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Thinking About Collaborations? 5 Tips to Get Started

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The fun for me in collaboration is, one, working with other people just makes you smarter; that’s proven. Lin-Manuel Miranda

Do you ever feel a little isolated and alone as a small nonprofit in a vast sea of bigger fish? Or are you struggling with your limited time and resources to boost your nonprofit but have run low on ideas or inspiration? For many nonprofits, building collaborations with other similar organizations can be a mutually productive way to achieve greater impact than by working on their own.

One research study showed that 91 percent of nonprofits engage in some form of collaborative relationship for a variety of reasons. That seems rather high, but it might depend on the type of collaborations that have been formed. In fact, three main reasons to engage in a collaborative relationship include (1) to boost organizational efficiency, (2) to increase organizational effectiveness, or (3) to drive broader social and systems change (Simonin, Samali, Zohdy, Laidler-Kylander, 2016).

A collaboration can result in shared services, joint programming, collective events, problem solving correlated issues, and exposure to fresh perspectives along with innovative solutions. Some might even result in a complete merger of organizations. In an increasingly challenging atmosphere for nonprofits, cultivating collaborations can be a smart idea.

Here are five ways to start thinking about forming a collaboration with other nonprofit organizations to strengthen capacity and the potential for a more sustainable future.

1.Understand What You Want from the Collaboration

An organization should determine what they want from the collaborative relationship before getting started. Identify clear goals organization goals for the new relationship. What needs could a relationship with another organization assist?  What strategic benefits could become a reality through an alliance with one or more partners? Would the relationship be ongoing or for a particular length of time? Start with an internal analysis of your organization to determine how a collaborative relationship would be beneficial. This also helps you determine the partners that would be the best for you to approach when you’re ready. 

2. Get Your Ducks in a Row

What will your organization bring to the table in a collaboration? Are you strong and clear on your mission? Is your board working harmoniously and providing good governance? Are operations in order or are there programs or services that need to be revised or even eliminated?  Do you understand your financial position and potential? These are just some of the questions to ask prior to going into a collaboration. You don’t have to be perfect before exploring collaborations but you need to know what you bring to the table to work from a position of strength. 

3. Start Small to Test the Waters

Instead of jumping into a collaboration with two feet, an option is to start small with a short-term relationship to test the waters. For instance, can you work together on an event? Can you share a resource to build capacity in a particular area of operations? Starting with a small project or event gives you time to assess the potential partnership. See if you work well together. Do your missions actually mesh well? Can your people get along with each other without conflict? You’ll have a better sense if an actual collaboration will be beneficial or not. The collaboration can grow into something more extensive based on the outcomes of an initial short encounter.

4. Understand Your Why

Collaborations are a means to an end—not an end in itself. In other words, be clear on why you’re forming a collaboration. Are you finding a way to increase your resources? Will this allow a more powerful impact on a particular social problem? Will both organizations be more effective than working alone? Being clear on your “why” let’s you form the appropriate type of partnership with others. You get away from a cookie-cutter idea of how the collaboration should look and design what brings you to your goal.

5. Start Looking for the Right Partner

Who in your environment might make a good partner and why? That’s one of the big questions to start asking as you ponder collaborations. Get both leadership and board involved in looking around to see how you and other organizations might complement, enhance, or correctly diversify each other. Consider the core competencies of your organization and those of an organization you’d like to consider as a partner. Core competencies are what you do best, and often better than anyone else. How does this connect with a social need in the community being served by a compatible organization? Would working together help move the social change you envision forward?  If so, you might have identified a potential partner to start your collaborative efforts.

Building collaborations doesn’t happen overnight . . . but if you don’t get started thinking about and planning them, they won’t happen at all. Use these 5 tips to help you start thinking about how to start the collaborative process.

Additional Resources:

Simonin, Samali, Zohdy, Laidler-Kylander. (2016) Why and How Do Nonprofits Work Together? https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/columns/the-sustainable-nonprofit/why-and-how-do-nonprofits-work-together

Taylor (2017) Hacking Nonprofit collaboration.  https://ssir.org/articles/entry/hacking_nonprofit_collaboration

Implement a Monthly ED/CEO Report to Keep Your Board Informed

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As a nonprofit leader (ED/CEO), it can be difficult when members of the Board of Directors aren’t familiar with or knowledgeable about the overall operations of the organization—especially since the board is the governing body of the nonprofit and their decisions directly impact how efficiently and effectively a nonprofit can function. This can lead to some challenging conditions, especially when decisions are made that aren’t in line with the nonprofit’s mission or its strategic plan. 

While you can’t compel board members to stay informed, many EDs/CEOs put together a monthly informational board packet before a board meeting to update their board members and keep them in the loop about the nonprofit’s ongoing activities. Now, I know many of you are saying, “I already really try to do that, but it’s not working!” Believe me, I hear you.

There’s nothing more exasperating than sending out your board packet with all of that great material, only to have board members ask for a copy of the packet when they arrive at the meeting. And as the meeting progresses, it can become obvious that some of the board members didn’t read the packet beforehand and aren’t prepared to make fully informed decisions. Without a clear, coherent path for the organization’s leader and staff to follow, frustration, burnout and lack of goal attainment may soon follow.

