What are the most common pitfalls in nonprofit collaboration and how can you avoid them?

Functioning beyond organizational capacity is a pitfall that can take numerous forms (staff burnout, financial overreach, etc.), but I find the most problematic issue to be mission creep. This occurs when an organization expands its activities beyond its core mission, which can ultimately undercut true mission-relevant activities in service of those that do not directly benefit the stated mission of the organization. Collaboration and partnership can be exceptionally beneficial - for instance, in the case of resource sharing for a mutually positive outcome - but each party must have a strong understanding of what its mission does (and doesn't) do, and who it does (and doesn't) serve.

Concern about which nonprofit will get credit for the work Many times collaborations fail due to both parties wanting the recognition or the financial reins and/or notoriety. It is imperative to have clear expectations and to delineate core responsibilities, define how funding will flow and who the spokespersons are. Clarity eliminates potential confusion of roles and responsibilities. Written agreements are also necessary to legally protect the interests of all involved.

A common concern in non-profit collaboration is distrust and fear of competition. When strategizing, consider the full project scope and collaborate with non profits that bring a component unlike yours, but necessary to fulfill the goal collectively.

In my experience full commitment from all partners is a must. It's not uncommon to encounter situations where some organizations are more dedicated than others. Establishing clear expectations and accountability mechanisms can help ensure that everyone pulls their weight.

I agree with Rebekah. She has said more precisely than I am able to do. Most organizations are aspirational. The area between our aspirations and our capacity is what I refer to as the “Zone of Frustration.” Too often when we exceed our capacity we get mired in frustration. Negativity is demoralizing. The key is to harness frustration by honestly asking what do we truly have, how can we use what we have to good advantage, and how will we know when we get where we are going. What you truly have is not the low hanging fruit most see at first glance. What you truly have then needs to be creatively applied. Finally, anything can be measured. What is measured gets done. By harnessing aspirations we can drive the organization forward.

Effective collaborations require clear communication of intentions, capacities, and genuine motivations. When collaborations lack a foundation in movement building, they risk unhealthy competition and a shortage of ideological depth. A robust collaboration extends beyond immediate goals, fostering unity and guarding against internal conflicts. Ideological engagement ensures principled alignment, preventing opportunistic transactions and empowering organizations and their members for sustained impact.

It's very important to agree on the mode of communication and ensure that whatever is chosen is truly most useful to everyone. Getting buried in email, for instance, can be avoided by agreeing to use a chat app or other platform for smaller conversations or planning discussions. But the whole group needs to agree and commit to whatever is decided.

Completely agree. Nonprofits often find themselves vying for limited funding, inadvertently creating a competitive atmosphere. To avoid this pitfall: a. Establish Clear Communication Channels: Foster open dialogue about financial needs, ensuring that organizations are aware of each other’s funding priorities. b. Identify Shared Goals: Focus on common objectives that benefit all collaborating parties. Aligning missions reduces the perception of a zero-sum game, where one organization’s gain is seen as another’s loss. c. Explore Diverse Funding Streams: Encourage partners to diversify funding sources. This lessens dependency on a single grant or donor, reducing the intensity of competition.

Lack of alignment and commitment are a surefire way to have a coalition/committee/group that regularly meets and never gets anything done. And this isn't because people don't care! They are probably pulled into so many directions asking for their time, resources, expertise or clients. I find that when a strong few have established a clear partnership strategy, that core group can then identify who, if any, might also participate. Define roles, set clear goals, determine accountability/evaluation metrics and include time-bound assessment of which partners should continue (or not) their participation. Additionally, identify complementary individual objectives that lead toward the same overarching goal as a built-in incentives.

Decide from the very beginning what these evaluation data points will be. They should align with the vision and objectives and be very clear and specific. Develop just a few SMART goals that you can easily track using reliable tools that mean something. Where possible, this should be more than counting numbers of participants and doing satisfaction surveys. Include pre- and post- assessments where possible -- or some other mechanism by which you are tracking actual outCOMES as opposed to just outPUTS.

Exactly! Additionally, collective vision casting to identify true community need is essential for collaborative success. Often times, non profits duplicate a service that can become insufficient in servicing the true, global needs of the community. Simply asking the community what the needs are in a consistent basis may offer greater opportunity for successful collaborative efforts.

Collaboration is key to success among non profit organizations, however there is an element of ultra competitiveness sometimes trying to out do each other in the process. And there is a lot of safeguarding the source of funding . Collaboration is usually on the surface .

Look at who is upstream, downstream, and midstream in your cause. These are your natural partners. By knowing who is operating in the same ecosystem, you can more effectively collaborate, reduce duplication, and improve outcomes.