The challenge

President Teddy Roosevelt once observed, “The government is us; we are the government, you and I.” This sentiment seems to have lost its meaning for many Americans and has been replaced by rhetoric that “government is the problem, not the solution.” Few Americans realize how vital government is to their daily health, safety and well-being until something goes wrong.

Because “we are the government,” we must bring all critical segments of our society together—policymakers and the philanthropic, business and academic sectors—to work to ensure that our government workforce is equipped and supported in its endeavor to serve the American people. Government cannot be the solution to our collective problems if it is the sole actor.

The opportunity

Many organizations work with government to shape policy, but the Partnership is unique in its exclusive focus on the government’s ability to deliver on its commitments through its people. We believe by increasing government’s capacity to function well—because government is the largest actor on virtually every major issue facing our nation, from security to health care to education—we can drive tremendous improvements across our country on a multitude of issues.

Our work in action

We are proud of the many networks we have built in support of effective government.

In October 2011, the Partnership convened leaders from government and the private sector—White House officials, agency heads and corporate executives—to discuss how federal agencies and businesses are interacting, how they perceive each other and why increased public-private sector cooperation to improve government operations would benefit both communities. The Partnership now is exploring opportunities for federal agencies and private companies to come together, to better understand each other’s needs and to create mutually beneficial cross-sector partnerships, such as talent exchanges and project-based collaborations, around management issues.

Given that government is by far the largest actor across a broad range of social issues, private foundations are interested in how effectively government deploys its significant resources in these areas. In October 2009, the Partnership gathered a group of foundation and government leaders to begin a dialogue about how public-private partnerships could help government operate better, as well as about the benefits to the nonprofit community and those it serves. Since then, the Partnership has continued its efforts to promote such collaborations to bolster the government’s ability to deliver services, engage citizens and solve the complex issues affecting our economy, environment and quality of life.

Our impact to date

• We partnered with three foundations on major projects, including transforming the leadership at the Department of Education that will advance their giving goals and improve the capacity of government.
• The Partnership runs the Strategic Advisors to Government Executives, a network of 70 former C-suite government executives who are providing advice and mentorship to executives, particularly through the CIO Bootcamp, a two-day training program to prepare new chief information officers for federal IT and budget challenges.
• We operate a Chief Human Capital Officers Collaborative that facilitates information sharing across 30 agencies. We also support a growing Emerging HR Leaders program to enhance the professional growth and development of federal HR professionals.
• We secured commitments from more than 20 private-sector companies to improve the business of government.
• The Partnership organizes the congressionally designated Public Service Recognition Week every May, promoting the value of government service to the general public and encouraging leaders to recognize and share their agencies’ accomplishments.

 

© 2007-2013 Partnership for Public Service