Partnerships Incubator Quarterly Report

The Incubator works with USAID headquarters and Missions to identify and engage new and local partners, provide training and capacity-building assistance, and develop tools, resources, and models to advance the New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) goals. The Incubator provides five categories of service: research, technical assistance, tools and resources, training and mentoring, and communications. During Quarter 3, the Partnerships Incubator continued to drive traffic to the WorkwithUSAID.org site through concerted efforts to provide targeted, practical content to partners. The Incubator-generated articles on the News & Insights blog were well-received, with 14 articles posted in Quarter 3. The top-performing blog content continues to be material that has a direct bearing on partners, including Q&A-style interviews with USAID staff and practical tips and guidance. The Work with USAID LinkedIn group remained a key component of Incubator efforts to drive users to the WorkwithUSAID.org site and associated resources. The Incubator also launched a new monthly blog post on upcoming events and funding opportunities, which proved popular among readers. This data supports the larger aim to weave these elements into the site more robustly through an events calendar and a feed or other integration with SAM.gov and Grants.gov for funding opportunities. The Management Bureau Office of Acquisition and Assistance (M/OAA)'s Work with USAID LinkedIn group continued to expand, reaching 38,500 members by July 12. The Partnerships Incubator provided robust advisory and technical support to enable the Agency to strategically communicate its localization priorities to internal and external audiences. The Incubator offered communications advice and counsel to prominent Agency localization leadership and created a variety of communications products, including a USAID.gov localization page, a video script for the Administrator, a MyUSAID localization intranet site, a 15-day messaging campaign, and a concept note and content ideas for a webinar series. The Incubator activated the "network of networks," which is made up of more than a dozen USAID communities of practice and groups, to promote the localization-related webinars. The Partnerships Incubator continued to operationalize the Localization Strategic Communications Plan and created a new set of top-level messages. The order-of-operations guidance document will be used once the Agency finalizes its localization priorities and provides clearances to formally enter the rollout phase. The MyUSAID localization intranet site was soft-launched, and the Incubator began working with the Northern Triangle team on initiative project research. Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, the Incubator plans to create talking points and a concept note for a webinar series on localization. The Partnerships Incubator's innovative pod staffing structure was developed within the Partner & Agency Readiness Unit. Two pods were assembled in Quarter 3, each with an Acceleration Director, Acceleration Liaison, and several consultants. A third pod is planned for Quarter 4. This pod structure, as well as the Incubator's ongoing blueprint effort, illustrates how the team seeks flexible solutions that can be scaled for efficiency and impact depending on the needs of the Agency. The metaphor of "building the plane as we are flying it" has resonated across the Incubator during Quarter 3 as a way of operating amid ambiguity. The Partnerships Incubator's team seizes the positive side of uncertainty and uses it as an engine for creativity and an opportunity for disruptive innovation. The team operates well in fluid conditions, and the Incubator is buckled in and eager for the journey ahead. The Partnerships Incubator's work has been recognized as a model for other USAID initiatives, and the team continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in the field of partnerships and communications.