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| Re: Should I encourage non-profit coalition or alliance in my small town?
Posted by Tony Poderis   on 2/19/2009, 11:04 am, in reply to "Should I encourage non-profit coalition or alliance in my small town?"
VIP Poster
Lucy: On paper, the idea of such an “alliance” looks credible. It suggests efficiency. However, it could also result in the loss of some independence and decision-making for some participating organizations should such an alliance, being harmless now, becoming later more of a controlling body.
Thus, the “alliance of some sort,” I suggest, should be a loose encouragement for the area organizations to collaborate/partner, but on their own terms. Working jointly, but keeping independence, all by individual choice should be the goal, rather than a bound union of the organizations managed and regulated by a town body of officials of any kind. No “United Non-Profits Agency” should be given the chance to take root. All of the things you cited as ways for non-profits to share and to collaborate are good things, but they must not be regulated and even ordered by an umbrella civic bureaucracy.
On paper, it makes sense to any degree---to collaborate through the pulling together of some resources.
But care should be exercised. Too much collaboration with the same organization can lead to a blurring of one organization’s mission and image in the community to another’s---especially if they are somewhat similar. I say somewhat, because arguments can be made that, say, two organizations having clearly different missions, and which should be independently operating, but through an over emphasis on collaboration, could lead to a perception with funders that the two organizations should merge---or worse, that one should go out of business.
Funders don’t always fully understand the true differences in mission between two organizations which on the surface seem to them to be duplicating effort.
Some non-profits can safely cooperate and collaborate in certain reasonably noncompetitive ventures to broaden their market and increase their earned revenues. (The local orchestra can partner with the local ballet company to present a joint performance of music and dance, as we did with our orchestra.) They can share office space, engage in a combined media and public awareness program, etc.
But I strongly recommend that you avoid collaborative efforts to raise money.
--- Donor List Selling or Exchanging With Other Non-Profit Organizations
http://www.raise-funds.com/030508potpourri.html
Getting back to other-than-fund-raising collaborations, such as you described, as altruistic and dedicated we know non-profit volunteers and staff to be to the cause of improving the quality of life in their communities with their respective organizations, sharing the endeavor and making the expense, labor and time expended through collaboration an evenly shared venture, is yet another thing.
Too often, the lament is that one is not working as hard as the other, thus does not deserve the same share of the benefits. One complains that the other is more visible as a result of the collaboration. If ticket revenues come from the collaborative effort, which organization gets how much of a share? And so it goes. I’ve seen it a number of times.
In summary:
(1) Don’t let a governing body come into being which will be tying together all of the non-profits where the “Alliance” becomes a dictating body. The organizations then become followers and dependents.
(2) Encourage the areas where partnering and sharing are advantageous, but at the same time, allowing each organization to retain fully its own identity and constituencies.
(Keep alert to the unfortunate infighting and turf-guarding, inefficiencies, and other trials in such “marriages.” Even in the non-profit world, they are not always made in Heaven.)
Cheers,
Tony
Tony Poderis
http://www.raise-funds.com
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