Philanthropists often dream of fostering greater collaboration among the organizations they support. Why? Because they know collaboration can be a force multiplier for creating durable change on the big issues they care about. But there’s a problem—just because we may want people to collaborate doesn’t mean they’ll be well-equipped or motivated to do so. The truth is, effective collaboration requires capacity: leaders need the skills, organizations need the structures, and ne

Do the funders in your community work together in ways that go beyond co-funding organizations and initiatives to include work like sharing insights, streamlining processes, or even aligning on vision? Taking these extra steps can ease the workload on nonprofits, allowing them to focus where it counts most—delivering on their missions. Here are four impactful ways funders can deepen their partnerships to amplify their collective impact in the community: Streamlined Processes

What specific collaboration challenges do philanthropists face? It is rarely easy to launch complex collaborations from the ground floor, to build and sustain them over time, or even to make a compelling case for collaborative approaches in the first place. Especially given that the needs, interests, and capacities of partners tend to shift over time, collaboration requires an ongoing commitment to sharing time, trust, turf, and treasure. I recently conducted informal listeni

What can we learn about effective collaboration from a DIY home repair gone wrong? Story time… A friend bought her home from this guy Chuck.   Chuck thought he was really good at home repairs. He installed new windows on his own. He updated the electrical on his own. He rerouted a bit of plumbing on his own. But there was a problem. You see, even though Chuck thought he was good at home repairs, he wasn’t. When my friend opened the walls to make her own updates, she discovere