Partnership Collaboration: A rubric for understanding partnership levels

Partnership Collaboration: A rubric for understanding partnership levels

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June 12, 2026

Levels of Collaboration

Use this rubric to identify the current level of your partnership. For each row, circle the box that best reflects your partnership's current situation. Look for patterns across your selections to determine the level that best suits the partnership. Most partnerships will show characteristics across multiple columns. The level is best understood by the column that appears most often in your selections.

Category	Networking	Cooperation	Coordination	Coalition	Collaboration
Purpose	Share information	Reduce duplication and help/support each other	Share resources to meet needs of the community	Commitment to shared issue or initiative	Work toward a shared vision
Decision Making	Independent	Occasional consultation	Some shared decisions	Shared group decisions	Consensus-based decision making with shared accountability
Roles & Structure	Informal or undefined	Somewhat defined	Clearly defined and shared planning	Defined with shared leadership	Formal, interdependent, system based
Communication	Informal, occasional	Regular	Frequent and clear	Ongoing and intentional	Highly developed and embedded
Resource Sharing	Information	Information and referrals	Some resources like space or materials	Resources and responsibilities	Resources, responsibilities, and ownership
Commitment	Limited and flexible	Short-term or task-based	Ongoing connection	Long-term commitment	Deep, sustained commitment

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MSU Extension 4-H