Can you answer this one simple question from the perspective of every single person involved in your collaboration: “ “What’s in it for me?” Implementing complex collaboration is a messy, iterative, non-linear process. There is no unified field theory of change management, no checklist to work through that will ensure successful enduring collaboration. Incentive is an often-overlooked collaborative tool for navigating that messiness. Here’s why: Everyone needs something speci

A philanthropic client and I were brainstorming topics for an upcoming workshop her foundation is hosting for nonprofit leaders in their region. I asked what challenges they’re seeing when it comes to building and sustaining inter-organizational collaborations. She shared an interesting insight: people struggle to see others as potential collaborators. She explained, “There seems to be this idea that collaboration has to happen between similar programs. That’s not always the

In common practice the term collaboration serves as a handy label to mark and acknowledge working relationships between individuals, departments, or organizations. However, collaboration as a working relationship actually lies on a continuum of inter-organizational models, each of which has identifiable attributes and requires specific capacities and inter-institutional supports. As we move left to right across the continuum, we increase our potential to accomplish together t

Collaboration is often used as a catch-all term to describe any working relationship between individuals, departments, or organizations. But, true collaboration isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept—it exists on a continuum of inter-institutional models, each with distinct attributes, required capacities, and necessary inter-organizational supports. As we move along this continuum, we increase our potential to accomplish together that which cannot be achieved alone. And, importan