Principles of Partnership

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) is a longstanding association that advocates for health equity in communities by partnering universities and community organizations. Their Principles of Partnership are easily applied to other community-campus partnerships, regardless of social issues, and they are widely accepted as the standard for partnerships nationally.

Community organizations and faculty are encouraged to use and adapt these CCPH principles as guidelines when developing partnerships.

1. The Partnership forms to serve a specific purpose and may take on new goals over time.
2. The Partnership agrees upon mission, values, goals, measurable outcomes and processes for accountability.
3. The relationship between partners in the Partnership is characterized by mutual trust, respect, genuineness, and commitment.
4. The Partnership builds upon identified strengths and assets, but also works to address needs and increase capacity of all partners.
5. The Partnership balances power among partners and enables resources among partners to be shared.
6. Partners make clear and open communication an ongoing priority in the Partnership by striving to understand each other’s needs and self-interests, and developing a common language.
7. Principles and processes for the Partnership are established with the input and agreement of all partners, especially for decision-making and conflict resolution.
8. There is feedback among all stakeholders in the Partnership, with the goal of continuously improving the Partnership and its outcomes.
9. Partners share the benefits of the Partnership’s accomplishments.
10. Partnerships can dissolve, and when they do, need to plan a process for closure.
11. Partnerships consider the nature of the environment within which they exist as a principle of their design, evaluation, and sustainability.
12. The Partnership values multiple kinds of knowledge and life experience