Tips For Maintaining a Relationship
Once you have established a relationship with a Breathe partner, work on maintaining and growing that partnership in order to achieve optimal results. Here are some tips to help ensure a relationship that will last:
Stay On Their Radar, Without Being Annoying.
- Connect with your site contact at least once a month about a relevant program component or just to check-in and offer support. This can be done in person, by email, over the phone, or with a virtual platform. You may even bump into them at community meetings, and that is the perfect time for a casual check-in and to remind them that you are an on-going resource.
- Inquire if their staff has been using the Breathe materials, any challenges or successes they may have encountered, or potential opportunities to offer parent or student education.
- Send a holiday card or tag the organization on social media when appropriate to acknowledge the value of the relationship.
- Replenish their stock of Quit Now Indiana supplies, as needed.
- Share relevant data reports and other emerging tobacco-related updates that may be of interest to them.
- Be creative and genuine about your regular contacts and you will not only grow your partnership, but they will also look forward to hearing from you!
Share the Monthly eNewsletter
- Health Ed Pros creates a monthly e-newsletter to share with Breathe partners. All Funded Partners should receive this newsletter at the beginning of each month from justbreatheindiana@gmail.com. If you are not receiving the newsletter please sign up for the e-newsletter here (and check your spam folder).
- The newsletter consists of brief tobacco information centered around that month’s theme as well as sample Facebook and Twitter/X posts that Breathe partners can copy and paste for their own use.
- Funded partners are encouraged to forward these newsletters to the Breathe partner leadership staff. This is another great opportunity to connect with your site contact and keep the issue of tobacco on their radar.
- Training participants now also have the option to receive the e-newsletter directly if they indicate interest on the Sign-in Sheet/Roster at a Breathe training.
Make It Mutually Beneficial
- In addition to meeting your deliverables, seek out opportunities to give back to your Breathe partners.
- Consider joining one of their committees, if you have the time and expertise required.
- Attend their community events to show your support, without asking for anything in return.
- Help connect them with other community partners that could help the organization with any challenges they may be facing.
Handle Potential Issues That Arise
- No partnership is always smooth sailing, so expect some challenges and anticipate them when possible.
- Address challenges quickly rather than letting them grow or allowing the partnership to evaporate.
- If there is a change in leadership, be quick to connect with the new person in charge and share the history of your partnership and how much you value the organization. Provide supporting documentation, as needed.
- If there is a lot of turnover among staff, offer to provide subsequent trainings for new staff.
- If your site contact seems to have lost interest in tobacco education or has competing priorities, consider inquiring about a new representative with the organization that you can work with.
Other issues that are standing in the way of a strong relationship?
Feel free to contact Health Ed Pros and we would be happy to brainstorm ideas for mitigating the problem and salvaging the relationship. You can also post your challenges in the Facebook group and seek input from other Funded Partners who may have experience with similar issues.