nuPOLIS: Scalable Innovations for Communities – The nuPOLIS website provides and array of resources to help people understand the application of networks to social systems and also offers practical advice for the development of networks for social change. Visit nuPOLIS online here.

Policy Innovation that Recognizes Value of Place - Neil Bradford’s latest paper Bringing Place In explores recent shifts in Canadian social development policy towards a greater appreciation for how local assets can be leveraged to meet significant national policy challenges.  The paper specifically examines a series of recent initiatives designed by the federal government toward more “place-based” approaches to social development and in turn, new programs that have emerged to allow communities greater control of their own destinies. Read the paper here.

Collaboration Nation - No person (or organization!) is an island. Sometimes we have to work with others just to get things done, and then there are times when we definitely should be working with others in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. Find out why good collaboration skills are fundamental to any organization, in this Charity Village cover story of an interview with Kathleen Kevany here. [Source: Charity Village]

Joint Ventures with For-Profit Developers - When faced with the challenge of forming relationships with the private sector, community development corporations (CDCs) often find it difficult to determine how best to approach the task. There are a whole host of issues that arise when a CDC works closely with a for-profit on a project, some of them complex and difficult to overcome. This guide was designed specifically for this reason. Download the guide here. [Source: Local Initiatives Support Corporation]

Capitalizing on Convergence - Non-profits and businesses are converging - in the value they create, the stakeholders they manage, the organizations they form and the financial instruments they use. The era of convergence is upon us. Do you know how to take advantage of it? Learn more here. [Source: Stanford Social Innovation Review]

Government & Communities - Policy dialogue is a relatively new technique for building a shared vision and operational frameworks among governments and communities. In the spirit of action research, ANC created a policy dialogue to intentionally explore the neighbourhood strengthening process across the continuum of collaboration: sharing information (easiest level of difficulty), setting common directions, consolidating administrative procedures and solving problems (hardest level of difficulty). Results, lessons learned and insights for future public policy are described. Download the paper here. [Source: Caledon Institute of Social Policy]

What Business Execs Don't Know About Nonprofits - Business leaders play vital roles in the nonprofit sector. Yet all too often they underestimate this sector's unique challenges. In this article from the Stanford Social Innovation Review, 11 executives who have played leadership roles in both for-profits and nonprofits reveal the critical differences between the two, suggesting ways for business and nonprofit leaders to create a more effective social sector. Learn more here or download the full article here. [Source: SSIR Update]

Wising Up: Government Partners With Business - This report from the Center for Law and Social Policy examines one promising approach: state and local partnerships with business and industry to train low-wage workers and help them advance. Read the report here. [Source: HandsNet WebClipper]

Part of the Solution: Leveraging Business and Markets for Low Income People - How can nonprofits help businesses create win-win relationships with communities? A new Ford Foundation report provides clear guidance — and the answers may not be what you’d expect. The report is based on seven years of grant-making and research that the Ford Foundation conducted through its Corporate Involvement Initiative. Learn more here. [Source: Center for Corporate Citizenship]

Community-University Research Partnerships - Really wanted to be there, but couldn't make it to CUexpo2005 conference in Winnipeg in September? A rich variety of session notes, presentation information, workshop details, links, powerpoint slides and more are now available from CUexpo2005: Community University Research Partnerships: Leaders in Urban Change. Click here for more. [Source: WIRA]

Reality Underneath the Buzz of Partnerships - Foundations think they're doing the right thing by requiring grantees to form partnerships with each other. There are, however, two sides to every story, and grantees share their stories of frustration here. Download the article here. [Source: Stanford Social Innovation Review]

Reports from the Aspen Institute - As part of its ongoing efforts to help foundations, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and government work together more effectively to solve social problems, the Nonprofit Sector Strategy Group at the Aspen Institute has released a series of publications that include:

Community Partnerships Making Difference - Want an overview of how and why people from different sectors should work together? Look over this summary document of real multisectoral collaborations in the United States and explore the kind of results they are producing. Download the summary document here.