So . . . what’s a CEO/ED to do?

The nonprofit is competing for the attention of board members who, like many of us, are bombarded with information overload in their professional and personal lives. Take a page from the “less is more” concept of minimalism and do some “decluttering” for them by preparing a condensed, yet highly informative Executive Director/CEO Report (sometimes called an Executive Summary). You can send this to all board members separate from or along with the full board packet. A busy board member is much more likely to read an ED/CEO Report even if they don’t take time to review the complete packet.
 
Five Suggested Areas to Include in the CEO/ED Report:

  1. Updates on strategic goals: The organization’s strategic goals should guide the daily operations of your nonprofit, and board members should have a part in developing and maintaining these goals. Therefore, they need to know what’s going on each month that impacts aspects of the overall strategic goals. Give a brief report on activities that affected these goals each month.
  2. Financial overview: While a financial report should be given at each meeting, the organization leader could provide a brief summary of the primary facts and figures the board needs to know. This could include total expenses, income, and cash available at the end of each month, along with a summary of any recent fundraising activities and results.
  3. Updates on priority matters: Are you waiting for a big donation to arrive? Is there news about a tax or compliance issue? Include these announcements in a regular section of the report to keep the board updated.
  4. A connection to the mission: What has the organization done this month that highlights its mission? Who has been served, and where did you make an impact? Let the board know the good work associated with the nonprofit’s mission by sharing a member testimonial or short story to illustrate the positive activity.
  5. How can the board help: Many board members are happy to provide a helping hand if asked, but they often have no idea about what to do or how to provide support. Include a section suggesting ways the nonprofit could use the expertise of your board members. This could be as simple as reminding them to seek out new board members with particular skill sets, or requesting assistance on a specific volunteer task during the month.

In conclusion, providing board members with a concise executive summary each month can: (1) strengthen the communication between the CEO/ED, board members and staff, and (2) enable board members to formulate more well-considered decisions at board meetings. Conscientious board members need and should want to know what’s happening in the organization. The monthly ED/CEO Report gives board members insights into daily nonprofit activities, and highlights the hard work that the leadership and staff tackle every day.
 
Resources for developing an ED/CEO Report for the Board of Directors:
 
How to Write a Good Board Report
https://www.joangarry.com/board-report-template/
 
Board Members Zoning Out? Stop Reading the CEO Report
https://blog.boardsource.org/blog/board-members-zoning-out-stop-reading-the-ceos-report

Training and Orientation for New Board Members

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After meeting dozens of people who would like to serve on a nonprofit board, one thing they all have in common is their desire to do a great job as a board member. However, very few small nonprofit staffs have the expertise or personnel readily available to provide new board members with the tools needed to navigate through the web of policies and procedures they will encounter.

Why New Board Members Need Training

Most nonprofits are just happy to find a person interested enough to join the board—but to keep them engaged and feeling productive, it’s necessary to do some training. That’s because a new board member may have no idea of what needs to be done or how to do it. Even new members with prior board experience will need to learn the ins and outs of the particular nonprofit’s board operations.

How Orientation and Training Help New Board Members
 
Board orientation and training is therefore important for a member because it helps them learn how they can best serve as a professional asset to the nonprofit. These sessions provide new board members with the specific knowledge and resources to know how to execute their roles and responsibilities successfully.  Traditionally, the Board President and the CEO or Executive Director take the lead in instructing and familiarizing new members by discussing the board’s and nonprofit’s goals and priorities. Orientations also allow current board members to interact and share information about how the nonprofit and the board function together.

Steps to Board Orientation and Training
 
Ideally, a board needs to have a plan in place for orientation and a process for training new board members. Below are some guidelines, and Spokes members can visit the Resource Library page on our website to find a more complete listing.

  • Orientation should take place shortly after a new member is elected to the board, ideally before the new member’s first meeting, and should be conducted by the board chair along with the executive director and anyone else they think is appropriate.
  • New board members should be fully briefed on the activities of the nonprofit, the history of the organization and their strategic plan, and be given copies of prior board minutes, the articles of incorporation and bylaws in a New Board Member Orientation Manual customized to reflect the nonprofit’s administrative structure. 
  • A board agenda and any documents needed for their first meeting should be added into the New Member Board Orientation Manual.
  • Assign a current board member as a “buddy” to mentor a new board member, and ask the new member if they would like to join one of the board committees as well. Working with a smaller group on a specific project can help balance out the sometimes overwhelming number of issues a new board member must digest at the beginning of their term.

Resources for Board Orientation and Training

Spokes Members can find a more complete outline on their Member’s Online Resource Library page:
https://spokesfornonprofits.z2systems.com/np/signIn.do?target=%2Fpublicaccess%2FneonPage.do%3FpageId%3D1%26

Member General Resources Links:
https://www.spokesfornonprofits.org/services/nonprofit-resource-links/

Additional Information:

Board Orientation:
https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/tools-resources/board-orientation

Board Manual Template:
https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/industry-leadership/being-a-board-member/pubs/board-manual-template.doc


Nonprofit Board Governance

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Have you heard these statements?

