This past June, the Centre for Social Innovation and Tides Canada organized a one-day event that brought together more than 240 nonprofit leaders of the community. Titled Sharing for Social Change: An Exploration of Shared Space and Shared Service Models in Ontario’s Nonprofit Sector, the conference explored the province’s more progressive steps toward efficiency and effectiveness.

Through a variety of workshops, presenters described their unique experiences involving collaborations, whether of space, services, technology, fundraising, general infrastructure or projects. Extolling the many benefits of collaborations, acknowledging the challenges, and providing tips and strategies on how to do it right, the conference was a stimulating and informative affair.

A role model

As executive director of the Centre for Social Innovation, you can say Tonya Surman knows something about doing it right. After all, sharing is what lies at the heart of the burgeoning centre. Using a pretty simple and straightforward model, CSI renovated an historic building in downtown Toronto and subdivided the space into office suites, desk spaces, meeting rooms and common areas. Its members pay rent according to the size of their workspace, the use of common space, and to help cover salaries of the centre staff. In addition, tenants throw in a monthly fee for the costs of the Internet, kitchen, security, cleaning, photocopier, fax machine, and audio-visual equipment.

And this basic model seems to be working. Working really well, in fact. After expanding its operations last year, CSI membership rose from 14 to over 100. And due, in large part, to their success and their newfound role as mentor, Surman was receiving numerous requests for one-on-one meetings. “We proved that sharing can work and we were being bombarded for information about how we did it,” she explains. After much thought, it was decided a conference would be a more effective way to impart their recent learnings. “We figured that exploring examples of best practices would be a great way to inspire and support others in their work.”

The time is ripe

For Danielle Aubry, executive director at Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse and a recent Muttart fellow, the Toronto conference and other such initiatives could not have come at a more opportune time. With the focus of her fellowship on consolidation and partnerships, Aubry is convinced that if the sector doesn’t adopt sharing models, it will soon find itself in trouble. For one thing, the demand and growth of the sector is inversely proportional, it seems, to the revenue streaming into it. For another, resources are tighter and competition is up – not only for funding but media attention, staff, board members, and even rental space.

Moreover, with agencies across the country suffering a human resources crunch and with rental prices getting out of control, sharing is becoming an increasingly essential step. “We need to start doing things differently,” she concludes. And while a number of solutions may exist, sharing is definitely on the top of Aubry’s list. “Shared space, consolidation, different forms of partnership, they really should be in the toolbox when we have a problem and need a solution.”

In her own organization, forms of partnering have recently emerged. One of the local shelters in Calgary helps cover their support and information line, and Aubry’s organization is also involved with a project called the Collaborative Services Centre, a co-location of a number of agencies. Other initiatives are in the works too. “I’ve had several conversations with people who are interested in looking at building a space where we can pursue this,” she says.

To share or not to share

Of course, not everyone is so eager to adopt models of sharing. An inherent competitiveness in the sector can sometimes undermine the spirit of cooperation, a frustrated Aubry admits. And change is not always applauded by many risk-averse nonprofits. “[Competition] is a never-ending hamster wheel and I would prefer to step off and say, ‘how can we do this differently?’”

For Surman, organizational governance is the ‘stumper’. “How do we balance power, engage broadly, but still have clear lines of accountability?” she asks, adding, “There is some magic in the way that the service is structured.” Then there’s the challenge of financial sustainability. “There is quite a bit of tension and perhaps even a lack of creativity around how you can make these projects sustainable,” she explains. Opposed to funder dependency, Surman supports sustainable business models. “Nonprofits have got to find ways to be more enterprising in order to build more vibrant and resilient organizations able to meet the needs of their communities.”

Talking about funders, Aubry believes they should help promote sharing models. “They need to say, in a respectful and supportive way, ‘this needs to change and we think these are some good ideas and we’ll support you in it.’”

However, caution is key when it comes to the intensive sharing model process. “If you don’t do the process, your collaborations may not be as successful; they can even fail,” Aubry says. Nevertheless, this Muttart fellow remains fiercely committed to finding others in her community who share her vision. “We can do some incredibly creative things that could help, not just from the service provision perspective, but also human resources, IT and organization sharing.”

Collaborative services

The Toronto HIV/AIDS Human Resources Collaboration does just that. Speaking at the Shared Spaces conference, director of human resources, Tracey Campbell, described how eight groups of differing sizes and structures – with a common goal of providing programs and services to those infected with AIDS – decided to collaborate. Each organization struggled with intense workloads and had little time to focus on staff issues. Their collaboration started in the form of a help desk and daily support but soon evolved to include a range of shared HR services, such as compensation, training, recruitment and retention. And, though this shared service model had its challenges, limited resources being number one, the results so far have been positive.

A common space

Sharing is proving positive on Canada’s eastern tip as well. Queen Street Commons, located in Charlottetown, PEI, was launched four years ago by three men looking to establish a common space with the simplest possible structure, a hassle-free property relationship. “That’s a really important part of our model; we basically wanted no overhead,” explains co-founder Robert Paterson. With the number of members averaging between 25 and 35, the founders are happy to keep the Commons intimate. “All the landlord wants to do is cover the mortgage, heating and running costs, and none of us are out there to make a profit or pay a salary,” he says.

The approach has helped keep prices low. For just fifty dollars a month, each member gets access to a workspace, the living room, a boardroom, kitchen and café, as well the use of faxes and printers, washing machine and dryers. As for the benefits, Paterson says they’re obvious. “The problem with offices is they’re too social, and the problem with working from home is it’s not social enough. This is the bridge,” he offers. And then there are the raw costs. “This gives a small start-up or a person working for themselves, an extremely inexpensive option.”

Paterson expects the number of shared space models to rise exponentially in the near future, in line with the increasing number of people working for themselves. “It’s an idea that’s time has come,” he explains. But, he cautions, not all shared space initiatives can be administered as simply. If you wanted a greater number of members, for example, you need to have a host who actively welcomes tenants, making them feel at home. “It would be a critical issue if you want to go bigger.”

Share with care

Ken Coulter of Community Quality Improvement – an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario – would agree. Coulter was a speaker at one of the conference workshops entitled, “Making Shared Spaces Work: the science and magic.” Someone needs to connect with tenants, he explained, to encourage networking and collaboration, to greet members, welcome any suggestions, establish tenant meetings, and ensure the space is well-maintained. “If no one sees you, they will think you don’t care,” he says, adding, “And you’ll have bigger problems later.”

Other important elements that a shared space initiative should evaluate before venturing forward include: site location, a supportive landlord, a leader with vision, a space with a good design and sense of openness, and prospective tenants, taking into account whether any potential conflict exists amongst them.

As for the future of shared models, Surman is hopeful. Her vision includes arts groups supporting environmental campaigns, international development groups supporting social services locally, and business, NGOs and the public sector working together. “My hope is that collaborations, partnerships and networks will be strategies that are better understood,” she says, “so that we can get on with the business of changing the world and not just building our own organizations.”

Before beginning a shared space initiative:

• Evaluate the site location.
• Ensure the space has a good design, with a sense of openness.
• Find a supportive landlord.
• Be sure you have a leader with vision.
• Identify prospective tenants, taking into account whether any potential conflict exists among them.

Elisa Birnbaum is a freelance journalist, producer and communications consultant living in Toronto. She is also president of Elle Communications and can be reached at: info@ellecommunications.ca.