How to host Partnerships

Our understanding of pratnerships & how we host them

Partnerships in oikos mean relating, collaborating and acting together for our shared values and mission. They evolve over time, and we accompany them from starting, to tending & ending. In order to make this happen, we created the groundwork for partnerships consisting of the partnership basics and the differentiation of three partnership types: friends, collaborators, and donors. This wiki outlines everything you, as a partnership host, should know about partnerships in oikos.

General Understanding

WHO is responsible for partnerships?

members of the oikos international team in their roles within a certain circle are partnership hosts and responsible for the interactions with and tending to the partner. The hosting is part of your role within the teal partnerships circle which is meant to support the activities with (monthly circles), administrative support, and infrastructure updates (see more below). In general, we follow the principle of ‘Host partnerships where they are most valuable to our work’

WHAT are partnership types in oikos?

Partnerships types are three different categories that distinguish the why, what and how between each relationship to a partner. The table outlines the different types of partnerships: friends, collaborators, and donors.

oikos’ partners	Friends	Collaborators	Donors
Who	Individuals, networks, universities, think-tanks, private & public organizations
Why	To broaden network & indicate affiliation & shared vision	To foster deeper relationships that lead to new possibilities	To sustain the organization & empower the oikos network
What - Shared Value	Exchange & dissemination of opportunities through agreed channels Logo on website	Invitation & participation in events & initiatives Shared initiatives on several levels to leverage our common impact Ongoing, strategic conversation & invitation to strategic processes (maybe also sharing some secrets ;))	Potentially all mentioned before & Financial and in-kind support to oikos in form of individual & institutional donations
HOW	1-2 touch points per year	Frequent check-ins and invitations to our events	Frequent check-ins and updates

HOW do we tend to partnerships?

We form relationships through mutual, conversational agreements with our partners. The relationships are hosted by individuals from the international team who are responsible for the evolution of the partnership. Through check-ins with the partners, the hosts continuously evaluate the mutual value we bring to each other and make changes in partnership types if necessary. Value checks are meant to happen at least once a year or when a specific situation demands a reevaluation of the partnership to maintain a clear overview in the individual sub-teams.

Some guiding principles

• Relationships are between people, not (only) organizations

• Relationships hosts are responsible for the tending of their individual partnerships and are responsible for the hand-over, continuity and sustainability of the relationship

• Relationships are diverse and require different forms of tending

• Relationships and their values for oikos change over time and should be reevaluated

• Relationships might create leads for new relationships – we are open to new opportunities

Support Structure

The partnership infrastructure helps you as a partnership host navigate and tend to partnerships. It consists of the Airtable Database and partnership support circle.

• Monthly partnership meetings

The partnership circle meets every month with at least 1 rep from every circle. Here, we exchange updates, developments and opportunities and make space to explore synergies. At least twice a year, the partnership support team will host a short introduction to the topic of partnerships & partnerhsip hosting.

• Partnership Airtable

Airtable is used as a database for all current, old and potential partners in oikos. It shows you who is hosting which partnership and gives you access to the contact and overview of the network. See Airtable here. Each partnership host is in charge of updating the base at least twice a year.

• Partnership Support Team

The partnerships circle is stewarded by some supporting hands that are happy to support you as a host in starting, tending, and ending a partnership. Reach out for the following

Starting	Tending	Ending
Space to voice needs (discord) Materials and templates to initiate a first check-in Common grounding, 1st check-in: value check-in, partnership type, mutual agreements	Overview of existing partnerships CRM Tool (airtable) and Updates Bi-annual check-in with relationship hosts Airtable and Website Updates Communication of opportunities on oikosmos, discord, miro Hand-over and continuity Partnership Website	Internal check-in to reevaluate the value External check-in to reevaluate the value (hosts) Punctual decentralized clean-ups (hosts) General centralized clean-ups on Airtable Gentle clearing of partnerships to leave space for new soil

Contact the partnership support team:

VP for partnerships: Elena Müller, [e-mail] or Discord

Co-president for partnerships: Sophie Charrois, [e-mail] or Discord

If you are curious about the internal structure of the partnership circle, read the Field Guide here.

FAQ

How to add a partnership to the website?

Who decides which partnerships I am hosting?

I’m leaving the organization. What happens to the partnerships I am hosting?