Partnerships present opportunities to better serve constituents by Marilynn Larkin, MA

Partnerships can provide a wealth of opportunity when minds and missions meet. Active-aging organizations are increasingly turning to partnerships—a major trend in the industry—to expand their services or business. In a landmark book on public-private partnerships for public health, Harvard professor Michael Reich, PhD, acknowledges that such partnerships are promoted on the assumption that they would “enable different people and organizations to support each other by leveraging, combining, and capitalizing on their complementary strengths and capabilities.” Interviews for this article suggest similar assumptions help to drive partnerships in the active-aging arena.