Power of a Partner

A small team of sister cities staff spent most of November 7 at a Partnership Conference hosted by USAID. The 300+ participants (which included international NGOs, community organizations, faith-based organizations, and a variety of representatives from USAID offices) came from across the U.S. and the globe to discuss how nonprofits can partner with each other and with USAID. It was, in large part, an effort to demystify USAID and how to access the agency. It was a good mix of speakers and presentations. As part of the program I had the opportunity to present the Sister Cities story and offer a sneak peek at our Community Connector web portal.

Community Connector is a project of Sister Cities International, made possible with seed funding from USAID, to donors and recipients of aid and expertise. We are taking our twinning of cities model and applying it virtually - to connect those with need with those with resources. I should note that Community Connector (or C2 as we call it) is not about donations and fundraising, per se. This is about “stuff” – medical or office supplies, books, clothing, educational materials, etc. We hope donor individuals and organizations will be able to deliver the exact goods, services, or expertise to the community in need. We are starting with Africa, and specifically in South Africa as a pilot country.

On a panel later in the day, I joined representatives from the US Chamber of Commerce, Marriott International, U.S. Department of State to talk about public-private partnerships how it can work (the ideal…) and how it does work (they are hard work). It was a good moment to show how local programs partner with Rotary on exchanges and projects and how Sister Cities International partners with other national organizations on programs.

All in all, there was a positive response to Sister Cities International and C2 at our booth and in conversation, which bodes well for our new project. The curious minds in the room were thinking about how to start working with local sister city programs. It always impresses me how quickly people see a connection with their work and sister cities. I’m hopeful our efforts will draw interest from organizations and individuals who may become a new class of citizen diplomats for local programs.