The months of September and October have provided new partnerships and impacts globally. After leaving a policy event in Pennsylvania hosted by the Pennsylvania FFCA Affiliate and our Region-3 Lead for FFCA, The Commission's Dr. Rufus Sylvester Lynch, ACSW, I reflected on the power of partnerships. In my position as President and Chief Executive Officer with several affiliates all over the United States as well as humbly in Africa, Australia, China, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom we are provided information and opportunities that I believe sharing with others. In September, we were able to be a featured panel speaker for the U.S. Black Congressional Caucus Conference in Washington, D.C. FFCA also added a new international FFCA Affiliate from Australia. Fathers and Families Coalition was honored to have Win-Win Parenting from Sydney, Australia join as one of our international affiliates. Humbled by the comments of both U.S. and other global leaders that stated they had followed Fathers and Families Coalition of America to partner with FFCA to improve their programs. One brief example most recently, Mr. Alex Borchardt, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom that through social media has connected to FFCA for many years, "I have long wanted to compare notes one what FFCA and Families Need Fathers do" is an example of going beyond the comforts of limited partners to enhance the influences and strengths of partnerships.
In October, FFCA added a new organizational member from Bakersfield, California. Fathers and Families Coalition of America added two more affiliates. One of the new members is a proven mentoring agency in Lagos, Nigeria. The Boys Mentoring Advocacy Network (BMAN) is a Non-Governmental Organization established to advocate, give life & living direction to boys in an ever-increasing world of gang violence, cultism, and other vices. Mr. Ola Akinwe Founder is the Fathers and Families Coalition of Nigeria Executive The other latest branch is a champion for children who sadly need protection from abuse and neglect in Orange County, California. When we have agencies asking to join as The Raise Foundation did this month, a dedicated to stopping the cycle of abuse through education, advocacy, community collaboration, and comprehensive services for families and children, it is humbling with responsibilities to ensure we champion these new, existing and future champions of strengthening families globally. One of the duties of our members and stakeholders is assuring the most exceptional professional development national conference. In October, we have others ask if they can join the platform of presenters from Scotland, Ireland, England, Puerto Rico, Australia, and throughout the United States. The preliminary program released in October, is yet, another example of our commitment to give others our best and a place where diverse professionals' collective influnce will partner with others for the focus of working together to enhance working with parents, children, families and communities.
Why is the collaboration so crucial for agencies working with families?
Why is there a growing need for formal partnerships, coalitions, commissions, networks, etc.?
One of the essential answers to these two questions, the ability to increase your sphere of influence. Regardless of how much funding an agency has, not one agency alone can catalyst change without partnerships. No matter how successful organizations and leaders are, there is a limit of how many people they can communicate with, and therefore influence, a finite number of people. But when that same nonprofit collaborates with another entity, their two, three, four, or in the case of Fathers and Families Coalition of America with over 20 solid affiliates and a total of 50 affiliate agencies with spheres of influence. The combined weight can expand the full ability to bring wholeness for practitioners, policy and social justice, community networking and foster the environment of changeability to advance their shared goals and their missions. Another significant contribution of the coalition relationship is honesty. The honest feedback to share with others to have focused on effective outcomes for the group. In Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, FFCA's Region-3 lead demonstrated bringing people together for the opportunity to build on synergy with honesty from peers that advancing purpose cannot advance personality related priorities. One of the more critical aspects of FFCA is it is not about a person but diverse leaders' needs to cultivate change for their communities. By establishing relationships through honesty and a collective process, it brings new opportunities from added spheres of influence as aforementioned.
