Collaboration starts long before launch. If you're at a foundation that's getting ready to design a program for others—say, a shared service hub or a capacity-building initiative—pause and consider this: Are you collaborating with the people you hope to serve? Too often, well-intentioned efforts fall into the “build it and they will come” trap. A new offering is designed, resourced, and launched—only to be met with low engagement, confusion, or unintended consequences. Not be

During our 1:1 call last week, a client asked how best to motivate others to invest their time and attention in an emerging collaboration. I told him that two little words usually do the trick. Before I tell you what those two little words are, let me share an analogy… People don’t buy electric drills to put holes in the wall for the heck of it; they buy drills to put holes in the wall in order to hang shelves (among other uses, of course!). Likewise, people don’t engage in c

I’ve been busy behind the scenes exploring the capacity-building programs of more than 80 community foundations—and what I’ve found is fascinating. As I analyzed these offerings, I brought multiple lenses to the table. My background as a professor, with deep experience in program and curriculum development, gives me a critical eye for how learning experiences are structured. My time as an Associate Dean for Faculty Development means I think a lot about how people grow, learn,

A recent conversation with the leader of a nonprofit organization made clear how challenging it can be to collaborate amid rapid growth. For this organization, rapid growth had resulted in new team members, new roles, new programs, and new priorities. While such growth bodes well for the organization’s ability to advance its powerful mission, it also presented strategic, relational, and operational challenges: The leader had noticed repeated and specific examples of program l