The Alliance has collected the following lessons learned as it relates to sharing services and conducting partnerships. These lessons are offered as considerations when thinking through the collaboration process.

The essence of collaboration is working together to get something done that cannot be done working alone. Collaboration in local government involves working across institutional boundaries to engage outside individuals and entities in a way that reshapes the processes of decision making or service delivery.

This collaboration of four public partners resulted from long standing goodwill through existing joint use of community and school facilities. As the parties initiated their partnership, they developed a charter outlining values and a shared goal to guide their way through construction of the $62 million multi-use facility.

The “New Normal” is an opportunity to confront your assumptions, beliefs and views of local government that you have learned and adopted.

One of the best ways to launch a successful Social Media program is to ensure that the program aligns with your organization’s overall mission and strategic objectives. Having the SM team review a management tool such as a balanced scorecard or six sigma initiative is a critical success factor. I have seen many organizations lack this alignment, and this in turn leads to inadequate ROI and a pullback from using SM applications.

Examples of how localities are successfully stretching beyond traditional means to tackle challenging problems, build community and foster a civic culture.

Why use technology to engage our citizens? If it is for one-way communication, we suggest you ask yourself, “Is the time and effort you have to dedicate to it worth it…”