Course Description
This course equips NGO professionals with the practical knowledge and strategic frameworks needed to build, manage, and sustain effective partnerships across the humanitarian and development sectors. As NGOs increasingly operate through complex multi-stakeholder arrangements — spanning local civil society organizations, government agencies, international donors, and private sector actors — the ability to manage these relationships with clarity, accountability, and cultural sensitivity has become a core professional competency.
Drawing on real-world case studies and sector-specific tools, participants will explore the full partnership lifecycle: from partner identification and due diligence, through agreement design and joint implementation, to performance monitoring and exit or transition planning. The course balances strategic thinking with operational practice, addressing both the relational dimensions of partnership (trust, power dynamics, communication) and the technical requirements (legal frameworks, financial management, reporting obligations).
This course is suitable for program managers, partnership coordinators, MEAL officers, and organizational leaders working in international development, humanitarian response, or locally led civil society contexts.
Duration: 3 days (in-person) or 6 weeks (online, self-paced with facilitated sessions) Level: Intermediate | Credits: 2.0 CPD units

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Analyse the landscape of partnership types in NGO programming and evaluate the strategic rationale for entering, sustaining, or exiting a partnership.
2. Apply structured tools for partner identification, capacity assessment, and due diligence appropriate to different programming contexts.
3. Design partnership agreements that clearly define roles, responsibilities, financial arrangements, and accountability mechanisms.
4. Navigate power imbalances, cultural differences, and communication challenges that commonly arise in multi-stakeholder partnerships.
5. Implement monitoring and performance management systems tailored to partnership arrangements, including sub-grant oversight.
6. Evaluate partnership effectiveness and apply learning to strengthen future collaboration and organisational partnership strategies.

Course Outline

Part 1 — The Strategic Foundation of NGO Partnerships
Defining Partnerships in the NGO Context Participants begin by examining what "partnership" truly means in development and humanitarian work — distinguishing it from contracting, outsourcing, or service delivery relationships. This section explores the evolving discourse around locally led development, the Grand Bargain commitments, and what equitable partnership looks like in practice.
Key Topics:
* Typology of partnerships: implementing partners, strategic alliances, consortia, public-private partnerships, and community-based organisation engagement
* The partnership lifecycle: identification → formation → implementation → review → exit/transition
* Mapping your partnership ecosystem: stakeholder analysis and strategic fit
* Power, positionality, and the localisation agenda: shifting from "donor–recipient" to genuine collaboration
* Organisational readiness: assessing your own institution's partnership culture and capacity

Part 2 — Building the Partnership: Due Diligence, Agreements, and Launch
From Identification to Formalisation This section covers the operational mechanics of establishing a partnership on a sound footing. Participants work through practical tools for partner assessment, legal and financial vetting, and the design of partnership agreements that protect all parties while enabling flexible, trust-based collaboration.
Key Topics:
* Partner identification frameworks: criteria development, market mapping, and competitive vs. directed selection
* Capacity assessment and organisational due diligence: financial systems, safeguarding policies, governance structures, and programmatic track record
* Designing the partnership agreement: MoUs vs. sub-grant agreements vs. consortium agreements — scope, deliverables, financial terms, IP, and exit clauses
* Negotiation principles: interest-based bargaining, managing expectations, and building mutual accountability from the outset
* Partnership launch: onboarding, joint planning, and establishing communication norms and governance structures

Part 3 — Managing, Monitoring, and Evolving Partnerships
Sustaining Performance and Learning Throughout the Partnership The final section addresses the ongoing work of partnership management once implementation is underway. Participants explore how to monitor partner performance without undermining trust, how to handle conflict and underperformance constructively, and how to plan for partnership transitions or closures in ways that protect relationships and programme outcomes.