When the Going is Tough, the Tough Get Together

Whether you're in a large or small nonprofit, a startup or a long-standing institution, working in the arts, animal welfare, education, human services, or social justice—you're likely feeling uncertain, worried, and perhaps under siege.

The temptation when we feel under attack is to retreat to our corners and plot to out-message, out-relationship, and out-compete people who are our valued nonprofit colleagues, doing important work to make our communities better. The problem is that this scarcity mindset tends to make us more isolated, and I think, even more vulnerable.

While we know that private philanthropy simply doesn't have the capacity to fill a government shaped hole in the funding landscape, there is an alternative to adopting a scarcity mindset. The antidote to fracturing is cooperation just as the antidote to isolation
is community. This moment presents nonprofits with the opportunity to come together more, not less. Across the sector we are seeing examples of mergers, partnerships, collaboratives, and mutual aid.

Easy-peasy, right? Of course we know it isn't. As nonprofit leaders we have clients to serve who themselves are more vulnerable right now. We are losing capacity as many of us are pausing hiring or laying people off. Payroll is always next week and not always certain. Your to-do list is already daunting, so what are some practical steps you can take to be collaboration ready?

Practical Steps To Be Collaboration Ready

• Be Clear: Take some time to reground yourself in your mission. In tough times, we can be tempted to try to be all the things that either anyone might need or that anyone might fund, but what do you really do best? What are your non-negotiables and what are the things you can be flexible about if the greater good is served? You'll need to be very clear about the value you bring as well as about your needs as a potential partner. You also deserve to be reminded of the good you do along with the challenges you face.
• Be Honest: Be painfully honest. Does the community truly benefit from two animal shelters (or tutoring programs, or childhood illness charities, etc.) around the corner from one another? Could more be gained by making one stronger organization with shared values? Ask what scares you the most about partnership, collaboration, or merger? Often the answer to the last one is about culture and values so taking the time to articulate those can be hugely helpful as well as affirming.
• Foster a Culture of Collaboration: Encourage boards and staff to value partnership as a strategic strength, not a last resort. The most extreme collaborations, mergers, are most successful when both organizations are in a good place, see combining forces as a strategic positive, and their cultures jibe with one another. It helps if working with others is already second nature.
• Call in your trusted partners and collaborators: It's likely that you already have a network of partners and collaborators and they should be your first call. Not only do you already align around existing efforts, you won't be starting from scratch introducing your mission and work. Seeing folks who you have already moved mountains with also has the benefit of reminding you that you aren't alone.
• Map Shared Strengths and Shared Challenges Together: What do you have that your partners need? What do they have to offer that could help you out? Remember, good collaborations benefit all parties. And if you all face the same challenges, you'll have the chance to think about what you can do together to address them.
• Build your network: Once your core collaborators are clicking, ask "who else could we add?" What partners do your partners have? As your network grows, you have the chance to plant the seeds for who we want to become beyond this present moment. That could be the most important work any of us do.

Things to Do:

• Start building your network by inviting one collaborator this week for a conversation. Pick one you haven't seen recently, but who has been a stalwart partner for you or your organization.
• Plan for how you might frame collaboration to help staff and board to see collaboration as a growth strategy rather than a compromise.
• Identify one internal mindset, policy, or habit that might be keeping your organization from collaborating more effectively. How could you start to address that barrier?