Customized partnerships to advance shared goals

Determine what your business would like to accomplish with USAID.

• Create an idea for collaborating with USAID that describes a business opportunity or challenge that could be addressed through an engagement with the Agency.
  • Things to consider:
    • Business vision of the engagement, goals, core area and potential assets.
    • Specific countries or regions your business would like to focus on.
    • Role and level of involvement in collaboration activities.
• Socialize your idea with leadership at your company and identify key champions with a mix of decision-making authority and technical expertise.
• Connect with USAID representatives to share your concept, identify potential collaboration opportunities, and build relationships. 

Each party to the collaboration aligns and designs the engagement.

• Work hand-in-hand with USAID to select an appropriate collaboration approach and design the collaboration accordingly, focusing on key results and activities.
• Determine the roles and responsibilities of each party involved. If necessary, secure an implementing partner to help manage the engagement.
• Talk about how each party will work together, how decisions will be made, and how conflicts and communication will be managed.
• If all parties want to formalize the engagement, write and sign an agreement that defines shared objectives and goals, roles and responsibilities, implementation, and legal details.
• Work with USAID to develop a learning plan to ensure all parties have time to reflect and adjust plans, as necessary.

Execute planned activities.

• Track progress, collaborate, and make joint decisions with engagement representatives in regularly occurring meetings.
• Provide candid feedback to USAID on the activity’s performance and acknowledge USAID and other partners’ concerns.
• Ensure continued buy-in from business key champions and frequently check in on progress.
• Maintain strong communications with your USAID counterparts to ensure all sides understand evolving organizational priorities.
• Monitor and adapt to changing circumstances.
• Use the established learning plan to actively reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the collaboration and document learnings.
• Develop a plan to sustain and scale activities after the collaboration comes to an end.

Proactively generate new ideas and areas for collaboration.

• Discuss ways that your business may collaborate in new technical areas, regions, or countries.
• Decide if further collaboration makes sense at this time.