Devon Community Foundation neither wants to, nor does, work in a vacuum. Successful partnerships and collaborations are vital at every stage of the work we do. Here are examples of just some of the relationships we enjoy with our partners, stakeholders and neighbours.
Being part of the Community Foundation network, linked together by flagship organisation UKCF, means that we are always able to draw upon the experiences and support of our peers. UKCF provides opportunities for us to grow and learn, and a collective voice helps spread the word of the work of community foundations more universally.
We want our relationships with our grant-holders to go far beyond the simple transaction of distributing funds. Forming meaningful partnerships means really understanding what makes them tick, and that puts us in a position to be able to share their amazing stories and feed their experiences into the bigger picture of the charitable sector. By gaining mutual understanding the groups and charities we support are in much better position to know exactly how we can best support them.
The partnerships we build with our donors are all different. Some are deeply reciprocal, developed over many years of getting to know one another, some are strictly business. In every case, we work hard to ensure we understand our donor’s philanthropic wishes and that they know of all the amazing possibilities that working with us can realise.
Being a part of what is happening in our Devon communities means really understanding them. We do this in many ways, but a big part of that is asking. Whether we’re out on the streets, talking to people we’ve never met before, or we’re picking the brains of groups with whom we have long-established relationships, the key to any exchange is mutual gain. They confide in us what’s happening, what’s good and what’s not so good, and we in return, do all we can to help find the best way of working together that makes communities better for everyone.
To make lasting change in our communities, it’s important that we have a link with those in positions of influence. We have a unique view of the communities that make up our county, and if we are able to portray the importance of change within it to the people who can take that message right to the top, then that is of benefit to everybody. The public and private sector also really help us in understanding that big picture by helping us filling in extra areas of specific expertise.
