Rarely does a week go by that I don't get a call from a really worthy non-profit organization that is struggling with raising money. After a while it begins to tug at my heart, because I don't have the time, energy or resources to help most of them.
There is one thing I can recommend that would make a world of difference to most non-profits. Learn how to collaborate. So many of the programs I get calls from are small, one or two staff organizations who have a passion for a specific area of ministry or social service. The problem is they aren't alone in their vision, there others doing similar and profitable works, but we have a lot of lone-wolf cowboys who don't want oversight, collaboration or input from anyone else. That's a problem - it leaves you few options when the economy turns south, wrongly suggests that you have all the answers to a particular problem, but mostly it speaks to an air of arrogance and independence.
I have found one way to cut down on the phone calls. Now when I meet with an organization I start by discussing collaborations. I give them a list of agencies they could work with and foundations who like to see partnerships. You wouldn't believe the resistance I recieve from those organizations who refuse to partner with anyone else - they don't want to sacrifice even the smallest amount of autonomy.
Sadly, I have even seen this in departments within an organization. Rather than look at the greater good, the value of partnerships, the benefits of shared resources, the reduction of management and operational costs these small agencies continue to struggle, forge ahead alone and resist the positive change that can come from working together. The saddest thing of all is that these agencies lose sight of the mission - to serve others. It is truly heartbreaking to see a valued organization that begins to put their own interests ahead of those they serve.
1 comment:
Excellent post Trent! Your assessment of non-profits being unwilling to collaborate is spot on, and it has frustrated me for a long time. I've blogged about this quite a bit as well. We actually tried to collaborate with organizations numerous times, even offering to give up leadership, and still, nothing.
In Rwanda, you can visit 10 major non-profits in one day that are all there for the exact same reason, doing almost the exact same thing, with the exact same issues, but typically all with different strengths. If they'd put their egos aside and collaborate, they might actually do some good, or more of it.
We finally got completely out of the non-profit world and converted to a for-profit social venture that collaborates with dozens of non-profits, empowering them to do what they do better. Our new venture launches next week.
Good post bro. Keep it up.
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