As well as identifying potential new partners, it is important to build on any existing partnership arrangements you have established. This could include those who:
have previously supported registration work
are in regular or significant communication with your target audiences
have good relationships with target audiences and have previously worked with the local authority, but not on registration
have good relationships with target audiences and have never worked with the local authority
have a high profile in the local area among broad audiences
Where you identify that you wish to continue working with an existing partner, you should review the partnership and identify whether there is anything you could do differently with them to achieve better results. If this partnership activity has resulted in an increase in the registration levels of your target group, you should feedback success to your partners, which may encourage them to undertake further work with you.
Some examples of partners you may want to consider include:
Service providers - for example, housing associations, home care services, schools, further education colleges.
Other governmental organisations and local authority teams – for example, parish councils, housing services, social services.
Influential individuals – for example a prominent student landlord, local celebrities, politicians, political parties and candidates.
Community groups and charities – for example, a boxing club, Neighbourhood Watch, over-60s social groups
Private companies and organisations – for example, a large local employer, gym, dentist, estate agent.
You won’t be able to work with everyone, so as well as evaluating the value added by existing partners during the last canvass and at scheduled polls, you should consider:
who will best reach your target groups
the practicalities of working together
any other local factors
It may be beneficial to categorise your list of partners, identifying which partners will require help to deliver detailed activity, and those who have agreed to simply relay or promote registration messages.
Partnerships that may take a large amount of time to set up and reach a small number of people may still be worthwhile if the people they reach are high on your target list and are unlikely to be engaged in other ways.
Similarly, an organisation that works with residents who are not on your target list, but reaches a huge of residents and is committed to taking time to spread your messages could at least be considered.
It is also important to plan for working with politicians and political parties throughout the year so that they understand how the registration process works. Candidates and their supporters can extend your registration reach by promoting registration during their electoral campaigning. If candidates, parties and politicians are not engaged, there is a risk that the messages and information they provide could be wrong or incomplete.