed in previous slides.
To research a suitable venue partner, you might consider:
Are there any venues that show performances regularly?
Are there venues that have a particular focus on social issues such as mental health?
Do they have a track record of working with emerging artists?
Do they receive funding? (Often, venues that receive funding are encouraged to collaborate with emerging artists)
Do they work with similar communities to the one(s) the performance is focusing on?
Do they offer in-kind support?
This may seem like an extensive list of questions, but they will help narrow down and define the types of venue partners that could be of interest.
Your Turn
Take some time here to consider and research your various partners that match your project's needs. When you're ready, go to the next page to write them down. Try to note down at least 3 options for each partner type including the name, website & contact details (contact person, email, telephone no., social media handle, etc.).
Q2. List the types, names, and contact details for potential partners who could support your project.
(answer on your downloaded Working Document)
Tip: When searching for contact details, try to find the email / contact of a specific person rather than a general organisation email as it will increase your chances of getting a reply. If the partner's website doesn't list it, try searching LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram using the venue's name and job title (eg. Tate Modern, Curator)
Module 2: Reach Out to Partners
Congrats! You now have a running sheet of potential partners for your project :)
It’s time to reach out to them!
This may seem like a daunting task, but you never know who is going to help you directly or indirectly.
Step 1: Create a project brief
Before reaching out to a partner, it’s helpful to create a project brief. This is simply an outline of who you are and what you’ll be doing for your project. So keep it short and sweet!
We've already covered most of what should be included in a brief when we looked at project outlines in Lesson 2.
Now, you just have to put it together so that a potential partner knows who you are and what you want to do.
There are 3 key sections to include in a project brief:
Background information - tell your potential partner who you are and what you do. Have you done any other projects before?
Summarise your project - in a paragraph, tell your potential partner what the project is, its format, and the outcomes you hope to achieve.
Timelines - let them know when it will take place and if there are any key deadlines.
Example
Take a look at one of COMMUN’s briefs from a project in 2020, Keep in mind the sections we outlined above.
Tip: Using photos for your brief can help a partner visualise what to expect from your project, but is not required.
Project Brief - Sample
Your Turn
Q3. Create your project brief below each title.
Project name:
Overview (background):
About the project:
Project format:
Important project dates:
Contact details:
(answer on your downloaded Working Document)
Module 2: Reach Out to Partners (cont.)
Step 2: Create email templates
Now that you’ve got your list of potential partners & a project brief, it’s time to start sending out those emails!
Reaching out to partners can take time, you want to make sure you are professional, friendly, and get to the point quickly because most people won’t spend a lot of time reading your email.
A good way to plan your emails (or direct messages on social media) is to create templates in a Word document that are tailored to the type of partner you are reaching out to. Creating a few good templates that you can tweak and personalise will ensure that are consistent and convey the keys points about your project while speeding up the process of sending them out!
Example
Take a look at COMMUN’s template to secure a venue partner for an activity from our 2020 programme (some text has been redacted).
Think about:
Is the email clear?
Do I understand exactly what the organisation is and what they want from me as a partner?
Subject: Partnership opportunity, Haramacy multi-arts programme (March 31 - April 4)
Dear XXX,
My name is XXX and I work for COMMUN, a combined arts organisation focused on community-building.
I’m reaching out to you today regarding COMMUN’s programme, Haramacy, which aims to create understanding through multi-arts collaboration with voices from Middle Eastern and South Asian communities .
We presented a successful edition of the program this past Spring in partnership with the Albany (Deptford) and Arts Council England and are currently working on the second edition for Spring 2020.
In doing so, we plan to organise a Community Event next summer to wrap up our 2020 programme. The event will feature multi-arts performances by participating artists for the general public.
We feel confident XXX would be a fitting partner to host the Community Event.
Attached is a project brief about the programme for your review. I would be happy to discuss the programme in greater detail if there is interest.
Thank you for your consideration in advance and I look forward to hearing from you!
Best,
XXX
Your Turn
Q4. Create an email template to send to potential partners to join your project.
Tip: Put any interchangeable parts in red (eg. contact name, organisation name) so you don’t forget to change these details before you send out the email.
(answer on your downloaded Working Document)
Module 3: Confirm Partners
Once you’ve reached out to potential partners and received a confirmation of interest, it’s important to formalise your agreement.
You can do this by:
Written agreement - Letter of Support
Non-binding agreement - Memorandum of Understanding
Binding agreement - Contract
1. Written agreement - Letter of Support
Having confirmed partners is really important for any project - particularly if you are applying for funding. Sometimes, you may want to confirm a partnership at the early stages of project planning. This means that rather than signing a contract straight away, you may want to get a confirmation of partnership and support that underlines the agreement without entering into a binding contract.
In this early stage, it’s a good idea to request a letter of confirmation from the partner, detailing the agreed support and any in-kind support.
The letter should address:
Who they are.
Why they were chosen to take part in the project.
What they hope to get out of the project.
What they will contribute toward the project, including any cash and in-kind contributions (which can include staff time, access to equipment, provision of data, software or materials - expressed as cash equivalent).
And make sure it is signed and dated!
Example
The following is a template for a Letter of Support from a partner for your reference.
Letter of Support - Template
Module 3: Confirm Partners (cont.)
2. Non-binding agreement - Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
Your project may however, require a more formal written agreement without having a binding contract. In this case, you might consider signing a non-binding agreement such as a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Lingo
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): A memorandum of understanding is an agreement between two or more parties outlined in a formal document. It is not legally binding but signals the willingness of the parties to move forward with a contract.
Watch this short video outlining an MOU.
Key points to take away:
A MOU describes the outlines of an agreement that two or more parties have reached.
MOUs communicate the mutually accepted expectations of all of the parties involved in a negotiation.
While not legally binding, the MOU signals that a binding contract is imminent.
How to write an MOU
Read this pamphlet to get started.
How to Write an MOU
Your MOU should include:
Who the parties involved are - i.e. you and another partner / organisation.
Agreement start and end date
An outline of the reason for the activity (your project)
The values and principles of the agreement
The outcome of the agreement
Roles and responsibilities of each party in the agreement
The terms of agreement
And it should provide space for signatures.
Your Turn
If a non-binding agreement is a good fit for your project, here is an online MOU template to help you structure an agreement.
MOU - Template
Module 3: Confirm Partners (cont.)
3. Binding agreement - Contract
You may find that the time has come to create a binding agreement, this will enter you and your partner into a formal agreement.
A contract is often used to outline the tasks and responsibilities and financial terms (if any) of an agreement. It is particularly important if your agreement involves payment of funds - for example if you are agreeing to pay an artist for their time.
To get started, read this document on partnership agreements by Art & Business.
Making a Formal Partnership Agreement
How to Write a Contract
When putting together a contract, there are a few essential aspects to include:
A description of the project.
Roles and responsibilities for each party involved.
A timeline for the partnership include start and end dates, deadlines, and deliverables.
If fees are being paid, it is essential that you include the amount, date of payments (specify whether you’ll pay in installments, or as a lump sum), and method of payment
Terms and conditions - think carefully here about what the conditions of the agreement are. For example, if you are paying an artist to take part in a project, who will own the rights to the work upon completion?
Arrangements for cancellation or postponement - think about what will happen in the event of cancellation on either party’s side.
A mechanism for dealing with any dispute which may arise.
Your Turn
If you're ready, have a go at preparing your own contract. Below is a template contract COMMUN uses to commission artists who participate in our projects. Keep in mind that you must tailor any templates you use to your specific project.
Artist Contract - Sample
Congratulations!
You have now successfully learnt:
How to Find Partners
Reach Out to Partners
Confirm Partners