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20260107-community

Building Community Partnerships Across the Resettlement Landscape: Tips for Getting Started

As funding streams tighten and resettlement agencies operate with fewer staff, building strong community partnerships is critical. Newcomers’ needs are complex, requiring holistic, coordinated responses that no single organization can handle alone. Yet for many providers, developing effective collaborative networks can feel challenging. Through Switchboard’s nationwide mapping and referral efforts, we have seen firsthand how strategic partnerships strengthen service delivery and fill gaps. If you’re getting started in building community partnerships, this blog post offers you practical tips for increasing your collective impact.

 

Creating New Partnerships: Practical First Steps

Many organizations struggle to build collaborative relationships due to limited staffing, resources, or coordination among local stakeholders. Below are best practices for organizations seeking to form new partnerships:

Lay the Foundation

  • Assess your own capacity. Start by having open conversations internally about what you bring to the table and what you may need from others. Some organizations find it helpful to conduct an informal Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis to assess internal capacity and external assets before creating a partnership plan. For example, you might find that your housing program excels in finding temporary shelter for clients but struggles in providing long-term affordable housing options.
  • After you have a clear sense of your strengths and needs, create partnership goals. Creating goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) ensures your efforts align with your broader strategic direction and remain achievable within the constraints of your existing resources. For instance, you might say, “In the next 12 weeks, we will conduct introductory meetings with at least six local service organizations and formalize three referral pathways.”
  • Review or create a community resource map. Before starting new outreach efforts, take time to review existing community resources. Many local governments, coalitions, and community groups have already conducted asset or needs assessments, though they are not always widely shared. If a community resource map does not already exist, Switchboard offers guidance, templates, and training to help you create one.

 

Reach Out and Introduce Your Organization

  • Clarify roles and responsibilities. Where possible, many organizations designate an outreach coordinator or single point of contact for partnerships. If your capacity dos not allow for this, detailing clear responsibilities in position descriptions for staff, volunteers, and interns can help spread out tasks in an organized way. Templates or other process documentation for connecting with new partners can also help you save time.
  • Prepare clear materials that summarize your organization. One-page explainers, brochures, or FAQs can make a strong impression, especially when partners have limited bandwidth. Visuals that quickly communicate what you do tend to generate the most engagement.
  • Be prepared to share what you bring and what you need. When reaching out, whether through meetings, calls, email introductions, or community events, come prepared with a brief overview of your programs and a clear “ask.” Define what you can contribute and what you hope to accomplish from the connection, whether that’s establishing a point of contact for referrals or exploring deeper collaboration.
  • Focus on what you have in common. It can be difficult to identify shared values and missions across sectors, as organizations often approach refugee support from different perspectives and with different priorities. Look for areas of alignment when forming new partnerships and working to address common gaps. For example, your organization may focus on afterschool services for refugee youth, while your partner focuses on health services for low-income families. Although these are seemingly two different programs, you may recognize that the youth in your program need support to access vaccines, while your partner recognizes their need for additional help with interpretation. Given your commonalities, you could choose to partner on pop-up vaccination events for local families.
  • Begin expanding your network. Local organizations are often the best source of information for forming networks among providers. During initial conversations, ask, “Are there other organizations or individuals within your network you think I should connect with?” and, when appropriate, request a warm introduction.

 

Start Small and Scale Upward

  • Start with a small, manageable effort that allows your organizations to learn how to work together. Remember, every new connection is one that your organization did not have before, and each one can open doors to wider networks. Early collaboration might include co-hosting a single workshop, referring clients to one another on a trial basis, or having volunteers support one event or class. Starting small gives both partners time to understand expectations, communication styles, and capacity limits without overwhelming staff or resources. As trust is built and processes become clearer, the partnership can naturally evolve into more sustained collaborations or higher-impact projects.
  • Consider joining a community of practice (CoP) if you are unsure where to start. CoPs bring together practitioners with shared expertise to exchange lessons learned, co-develop solutions, and stay current on new guidance.

 

Maintaining Strong Partnerships: Practical Next Steps

Once a partnership is established, the focus shifts to nurturing and sustaining it. The practices below offer guidance for maintaining trust, communication, and flexibility over time.

Stay Organized

  • Establish clear referral pathways early in the partnership. Identify key contacts, what information is needed for a referral, and how follow-up will occur. Shared tools, like a referral form, contact spreadsheet, or simple flowchart, can make coordination faster and more accurate.
  • Keep your documentation up to date. Maintain current information for partnership contacts, services offered, preferred communication methods, and any relevant resource links. Support from volunteers or interns can make it less daunting to maintain your contact lists and community resource maps.
  • Use file sharing systems so all partners can access and update relevant materials. Choose a secure, organized platform, label resources clearly, and review them periodically to ensure information stays current.
  • Consider setting up check-ins (monthly, bimonthly, quarterly, etc.) to share updates, discuss emerging needs, and solve problems together. These meetings do not have to be overly formal or frequent; decide on a cadence that makes sense for your context.

 

Encourage Proactive Feedback

  • Assess how your collaboration is working in practice. Some partnerships may simply involve exchanging resources or referrals, while others may require deeper coordination through working groups, coalitions, or task forces. Reflect on questions like: “Are all parties providing valuable contributions (bilingual interpreters for events, meeting spaces, relevant data, etc.)? Are we each getting what we expected from the other?”
  • Effective collaboration depends on a continuous cycle of asking for feedback, implementing it, and measuring results. During your regular check-ins, ask questions like: “What is working? What is not working? What gaps are we seeing that affect refugee populations, and how can we bridge them?” Each touchpoint should include time dedicated to feedback. Partnerships often struggle when they assume feedback will happen naturally as issues arise; a proactive approach ensures that barriers are addressed early and reduces negative impact on the newcomers you serve.
  • Engage newcomer clients. Partnerships are strongest when informed by the populations they serve. Create opportunities for newcomers to share their experiences, priorities, and recommendations so programs remain relevant and respectful. This might include inviting refugees to serve on advisory boards, conducting short surveys or interviews before and after workshops, or gathering insights during intake or regular meetings (without collecting personal details).
  • Regularly highlight positive outcomes achieved through your partnerships. Some partners may choose to publish helpful resources or success stories in community newsletters or share them on their event pages, while others may highlight “kudos” moments at community of practice meetings.

 

Looking Forward

Supporting newcomer integration is a shared community responsibility. While connecting with new organizations can feel daunting, especially amid limited funding and capacity, collaboration remains essential, and there are straightforward steps to help you get started. Intentional, sustained partnerships help build a community where newcomers feel welcomed, supported, and able to thrive.

 

Learn More

Switchboard Resources

Additional Resources

The IRC received competitive funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Grant #90RB0053. The project is 100% financed by federal funds. The contents of this document are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.

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  • Switchboard is a one-stop resource hub for refugee service providers in the United States. With the support of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), we offer tools and materials, learning opportunities, research, and technical assistance on resettlement-related topics. From employment, education, and health, to monitoring and evaluation, Switchboard’s focus areas reflect real-world needs.

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