X. Communicating Partnership Success

Communicating the accomplishments created by partnerships can increase the visibility of projects and partnerships. It can also inspire others to get involved, create a sense of community, help partnerships learn from one another, and generate new ideas for creative projects. There are many ways to raise public awareness of the novel ways that people are working to support the land and communities. This chapter will introduce:

Channels of Communication

Communication can happen through many channels. Newsletters, press releases, and websites are examples of communications venues that can be used. The Forest Service and it partners each have networks for disseminating information. These networks can and should be used to publicize successes. Field trips, recognition ceremonies, partner meetings or conferences, and other special events also provide opportunities to share work with others. Awards programs designed by the Forest Service and others recognize individuals on a national, regional, and local level.

Partnership stories are often shared electronically on websites. The websites of many on-going partnerships contain regular updates of their work. Narratives or success stories are commonly published on the websites of partner organizations, the National Forest Foundation, and the Partnership Resource Center . Websites for the Forest Service, its specific staff areas, Forests, and Regions also highlight partnership successes.

What to Include

Narratives written for any media venue, including newsletters, flyers, press releases, and websites, are useful avenues for reporting successes to any audience. They should describe the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the partnership along with its accomplishments.

The following is a list of the key elements to include when writing about the accomplishments of a partnership. Highlight the successes by describing them in the first paragraph.

Resources

An excellent place to share success stories is through the Forest Service's internal online Success Story Reporting System. Forest Service employees from any Region can submit partnership stories online, and the general public can view these stories and search the database. A monthly newsletter is generated using the narratives from this online service. The newsletter is often used to inform members of Congress and others who want to know more about the agency's partnership activities.

The Community Tool Box provides tips for developing flyers, brochures, newsletters, and press releases. Developed by the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program, its advice helps with selecting the right tool for reaching the target audience.

“Creating Effective Relationships with the Media” is a fact sheet that offers tips for generating recognition and publicity by working with the media. It was developed by the Social Sciences Institute of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and is part of the Institute's series on People, Partnerships, and Communities. Though focused on partnerships in agriculture, the publications in this series contain valuable information for any partnership effort.

Forest Service Databases

Accomplishments reported by Forest Service employees help the leadership understand the value of partnerships in terms of money saved, work accomplished on the ground, and relationships built. The Forest Service uses various database systems that track partnerships and/or their accomplishments to provide the information required by Congress on the agency's partnership projects. The databases also help with assessing how the agency can better support partnership efforts. In the coming years, the agency will be working to improve the systems for reporting the accomplishments of partnerships.

The online Partnership Resource Center provides links to Forest Service data management systems that contain partnership information. The kind and amount of data, accessibility to the data, and reporting capability varies widely among these systems.

The Forest Service is undergoing a process for developing performance measures for partnerships as part of its efforts to ensure accountability through improved business planning. The agency's Performance and Accountability Report for 2003 is available online.