So often in the voluntary sector we talk about collaboration. However, a number of factors can make collaboration in the sector quite difficult. These include:

• Funder-driven legacy: Often in the Canadian context, when government has encouraged collaboration we have experienced it as code for funding cuts. In other words, “start working with other NGOs or face potential cutbacks.” In this environment shaped by fear of funding cutbacks, the potential of collaboration has really been short changed.
• Competition: Given that NGOs are attempting to raise funds from the public, many feel as if they are in competition with one another; this is especially true of organizations within the same sector. Collaboration is approached so cautiously that it fails to really take root.
• Territorialism: We do the work better. Our approach is more effective. These are not unusual positions for NGOs to hold within any given sector, whether it’s health, youth, education, or any other. In an attempt to effect change, there has evolved this notion that one has to be the best, and if you are not the “best” then you are less credible. Of course, this need to own the top spot and be viewed as the “best” is not very conducive to organizations experimenting, learning, or promoting innovation, as this is often seen as too risky.
• Lack of leadership: There is a vacuum within the voluntary sector of leadership actively pursuing collaboration to move a social mandate forward. There aren’t many opportunities for leaders to find peers who wish to redirect resources to try out new collaborative models. So much of leadership is consumed by a fixed financial paradigm that dictates what success looks like, and that has become entrenched in a framework set by government funding programs that are indirectly, and in some cases, directly impacted by the current party in power.
• Lack of examples: There just aren’t many examples of successful collaboration in the nonprofit sector. Or, if there are examples, they haven’t made it into the consciousness of the voluntary sector. Sometimes the model of a “campaign” has worked to bring NGOs together, not just within a sector but across sectors. This is true of the Make Poverty History campaign.

 

Over the past three years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a group of executive directors from across the country who lead organizations that provide services to homeless youth. Each organization is unique in its approach, many compete for the same funding pots, and some are part of other national and/or regional networks. The Youth Homelessness National Learning Community is a community of practice.

“Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.” — Etienne Wenger, Cultivating Communities of Practice, 2002

Fundamental to the success of this collaborative model is its approach to membership and its culture of learning, sharing best practices, and moving the mandate of each individual organization forward, as well as the effectiveness of the sector overall. Membership really rests on a mix of innovative organizations that wish to collaborate, innovative leaders within these organizations, and a consensus that this Learning Community model is about cooperation, collaboration, and building capacity and best practices within the sector. In the past three years, this group has evolved and flourished. Learning between organizations has been profound, knowledge sharing has been tremendous, and new and innovative programs have emerged within each organization as a result. It is truly amazing to see what happens when innovative leaders are able to put competition aside and join together in solidarity to effect meaningful and lasting change.

Pattie LaCroix has provided strategic leadership in crafting integrated communications and fundraising strategies to nonprofits for more than a decade. As CEO of Catapult Media she is passionate about the power of storytelling in engaging your audience and building support for your work. You can reach Pattie at www.catapultmedia.ca.