I was excited to have the opportunity to be the facilitator for our upcoming #NPCons while Hildy takes a much deserved vacation. As I thought about topics, one of the recurring themes in my life and work of late is collaboration.

“How can we bring more organizations together?” was the discussion this week amongst the ED’s gathered for a monthly meeting in Lake Havasu City. Conversation ranged from the frustrations of knowing some organizations will happily remain in their silos, to the successes achieved in the last year. W has helped these community leaders see the vision of what is possible as a result of collaboration?

The ED of a local youth organization called to tell me about the exciting developments in the relationships she’s building with the local school district, businesses, service clubs and other organizations. Her excitement wars with her fears that the sustainability being built in to the organization won’t happen fast enough for it to survive. What if the founders of this 30 year old organization had started building those collaborations from the organization’s beginnings?

Just as interesting are the supportive relationships developing in the Nonprofit Consultants group on Facebook. As we come together to share ideas and help each other, what collaborations might develop over the long term and how might we and our clients benefit?

One of my favorite tools for helping frame a discussion about requirements for collaboration vs. cooperation or coordination comes from a 2005 blog post by David Pollard http://bit.ly/bqtvI5. In comparing the elements and outcomes of each approach, the purpose of collaboration is to, “Achieve collective results that the participants would be incapable of accomplishing working alone.”

What have the organizations you work with been able to accomplish through collaboration that they would not have been able to do alone? What difference have those collaborations made in the communities they serve?
How has your involvement as a consultant enhanced those collaborative efforts? How do you collaborate with others to enhance your work?

Looking forward to hearing from you on Tuesday, November 15 1pm Pacific Time (US). See you there!