Collaboration Handbook: Creating, Sustaining, and Enjoying the Journey

How to start, run, and maintain an effective collaboration

The Collaboration Handbook is your complete guide to putting together a collaboration that gets results! You'll see how to get a collaboration going, define the results you're after, determine everyone's roles, create an action plan, and evaluate the results. Plus, you'll find out:

• How to know if collaboration is the best way to accomplish your goals
• If your collaboration has the ingredients to succeed
• How to select the best structure for your collaboration
• How to manage the four stages of collaboration
• When it makes sense to test the waters with a pilot project

Because working together can be complex, this valuable guide gives you practical steps, tips, and worksheets to guide you all the way. You'll find out what to expect and how to:

• Find and attract the right people
• Build trust among diverse groups
• Avoid common pitfalls
• Turn conflict into cooperation
• Create accountability standards
• Keep people involved, enthusiastic, and motivated

This practical handbook includes: a case study following one collaboration from start to finish; sixteen worksheets to help you solve problems, plan successful strategies, and track your progress; and special sidebars with helpful tips such as what to do at your first meeting and how mandated collaborations can succeed.

With the Collaboration Handbook, you'll save valuable time and energy figuring out how to collaborate-and move ahead to creating a collaboration that works!

Also helpful: the research report, Collaboration: What Makes It Work, 3rd Edition, available from Fieldstone Alliance.

Work together...and get greater results! Here's how to overcome obstacles to create a successful collaboration! Whether you're working on homelessness or building a rural farm cooperative, the Collaboration Handbook tells you what to expect and how to meet challenges in a way that strengthens your group and the results you're after. You'll learn how (and why) to:

* Find and attract the right people

* Build trust among diverse groups

* Change conflict into cooperation

* Select the best structure for your collaboration

* Keep people involved, enthusiastic, and motivated

* Energize your supporters with a powerful collaborative vision * Deepen the roots of collaboration for lasting success Practical, interactive tools keep your collaboration on track This unique handbook shows you:

* How to know if collaboration is the best way to

accomplish your goals

* How to get started and keep up the momentum

* Whether your collaboration has the necessary ingredients to succeed

* How to manage the four stages of collaboration * When it makes sense to test the waters with a pilot project Plus, you also get:

* A case study following one collaboration from start to finish

* Sixteen worksheets to help you solve problems, plan successful strategies, and document your progress

* Special sidebars with helpful tips such as what to do at your first meeting, and how mandated collaborations can succeed * And much more!