The Power of Nonprofit Partnerships

I'm honored to once again be speaking this year at the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations' (PANO) annual conference.

Once again, the conference theme revolves around bringing nonprofits together to develop the shared root system they need to rise together. It's about how everyone can accomplish more together than any one organization can alone.



My presentation will focus on how nonprofits can learn how to tell their own story about their organization and use that to develop an overview of what they can bring to the collective table with other partner individuals and organizations in their communities.

Partnerships Lift All Nonprofits

I firmly believe that partnerships often start with one organization finally being able to say clearly what they do and another organization recognizing themselves in that story.

With that in mind, I hope that attendees will walk away with an idea of how they can become the kind of nonprofit that other organizations want to find and build the kind of ecosystem where everyone in the community gets more than any one organization could deliver alone.

Find Your People

One of the many exercises we'll tackle in our 75 minutes together is focused on helping nonprofits find their people. This is ultimately about seeing the community around your nonprofit and finding your place and fit among it.

To do that, I developed a Community Ecosystem Mapping exercise and I want to share a little bit about it for you to think about with your own organization.

Picture a map with three interlocking circles. One is focused on Shared Audience, another on Shared Goals and the third on Shared Needs.

Who would you put in those circles? Who do you want to partner with to take your mission to the next level and help your nonprofit be a bigger part of solving issues in your local community?

You can certainly mention some individuals and organizations that you already know.

But, I would challenge you to take a look at your community and name individuals and organizations that you've heard of but don't yet have a relationship with and you'd really like to develop one.

Community Ecosystem Mapping

Let's walk through the meaning of each circle so you can really get an idea of who your people are.

As the name suggests, Shared Audience takes a look at other organizations and individuals who are tapping into the same audience that you serve. This can include other nonprofits, schools, faith communities, or programs serving the same people, even if it is in different ways.

Shared Goals is where you list individuals and organizations who are working toward similar outcomes or who are trying to solve similar issues, even if they work with different populations. Maybe your nonprofit is trying to solve the homelessness or food insecurity problem in your community. Or maybe you are working in a civic engagement space. Whatever your goal is, find those people who share it and want to work together.

For Shared Needs, you want to look at it from multiple angles: who has what you need, and who needs what you have? Your nonprofit is obviously working to solve an issue that matters to a lot of people in your community. Find those people and come together around that shared need to help others. This could include elected officials, foundations and other funders, community stakeholders, or organizations whose resources, relationships, or reach complement yours.

Who's On Your Nonprofit's Map?

I hope you'll try out this exercise at your own nonprofit.

As you do it, I want you to ask yourself two questions: “Who did I put on my map that surprised me?” and “Who is missing that I want to find?”