  • “Nonprofit Boards of Directors must practice good governance.”
  • “The nonprofit is governed by its Board of Directors.”

The topic of nonprofit Board governance can be confusing, mostly because this important concept may not be fully understood. In general, governance brings together policies, systems and structures that provide support to Board members in making good decisions for the nonprofit according to expectations of the public trust.

Right there, you see that the topic can get confusing. It might help to know that governing a nonprofit is different from governing a for-profit organization. Nonprofits serve a public purpose without benefiting any particular individual. Therefore, the basic goal in governance for nonprofits focuses on protecting and furthering the mission of the nonprofit. However, the goal of a for-profit company is to generate income for the company, employee and shareholders.

Nonprofit boards are considered “Stewards of the Public Trust”, which signifies the general public trusts that a nonprofit is fulfilling its mission as stated to the IRS when it was granted exemption status as a nonprofit organization. The Board has three primary responsibilities: Duty of Care, Duty of Loyalty, and Duty of Obedience.

Duty of Care means the Board will make decisions with the same level of care as each member would for their own personal assets (even though board members have no personal assets in the nonprofit).

Duty of Loyalty means the Board puts the needs of the organization and the population that it serves above all other needs, especially the individual’s or group’s personal agenda.

Duty of Obedience means the Board will maintain compliance with all legal standards and regulations required for the exempt organization, including annual filings with state and federal agencies.  

A 2017 study on Boards of Directors showed that 56 percent of nonprofit Boards struggle with weak Board governance. As a result, approximately 52 percent of nonprofits are unable to expand their impact because of a weakness in strategic thinking such as developing a mission, strategy, impact evaluation, or insight by their Board.

What should be noted, however, is that these limitations are most likely not the fault of the Board members. Instead it’s more a matter of “you don’t know what you don’t know!” Without a doubt, those serving on a nonprofit Board have every intention of doing the right thing, making the right decisions, and being a good steward of the organization. But like coming into anything for the first time, Board members need to learn how to effectively govern a nonprofit and serve as a productive Board member. That takes information, training and dedication.

Spokes is always here to assist nonprofit Boards with the development of policies and procedures as well as providing an understanding of the legal and ethical responsibilities of the Board. Visit our website at https://www.spokesfornonprofits.org/services/just-for-board-members/ to learn more about the resources we have available to provide local nonprofit Boards with the management training, consulting and resources they need to better serve our community.

Resources about Nonprofit Board Governance:

Good Governance Policies for Nonprofits: https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/tools-resources/good-governance-policies-nonprofits

Study: Most Nonprofits Lacking in Leadership, Management http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/news-articles/study-nonprofits-lacking-leadership-management/

How to be an Excellent Board Member

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Register Now!

Local nonprofits need and want trained Board members who understand their responsibilities in nonprofit governance and how to support their nonprofit Executive Director. Our annual survey of nonprofit member organizations shows how paramount the desire for effective and well-informed board members truly is. Every nonprofit organization needs a Board of Directors and with the large amount of nonprofits in San Luis Obispo County, that means many community volunteers are needed to serve on nonprofit boards.

A 2018 Nonprofit Board Leaderships Study by Korngold Consulting, LLC and IMPACT 2040 found that business professionals that serve on a nonprofit board of directors “listen more carefully to different viewpoints, create more inclusive teams, and make more inclusive hiring and promotion decisions.” Comments from participants in the research noted that working with people from diverse backgrounds helped participants learn to solve problems by working together through healthy debate. Additional benefits are the board participants become more confident, better leaders, who are able to accept more responsibility and feel better qualified for promotion (McClimon, 2019). 
 
Serving on a board is important, but being a board member that brings excellence to the position is another step. In 2018, Spokes created a new signature program to respond to the need of San Luis Obispo County nonprofits for more trained Board members. The Board Academy is the first intensive board training for nonprofits on in San Luis Obispo County. The first academy was held in October, 2018 with 17 participants representing 12 different nonprofits.

The next Board Academy will be held on Saturday, March 23 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at Spokes. Lunch and snacks will be served and each participant will receive a binder of materials to take back and share with their board. You can expand your knowledge and be a board member of excellence by participating in the Board Academy. Register here.

Seven topics pertinent to the education of all nonprofit board members will be covered including an overview of the nonprofit sector nationally to locally, financial management and fiduciary responsibilities, insurance and risk management, legal and ethical responsibility of the Board, governance issues, board and executive Director interactions and fundamentals of fundraising. 
 
Resources: 

Beacon Economics (2013) Central Coast Economic Forecast. McClimon, T.J. (2019) Nonprofit Board Service Builds More Effective Business Leaders https://www.forbes.com/sites/timothyjmcclimon/2019/01/14/nonprofit-board-service-builds-more-effective-business-leaders/#22b7384c31a9

 
Takagi, G. (2009) Number of Directors – What’s the Best Practice? Nonprofit Law Blog.  http://www.nonprofitlawblog.com/number-of-directors-whats-the-best-practice/

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