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Course Overview

MODULE 1: CONCEPTS, DEFINITIONS AND PROCESSES

Objective
To develop an understanding of the major concepts and principles that underpin partnerships in the context of delivering financial services, as well as non-financial services, to the poor.

Topics
1. Microfinance challenges and stakeholders: Considers the range of stakeholders and service providers that make up the ‘ecosystem' providing financial services to the poor
2. Partnership definitions and objectives: Explores the range of types of partnership, and to develop a common understanding and vocabulary for these.
3. Drivers and success factors: Explores why organisations form partnerships with others, and what contributes to the success of these, as well as those factors constraining successful partnerships.
4. Process of partnership formation: Introduces a systematic process by which to consider partnership development.

MODULE 2: PARTNERSHIP EXPLORATION

Objective
To encourage participants to explore the range of considerations both when seeking to identify partners and assessing an MFI's own readiness to enter into partnerships.

Topics
1. Defining Outcomes: To identify how different organisations might determine their objectives, strategic drivers and underlying motivations for entering into a partnership.
2. Internal Assessment by individual partners: To enable participants to identify the range of possible legal forms that an MFI can take, and consider the appropriateness and implications of these at a particular stage in its evolution. Discuss key factors considered by organisations in conducting internal assessments. Align appropriate institutional forms with particular stages in MFI evolution.
3. Design parameters and partner identification: To be able to identify the fundamental building blocks of the partnership, potential partners and how to attract them. To enable participants to identify and describe the different types and sources of on-lending finance that are available for MFIs and to select the appropriate type for particular institutions in the stages of their development.

MODULE 3:  PARTNERSHIP BUILDING

Objectives
To encourage participants to consider the types of organisation that might be linked together for different financial services, how to negotiate agreements and what these agreements should include.

Topics
This module includes four topics, including a case studyand role-play:
1. Resources Mapping: To identify the different types, respective priorities and needs of institutions with which their MFIs may be able to make mutually satisfactory partnerships.
2. Case Study: Analysis of partnership ICICI Bank India
3. Partnership Agreements: Exercise ‘win-win' negotiations
4. Building Capacity: Which considers the importance of ongoing capacity building amongst partners during the course of the partnership and some of the areas of knowledge transfer.

MODULE 4:  PARTNERSHIP MAINTENANCE

Objective
To encourage participants to consider the types of organisations that might be linked together for different financial services, how to negotiate agreements and what these agreements should include.

Topics
1. Maintaining partnerships, monitoring commitments: To consider the issues surrounding the management, monitoring and measuring of the effectiveness of microfinance partnerships. 
2. Assessing the value of partnerships: To consider how the value of microfinance partnerships might be measured and assessed.