Future Age – March/April 2010 - 16

complete	with	the	benefit	of	the	partner	 company’s	systems,	processes	and	efficiencies. As	a	result,	Tacoma	Lutheran’s	Medicare	 program	has	tripled	in	size,	“with	stronger	 outcomes	than	when	we	were	in-house,”	 adds	Ladenburg.	“We	are	also	stronger	 financially	than	we’ve	been	in	years.	The	 truth	is,	as	a	stand-alone	facility,	we	had	

limited	input	on	how	to	maximize	the	 effectiveness	of	a	strong	program.”

Maintaining	a	Healthy	Partnership Like	any	relationship,	partnerships	take		 time,	commitment,	trust	and	lots	of	communication.	Be	sure	the	due	diligence	 process	is	deep	enough	to	fully	explore	 each	other’s	mission,	quality,	financial	

standing,	consumer	satisfaction	and	 culture.	“Talk	a	lot	about	shared	values	 and	mission,”	advises	King.	“That	can’t	 be	discerned	in	a	survey.	Continually	set	 and	clarify	expectations.	At	a	minimum,	 schedule	monthly	conference	calls	with		 your	partners.” Alignment	of	goals	is	paramount	to	success.	Identify	a	champion	to	encourage	

How Partnerships Led One Provider’s Evolution
Rogerson Communities, like so many elder-care organizations, was founded in the nineteenth century as a single home. It remained so into the fourth quarter of the twentieth, when it began to evolve into the network of housing and programs it is today. It all started with a partnership, a relationship with a charitable foundation with an asset it wished to use to help elders. Partnerships have been the key to our success ever since. Armed with that knowledge, the organization actively seeks new alliances as we work to meet the needs of a burgeoning elder population. Working with community-based organizations and other nonprofits allows Rogerson and its partners to reclaim abandoned property, realize complex real estate projects and revitalize neighborhoods. These partnerships help not-for-profits maximize their assets to serve greater numbers of elders in need, with a net result of fulfilling a shared mission of providing quality living options and services to greater numbers of low- and middle-income elders. Important points to remember when working with another organization: • Before you enter a contract—and you must have it in writing— make sure the other organization’s compliance documentation is in order and current. It may need some work before you begin. In any project, unpredictable circumstances can always arise, and you want nothing to reflect badly on either organization or the partnership won’t work. It’s also critical in applying for funding of any kind, public or private. • The process requires the buy-in of all parties from the outset. This doesn’t just mean the board of directors. It also means the community-at-large and all its varied stakeholders. Get on the agenda at every community meeting; make sure you know all the players and what they are looking to gain from the project. • Plan for both organizations to come out with an improved bottom line and an enhanced reputation that can be maintained. Your partner’s good reputation and future viability reflect well on your own, and your ability to advance your mission. • Even if for all intents and purposes it’s a “partnership,” whoever owns the property and owes the money owns the project. The owner made the decision to find a way to improve services, and that, as a stand-alone concept, is worthy of praise. Take steps along the way to preserve the partner’s identity, and the reward may be additional opportunity down the line. The following are some examples, all in the Boston area, of collaborations Rogerson Communities has been involved in, and none could have been achieved without the partnership. Sophia	Snow	House,	West	Roxbury • Outset: 20 outdated rest home units with shared bathrooms, available real estate, and an endowment • Result: 36 new private rest home units and 66 new life-lease units affordable to middle-income elders • Net gain: 102 middle-income units Hong	Lok	House,	Boston	(Chinatown) • Outset: 28 outdated HUD-202 units and an inaccessible basement adult day health program, plus owned real estate • Planned result: 74 HUD-202 and subsidized units, a live-in manager unit, a ground-level adult day health program, a senior center and useable outdoor space • Net gain: 47 new low-income units, 28 preserved and enhanced low-income units, 12 additional adult day health program slots Forward,	Inc.,	Roxbury • Outset: 32 run-down leased units, 2 vacant historic buildings, available real estate • Result: 34 new leased units, 46 new HUD-202 units, 44 lowincome tax credit units, 37 additional HUD-202 units now in development • Net gain: 109 new low-income units, 32 preserved and enhanced units Mount	Pleasant	Home,	Jamaica	Plain • Outset: 44 outdated rest home units with shared bathroom, available real estate • Planned result: 60 private rest home units opening onto shared common space and an 8,000 square-foot medical office space • Net gain: 16 new low-income units, 44 preserved and enhanced low-income units, and improved community health care access Pond	Home,	Wrentham • Outset: 30 substandard rest home units, available real estate • Result: 43 enhanced rest home units and 66 cluster homes affordable to middle-income elders • Net gain: 79 new units The bottom line in every case was not money, it was the expansion or preservation of housing options for elders. As notfor-profit, mission-driven providers, that is the whole point of our existence.	
Written by Anne Morton Smith, vice president, development and community relations for Rogerson Communities.

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futureAge	| March/April 2010
Future Age – March/April 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Future Age – March/April 2010
