Cathy Barger asked: "Do any of you out there have experience running a
jointly-managed program -
for example, between the local WIC agency and the local breastfeeding
coalition?

In Michigan we have a cooperative venture at the state level between the WIC
Program and Michigan State University Extension for a peer counselor program
serving WIC clients that has been very successful. Originally it was grant
funded, but now WIC and other agencies provide the funds, and MSUE
administers the program. Following are some of the activities completed at
inception of the program that everyone feels contributed to it's success.
These would be appropriate at the local level also.

1. A written agreement between participating agencies signed by the
directors. This assures support from the top.

2. DETAILED lists of roles and responsibilities for ALL participants, from
delivery of services to top administration. This was very time consuming to
complete at the beginning, but saved us a lot of grief once it was in place
because everyone knew what was expected of them.

3. A plan for training all staff and implementing the referral process.

4. FREQUENT, regularly scheduled team meetings.

5. An evaluation plan in place to prove that the program is effective. We
built it into the systems of forms and reports etc. All were developed
before delivery of services began.

6. A committment to finding a method for sustaining funding when the grant
expires. Many grant programs fall by the wayside after the grant ends.
Planning for that ahead of time gives time to bring new players on board.
When the evaluation process is planned and ongoing, there are preliminary
results to share half-way through the grant period to share with future
funders.


Cooperative ventures are the wave of the future. Nobody can do it all. They
do take a lot of organizational work ahead of time.

Good luck!!!

Karen Koss
Michigan, USA

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