At Made Open, we’re always thinking about how to make our clients' platforms more resilient, impactful and sustainable.
One thing we know for sure: partnerships are key.
The right partnerships can amplify everything - driving more activities, increasing user participation and deepening engagement. This ripple effect can extend beyond the platform, enabling partners to connect and collaborate in new ways.
Devon Connect
Seven partners in Devon work together to ensure listings are relevant and targeted to their local communities.
When we first started building platforms, true partnerships were rarely discussed and, in some cases, were actively discouraged. One client even dismissed the idea, fearing it would harm their competitive edge in securing tenders by opening the platform up to fellow charities (even though they were on friendly terms).
Typically, our clients' operating model begins like this: funders give them money in exchange for visibility and accountability. We then help them build and launch their platforms, and while many other organisations are keen to (and do) use the platform, they don't proactively contribute to its growth.
This approach can work but has limits - because all the pressure falls on our client, a single organisation, to make their platform succeed while others remain passive. If engagement drops, the blame can then land on our client and, by extension, on us.
We want to change this, not because we want to avoid blame, but because partners and funders play a vital role in building more resilient communities. To ease the pressure on over-stretched systems, we all need to think bigger.
Tools for change
Explore our tools for change – practical guides and templates to help you build stronger partnerships.
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