From Partner Packages to Partner Value: ODA Launches New Partner Program

Our partners have always been a central part of ODA-Network. Their support, expertise and engagement have made it possible for us to reach members, businesses and the wider business community. The reach and influence of our partners are invaluable in creating the impact we need to drive meaningful change. But both the tech industry and the work around diversity, inclusion and belonging are evolving. Our partnerships need to evolve with them.

We are moving away from a model with four partner categories: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Associate. This model has provided a stable foundation, with predefined content and a clear framework for what ODA-Network can offer. As we have grown, and as our partners have placed greater focus on diversity, we see an opportunity to achieve much more together. Our new value proposition can be shaped to a greater extent in collaboration with you.

Developed together with our partners

We have taken your feedback on board as we developed the new program. We have listened to both existing and potential partners, and the feedback has been clear: the offering needs to be easy to understand, flexible to use and relevant to each organization, reflecting different strategies, needs, ambitions, contexts and industries.

Partners have particularly asked for:

• a simpler structure with fewer levels
• more flexibility to choose initiatives based on their goals and capacity
• better opportunities to leverage ODA-Network’s community and executive arenas
• a clearer overview of value, activities and pricing
• more opportunities to engage and activate at a regional level

That is why we are replacing the four previous partner levels with three: Base Camp, Peak and Summit. The three levels allow for different ambitions, while being built around the same idea: diversity is a journey, and wherever we are on that journey, we contribute to a shared goal.

Whether the need is local presence, national visibility, leadership engagement, capability building or strategic collaboration, we believe we can now accommodate these needs to a much greater extent, together.

A partnership that creates value in both directions

For us, a partnership is not just about what an organisation gets access to. It is also about what we can achieve together.

Our partners bring experience, expertise, leaders, role models and perspectives that the entire ODA community can learn from. When these are activated through knowledge sharing, executive arenas, mentoring programmes and networking opportunities, the partnership creates value that extends far beyond the individual organisation.

The new Partner Value Program is therefore built around four areas of value:

• Community, connecting people, professional communities and organisations.
• Knowledge, providing access to insights, data, tools and best practices.
• Executive, engaging leaders around shared challenges and opportunities.
• Marketing, amplifying knowledge, role models and organisations that contribute to progress.

Events also remain an important part of what we do, creating space for people to meet and providing arenas for learning and sharing.

From good intentions to measurable action

The evolution of DEIB – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging – shows why this change is necessary.

Diversity and inclusion are increasingly being treated as more than standalone initiatives. The work is becoming more closely connected to business strategy, employee engagement, innovation and the ability to retain talent. At the same time, organisations are moving from broad ambitions and one-off training to more deliberate action, measurement and leadership accountability.

The B in DEIB matters. Diversity tells us who is represented. Inclusion is about who gets to participate and influence. Belonging is about whether people actually feel valued, able to contribute and able to be themselves at work. Inclusion is the action. Belonging is the outcome.

This is particularly relevant in tech. Women make up 32 percent of the workforce in the Norwegian tech industry, but only 25 percent of technical roles. The numbers show progress, but also that structural differences continue to shape who develops, leads and influences technology.

A stronger ecosystem for our partners

ODA-Network has more than 12,500 members, 62 partners, more than 190 volunteers and activity across seven regions in Norway. This gives our partners access to a large and diverse community, but also an opportunity to contribute to an ecosystem that connects organisations, professionals, leaders, talent and volunteers.

Through the new programme, we want to make more active use of this platform. Partners should not only be visible within the network, but be able to use the network to:

• share experiences and best practices
• showcase their own role models and experts
• access relevant insights on tech and DEIB
• engage employees through events and mentoring programmes
• discuss challenges with other leaders
• collaborate on initiatives that can create greater impact

In this way, partners become more than supporters of ODA’s work. They become active co-creators of it.

We create the impact together

ODA-Network will continue to build community, champion role models and create spaces for learning and development. But we know we can create greater impact when the organizations that share our ambition also share their experiences, challenges and solutions.

That is why we are moving away from a model that primarily described the benefits included in each package. Instead, we are building partnerships around the value we can create, for the organization, for its people and for the tech industry as a whole.

We don’t need more organizations that simply support diversity. We need organizations that want to use their partnership to make a difference.

No organization can solve these challenges alone. No one creates belonging through a single initiative. And no one moves mountains without sharing knowledge and responsibility.

That is what our new Partner Value Program is all about: making it easier for our partners to turn ambition into action, and to create greater impact together.

Interested in leading the change with us as a partner? Get in touch with us at partner@odanettverk.no.