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There is a final possibility, that of creating your new program as a joint venture of several existing organizations in your community; or, of an organization in your community and a Big Brothers Big Sisters agency or Boys and Girls Club organization in a nearby community47. Joint ventures can work very well, particularly if due attention is paid to creating formal agreements among the partners.
The pro’s of this approach include:
- The different resources, experience, and knowledge that each of the partnering organizations brings to the joint venture program or club
- The possibility of combining the strength of a local organization, rooted in your community; and, the specialized expertise and experience of a larger Big Brothers Big Sisters agency or Boys and Girls Club organization in another community
- The avoidance of the costs and difficulties of creating a new organization
- Potential financial and other organizational efficiencies, and elimination of duplicated efforts among partnering organizations
- Potential for the joint venture to reveal additional partnership opportunities and synergies of working together
- Positive reactions from funders, donors and others in the community.
The potential con’s include:
- Without due and on-going care to the relationships among the partners, joint ventures can become messy
- The maintenance of relationships among partners is time consuming
- Staff of the program and club that is a joint venture can feel confused about their real home and reporting relationships
- Policies, procedures, and responsibilities must be negotiated initially and on an ongoing basis, in order to ensure a fit for all partnering organizations
- Potential gaps can occur in coverage of liabilities.
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