Research reports, and the experiences of many nonprofit leaders describe today’s environment as one of fewer financial resources, lower staff and volunteer retention, higher service demands and increased expectations for results. Some organizations are struggling to survive. (ONN 2025 State of the Sector Policy Report)
Collaboration with other organizations is a critical and viable strategy to address these challenges by leveraging scarce resources, improving performance and advancing the mission. In this video, sector leaders talk about why collaboration is now a strategic imperative.
Collaboration provides many benefits, such as:
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Creating financial or operational efficiencies through shared space, functions or programs
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Increasing mission impact by joining together with a diversity of partners to address complex community issues
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Drawing new sources of funding, reaching larger and/or more diverse constituencies and gaining additional capacity, expertise and knowledge
With their fiduciary, strategic, and oversight responsibilities, the board and staff leaders have an important role to play to ensure that the organization is achieving these benefits and engaging in collaborations effectively. Here are three critical Board and senior leader roles with free resources from The Collaborative Organization that help fulfil them:
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Generate strategic conversations so there’s a shared understanding and clarity about the intended benefits and success factors of collaboration, how the organization fits into a larger ecosystem and the board’s role:
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Position the organization as a sought-after partner and manage multiple accountabilities and partner expectations by fostering an enabling culture and internal capacity
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Ensure the organization is in the right collaborations and mitigating risks (e.g. threats to brand and reputation; meeting obligations; wasted resources; mission drift) through proper assessment, due diligence and good risk mitigation strategies
