One of the key factors in creating partnerships is personal relationships, particularly in the beginning of the partnership. Since trust is a key factor in any relationship, people usually work with people who they know or on referrals from trusted sources. This has been one of the challenges in developing cross-sectoral partnerships, where there are limited connections.
I recently visited Bangladesh. Muhammad Yunnus has been very successful in creating “social businesses”, building on Grameen Foundation’s microfinance work. For example, when Grameen phone, a for-profit business, was created, they selected women in rural areas who had received and repaid Grameen loans to become IT ladies. They received loans to buy computers so that they could provide mobile internet services to people in rural areas. The fact that Grameen Foundation and Grameen phone had the same founder and mind-set probably facilitated the relationship.
Add to Google
