Collaboration and alignment

So, what does collaboration mean for our nonprofit sector? What does it look like? How do we do it? And when? 

Don’t get me wrong, the spirit of collaboration is easy to understand; it’s the practice of it that can be challenging and create tension when put into action. At the Community Foundation, “better together” is more than our tagline; it is a guiding principle of our work. We approach every conversation, challenge and opportunity we face with the belief that we can address them better when we work together. We constantly live out “better together” through a spirit of collaboration, but it plays out in many different ways, depending on the partners and circumstances at hand.  

Over the years, we have been honored to bring organizations together by providing support to put nonprofit collaboration into practice. During the pandemic, we built upon our long-standing commitment to this work by launching a Strategic Collaboration Grant program to provide funding for organizations to explore — and ultimately implement — partnerships to advance their missions. We learned a lot through that process, and I am incredibly grateful for the collaborations we have been able to assist in fostering, such as the evolution of the newly formed nonprofit, Ellipsis, and the organizations now known as Families Forward.  

The conversations that took place through this program gave us new perspective about what collaboration can look like and left us with many lessons learned. 

When using the term “collaboration,” be clear about what you mean – and what you don’t.

The name of the program created questions from those we were looking to serve. We have since evolved it to be the Strategic Alignment Grant program as we look for opportunities to do one of two things: spur collaboration or coordination. 

For us, coordination means a formalized relationship that leverages efficiencies or effectiveness for individual organizations.

And we see collaboration as meaning pooled or jointly secured resources with defined outcomes that have a social impact beyond one organization.  

For some aligned nonprofits, this funding may bring an opportunity for a merger, but for most, it’s some other iteration of partnership based on a shared understanding of purpose. 

Sometimes the best answer is no, or not now.

Collaboration may sound like an easy answer, but in reality, it rarely is. What is important is taking time and resources to explore, imagine, challenge and embrace the idea before making a decision on whether it is truly the right answer. A critical element of our Strategic Alignment Grant program is the ability for nonprofits to use funding to explore potential alignment. And we know that means the answer could very well be “No” or “Not now.” It’s the learning and the process itself that is worth the investment and ultimately, gets us all to the best answer. 

We don’t have all the answers, but together, we are more likely to find them. 

As an organizational funder or individual donor, it’s important to remember you are one piece of a large puzzle that must come together through a shared commitment to accomplishing a collective goal. After all, funding without the people on the ground and passion to make it all happen doesn’t get us too far. 

Thanks to the incredible work of creative, innovative and dedicated nonprofit leaders, I learn something new every time a grant is awarded through the Community Foundation. I learn more about the context of a community challenge, more about the potential solutions, more about the perseverance and innovative spirit embodied by our nonprofit leaders. I also learn about what we can do better as a funder, where we can provide more clarity and how we can be engaged partners cultivated through authentic conversations.  

Collaboration is inherent to the success of philanthropy, and it doesn’t work without clarity on intention, the right partners, ideas or timing. We are all a piece of the puzzle, and we know that you can’t force a puzzle together when the pieces don’t fit. But when we are specific about what collaboration looks like, when we use the right words, come together with aligned intention and when it is indeed the right answer, we can create transformative solutions for our community, together. And that’s what matters.

How do you see philanthropy efforts changing in the next five years?

Projection 1: Nonprofit is a tax status, not a business model. The challenge of communicating that fundamental statement is not new, but the need for the broader community to understand its meaning has never been more important. Nonprofits are often asked to fill gaps and add programming while cutting expenses. Sometimes financial reserves and endowments established for diversification are questioned. To be effective in addressing our community’s challenges and opportunities, it takes more than goodwill, it takes a business plan, financial acumen and resources. It is critically important for clarity on the reality of the costs of business in the nonprofit sector.

Projection 2: Purpose driven focus. Philanthropy is a tool to raise funds for an organization to put their mission into action. But focusing on a singular mission alone is not enough. Donors will increasingly want to know more about how an organization is not just meeting their individual mission but how they are impacting the broader ecosystem of partners working toward the same goal. Nonprofit leaders will continuously find themselves not just asking what is best for their individual organization but what’s best for the social outcome they seek to impact. An intentional focus on purpose will make us better together.