Solutions for America - Multisectoral collaboration can work! Schools, colleges, local government and businesses in Cincinnati worked together to establish a mentoring program that improved the school attendance, academic achievement and graduation rates of at-risk youth. Information on Cincinnati youth mentoring is now available on pp. 16 of Whats Already Out There located here. Further information on youth mentoring available here.

Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory - Interested in assessing the strength of your collaboration? Check out the Wilder Foundation’s on-line collaboration self-assessment and get immediate feedback. Learn more here.

Ben & Jerry's PartnerShop Program - Ben & Jerry's has operated its PartnerShop Program--a form of social enterprise -since 1994. Ben & Jerry's partners with nonprofit organizations that offer supportive employment and job training to people who may face barriers to employment. Local nonprofit partners are exempted from standard franchise fees and keep all profits to support the mission of their organizations. For more information on Ben and Jerry's PartnerShop program and the organizations involved, click here. [Source: Meeting the Collaboration Challenge]

Corporate-Nonprofit Partnerships - A recap from the panel "Corporate-Nonprofit Partnerships: Creating Value in Uncertain Times" hosted by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and The St. Paul Companies Foundation. From the dialogue, five major principles emerged on overcoming the challenges involved in building effective partnerships. For more information, click here.

Cooperation Feels Good - A new study from Emory University in Atlanta reveals that people cooperate because it makes them feel good. For more information, click here.

Nonprofit-Corporate Alliances - This issue of "Snapshots" provides helpful summaries of NSRF work on alliances and tips for managing alliances. For more information, click here.

U.S. Network for Collaboration's Training Package - This network's Interactive Training Package is written a guide for facilitators to help collaborative, community-based efforts move forward. Five core units form the basis for this package and you can find it here.

Partnering For Sustainability - This report explores the experience and interactions, both adversarial and collaborative, between environmental nonprofits and corporations, and the factors that determine success. Download the full report here.

Working Better Together: Government, Business, Nonprofit - This report details the ways businesses, government, and nonprofits have collaborated to form partnerships that address problems too complex for one sector to handle on its own. The report integrates what has been learned in the Three-Sector Initiative, a collaborative effort among seven organizations in the government, business, and nonprofit sectors. Visit the website here and access the executive Summary here.

Towards a new partnership for community building - This comprehensive report from Imagine highlights the current context of cross-sector partnerships; the key issues and challenges organizations face; and the national and international examples of actions government can take to build a more encouraging environment for partnership and collaboration. Download the report here. [Source: Charity Village]

Principles for Partnership by James E. Austin - This article, by James E. Austin, describes the motivations and methods for forming successful public-private partnerships. Austin argues that healthy communities are a competitive advantage for businesses and that community service makes better leaders. Austin also outlines some strategies for successful collaboration, including building relationships and creating value. Read the article here.

National Network for Community Collaboration - This website is a reproduction of the interactive CD-ROM Training manual for the National Network for Collaboration. It contains a series of modules, complete with multimedia content that can provide anyone with a solid understanding of the principles of collaboration. Visit the website here.

More than Charity: Building a New Framework - Chris Pinney, the Director of Imagine, wrote this discussion paper for Imagine’s Private Voluntary Sector Forum. It describes a new framework that promises to yield more fruitful collaborations between the private and voluntary sectors by outlining the key issues and path forward. Download the paper here.

Perspectives on Partnership - The Caledon Institute's Social Partnerships Project explores new, creative ways to promote economic and social well-being. This paper is a collection of readings on collaborative working arrangements whose purpose is to provide a forum for different viewpoints. Caledon asked authors from different sectors to present their views on the strengths and weaknesses of partnership arrangements. Download the paper here.

Partnerships: Good, Bad and Uncertain - This paper outlines the basic principles of partnership, drawing from a number of real-life examples and case studies that illustrate common characteristics of partnerships - both good and bad. The overarching message is that partnerships are an unknown journey but are usually successful if there is "clarity of vision and purpose as well as commitment, ongoing communication and clear lines of accountability." Download the full paper here.

Back to top.