The document discusses developing strategic community alliances through Institutional Collaborative and Community Outreach Agreements (ICCOAs) and Activity Agreements (AAs). ICCOAs outline the agreement between organizations to collaborate, while AAs lay out detailed plans for specific collaborative projects or activities following an ICCOA. Collaborations help organizations better serve communities by sharing resources. ICCOAs and AAs demonstrate an ability to work with others and attract potential funders who want to see evidence of collaborative efforts. The process for developing agreements involves identifying opportunities, drafting ICCOAs outlining goals and responsibilities, and creating AAs with specific activities, timelines, and outcomes.

1. Developing Strategic
Community Alliances:
ICCOAs & AAs
{ Building Partnerships for the
Growth of Keep Illinois Working

2. What are ICCOA’s and AA’s?
 An Institutional Collaborative & Community
Outreach Agreement (ICCOA) is a document
outlining the agreement between two
organizations to work together for a set amount
of time on collaborative projects.
 An Activity Agreement (AA) is made between
two collaborating parties laying out detailed
plans to participate in a specific activity or
project. The AA is made only following the
signing of the broader ICCOA.

3. Why are ICCOA’s and AA’s
important?
 In order to better serve the community, we
must engage other organizations and agencies
in the work we do.
 By collaborating with others, we are able to
share resources and improve the quality and
scope of collaborative projects to create better
opportunities for our organization, our
participants, and our community.

4.  Potential funders want to see evidence of collaborative readiness
and support from community stakeholders.
 ICCOAs and AAs display our ability to work with others in the
community and detail their willingness to commit to
collaborative efforts with us.
 Investors only want to contribute to organizations that have
proven their value to the community they serve.

5. The Process
{ Results-based process

6. Identify an Opportunity
 Sometimes we can find funding that can help us develop our ideas, but
usually we must cultivate them ourselves, using resources from inside
the organization and within the community.
 Think of what your organization is missing. Using the template handed
out during training, create a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats) analysis to determine your strengths and
weaknesses and develop an idea to fill in the weak spots.
 Know that for every deficiency, there is an opportunity to be made of it.
Think, who can help us flip this weakness into a strength? What outside
agency can work with us to serve the community better in this area?

7.  What to Include:
 ICCOA
 Statement of Intent
 Scope- These are not in any way binding or
determinant.
 Activity Agreement- states that the
institutions will only undertake activities
that are outlined in a jointly-authored
contract called the activity agreement.

8.  ICCOA Continued
 Duration- sets a time limit on the blanket agreement. This can
be modified if necessary, but should not be open-ended. Three
years is generally used as the default duration for a new
agreement.
 Modification or termination- provides a simple way of either
changing the agreement or canceling it. Note that either party
may do this, unilaterally. Note, too, that activity agreements
already signed have their own terms for modification and
termination and should remain in force for their prescribed
durations, in order to protect ongoing activities.
 Signature and Notices- the individuals who will sign the
agreement, and who will be the initial points of contact for
further communications. These are not necessarily the same
individuals who will sign activity agreements.

9.  Before writing your Activity Agreement, make certain that have
the all of the following:
 an overall strategy for determining who to link with, and for what
purposes;
 a common set of procedures for setting up and managing the
collaboration;
 common understandings about exactly how the collaboration will
work;
 long-term goals or outcomes with a methodology for measuring
success; and
 an interest in collaborations that can be sustained and developed
through time.

10.  What to Include:
 Activity Agreement
 Goals and Objectives- What is it that the two institutions are
trying to do together?
 Activities- What specific things are to be done under this
agreement? This could refer to “students studying” or “faculty
researching”, but should also refer to the things needed to
make those things happen – e.g., issuing visas, finding places
to live, getting air tickets, setting up an office, etc.
 Resources- What money, time, personnel, equipment, space,
services, etc are needed to do these activities, and who will
provide them?

11.  Activity Agreement continued
 Timetables: What is the sequence in which things will be
done? Are there deadlines? What are the beginning and end
dates?
 Responsibilities- Who are the specific individuals who will be
charged with carrying out the listed activities?
 Outcomes & Performance Measures- What are the results that
are either required or hoped for, and how will we know if
those results occur?
 Assumptions- What conditions or situations are essentially
outside everyone’s control, but will nonetheless have a major
effect on the program? This includes things like illness,
International changes in the exchange rate, budget changes,
etc. What will we do about these things if they happen?

12.  It is very important that this agreement be clear and specific with respect to
matters such as money, academic advantages, and liability issues.
 For student or faculty support, for example, the agreement should contain
details of:
 Financial Arrangements: who is funding the support, when, how much, etc.
 Supervision and Reporting: who are the contacts and responsible people?
 Privileges and Restrictions: matters of status, access, etc.
 What’s Free and What’s Not Free: costs and the basis for costs.
 Support Services Available: what university services are offered?
 Credit Transfer: if courses are taken, do they count? On what basis?