Center for Civic Partnerships

Collaborative Agreements

The development of clear roles and responsibilities is one of the factors that leads to a collaboratives success. When two or more organizations partner on a project, some form of organizational agreement or contract helps solidify everyone’s roles and commitments. As the partners discuss their roles and responsibilities prior to beginning the effort, it helps to put the decisions into a written document. These agreements can often prevent or reduce future conflicts. The individuals with decision-making authority in the partner organizations should sign the agreement.

You may choose to create and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to clarify each partner’s roles and responsibilities. These documents typically contain the following:

Background or a brief description of the project
The specific activities that each partner will perform (e.g., specific services to be delivered, activities associated with participation in the partnership)
Other agreements related to how the partners will work together, communication methods, division of authority, etc.
Length of the agreement and/or timeline

If the fiscal agent for a grant is giving some of the funds to another agency to complete a portion of the project, most agencies require that the partners sign a contract. Besides outlining what is to be done with the funds, this legal document helps protect the fiscal agent, should the other group not be able to complete the activities. Besides all of the legalese, contracts should specify the:

Term/length
Services to be provided
Responsibilities of each party
Deliverables documentation showing that the work has been done (e.g., summary of client data/service delivery log, evaluations from health education class, evaluation report)
Timeline
Payment (amount, schedule, process for payment)
Terms under which either partner could terminate the contract
Contact persons in each agency (may be different for payment and program issues)

While creating either of these documents may seem to formalize what has been a more informal relationship, it is often helpful to have a written record of the partnership. This information can be useful to a variety of individuals, including:

A new staff person who takes over the project
Current or potential funders who are interested in how the effort is structured
An agency board member who wants to know what role the agency is playing
A neighboring community group that is interested in replicating the project

This article originally appeared in the County Medical Services Program Governing Board newsletter, Wellness and Prevention Program Pages, Winter 2001, Volume 1,