Nonprofit leaders: if you’re leading through uncertainty right now, you’re not alone.
Funding feels unpredictable. Needs are rising. Teams are stretched.
We don’t always have to do more. We may need to do more together.
A helpful tool I use with leaders is the Nonprofit Partnership Continuum (original model from LaPiana Consulting).
Partnership can range from:
➡️ Collaboration (least formal)
➡️ Strategic Alliances (shared resources / joint programming / administrative consolidation)
➡️ Corporate Integration (parent/subsidiary, joint ventures, merger)
And here’s the key:
The further you move along the continuum, the more clarity you need.
What do you want/need? What can you offer? In what ways might you partner to be stronger together?
Before you pursue a partnership, start with self-awareness:
✅ What are our strengths?
✅ Where are we weak?
✅ What challenge could partnership solve?
Heightened Development has a free tool to help you decide. The Organizational Effectiveness Scorecard is not only a way to assess your organizational strengths, but the results also provide initial insight into what types of partnerships are most likely to benefit the areas where you are weak.
Why Heightened Development is Talking About This
Nonprofit Quarterly recently wrote on this topic. The subtitle to their article is “why partnership is the new leadership”. I couldn’t agree more.
I am presenting on this topic this month with the amazing Laura Ringo, CEO of PAL. We chose this topic because we believe it can build energy and new ideas, can deepen impact, and can lighten the load of stretched teams.
So many leaders I partner with are completely overwhelmed, and don’t have enough capacity to fully get to the impact they want. The solutions to many of the problems leaders are seeking to solve overlap, and sometimes missions overlap entirely.
I see tiny organizations reduce barriers to community access and implement models with fidelity, and I see large organizations thrive in risk management, with honed systems and processes that ensure their programs just keep getting better. None of these organizations are good at all things.
What if they found ways to strategically partner together, and build on the strengths of the other?
I’ve led as CEO through a merger, and I’ve supported leaders as they led through a merger. But we aren’t just talking about mergers. The sky is the limit. There are so many ways to partner, many of which expand your reach without giving up any control.
Reflection question:
What is ONE partnership you could explore this year to broaden your reach and strengthen your mission?
P.S. If you are considering a pivot or managing change, Heightened Development is ready to partner with you. And I bet five other nonprofit leaders are too.