The idea for Building Donor Partnerships originated from discussion during workshops, informal conversations, and visits to national foundations of the Soros foundations network. Colleagues told us that they were eager to know more about how to develop donor partnerships and the experiences of others. We have tried to respond to this interest and need with a practical handbook that draws on our own experiences and those of successful builders of partnerships in the network. We also invited some of the network's donor partners to provide their perspectives on partnership with the Soros foundations.

We have found that there are many ways to achieve partnership - different structures of partnership, different partners, and different ways of forming them. There is no ideal partner or partnership arrangement. Successful building of partnerships requires an open and proactive spirit. The craft and tactics can be learned.

Building Donor Partnerships is aimed at increasing practical capacity in the network for developing collaboration. We hope that it will also stimulate discussion and insight within the Soros foundations and between the network and its partners.

We would like to acknowledge the thoughtful contributions of Arman Argynov, Beth Breger, Peter Clark, Pam Coughlin, Dianne Cullinane, Peter Darvas, Andrea Feld, Marina Ghitoc, Anne Gotwals, Deborah Harding, Jürgen Hess, Nedzad Hrelja, Heather Iliff, Liliana Ivanovici, Michael Kay, Eva Koncokova, Katalin Koncz, Emil Koplanyi, Csaba Lorinczi, Zbigniew Modrzewski, Aryeh Neier, Jonathan Peizer, Frances Pinter, Istvan Rev, Susan Rona, Michael Savage, Faruk Slaki, Oleg Smertin, Judit Szira, Michael Vachon, Gulnara Yakubova, and Vasillaq Zoto of the Soros foundations network.

Building Donor Partnerships has also been enriched by the perspectives of Bruno Laporte (World Bank), Annalisa McManus (British Council), Kathleen Moynihan (CRS), and Ian Whitman (OECD).

Terrice Bassler & Mabel Wisse Smit
June 1997