Inter-agency collaboration is key to nonprofits’ survival: 6 steps to getting it done

I had originally crafted a blog entitled “Reverse Robinhood” that chronicled various actions by the Trump administration to take from the poor to give to the rich.

If you have any doubt about that premise, take a look at recent cuts to the IRS. DOGE has already slashed 7,000 IRS jobs (eliminating those created as part of the Inflation Reduction Act) which knee-caps the IRS’ ability to go after wealthy individuals who don’t pay what they owe. In December, those tax collectors recovered an additional $4.7 billion in revenue, including “more than $1.3 billion from high-income, high-wealth individuals who had not paid overdue tax debt or filed tax returns.” This was up from a paltry $38 million a year earlier. (They also snagged $2.9 billion related to criminal investigation work into tax and financial crimes). It doesn’t take a math genius to see that the “cost savings” realized by slashing these jobs don’t add up.

At the same time the rich are cheering these staff cuts, Republicans in Congress are floating the idea of slashing Medicaid, Medicare, and Affordable Care Act subsidies along with hundreds of other programs that are vital to middle and lower-income Americans. 

But I digress! As much as many of us are spinning in disbelief at the tornado that is destroying civic systems in America and abroad, the purpose of this missive is to talk about what nonprofits CAN DO NOW to address some of the immediate problems facing organizations.    

Let’s get to it.

Regardless of the size of your organization, if you are a nonprofit leader who is worried about money (like everyone else), you need to think about how to draw on the resources and expertise of other organizations to support your work.

At the same time, ask yourself what does my nonprofit have to offer other nonprofits? 

Inter-organization collaboration can result in new and BETTER strategies for nonprofits and the people they serve. Here are six steps to getting there:

1. Imagine the best-case scenario. In a time of scarcity (and worry!) it may seem odd to talk about abundance, however, thinking about resources that would make your existing programs and efforts stronger is a great way to begin this process. In an ideal world, what additional support would really help the people you serve? What would help your staff? How could these add-ons make a difference in how your programs operate and your work functions?  

2. Take inventory of your organization’s resources. What kinds of programs, services, and administrative resources do you have that would be valuable to another organization? For example, do you have trained mental health professionals, bilingual/bicultural staff, experts in data collection, a first-rate HR department, top-notch accountants, a kick-ass volunteer coordinator, extra space, etc.? Which of those items or staff would you be willing to cost-share or donate to an allied organization?     

3. Ask yourself what types of administrative services, program services, or other resources (e.g., space, technical assistance, marketing help, etc.) you need or would like to have. Of course, you’ll want to prioritize items that are on the fiscal chopping block of your nonprofit due to recent or anticipated shortfalls.

4. Brainstorm a list of partners who may or may not be in your usual network. These might be larger nonprofits, allied nonprofits, for-profit businesses, and/or public agencies that could provide a match to what you need or have. Think beyond the usual suspects to identify organizations that aren’t directly in your line of work but do work in your community. Call upon your next-door neighbors.

5. Approach those partners with an open mind and an open hand. Tell them what you have to share and what you need. If they can’t offer what you need, you can still build bridges by sharing and networking. You’ll never know what connections a conversation can lead to.

6. When you find a match, draft an agreement with clear expectations on deliverables and start resource sharing. Make sure to add provisions that allow you to monitor the agreement and disengage from it if it’s not working as intended.

To paraphrase Plato, necessity is the mother of invention. During these unprecedented times, let’s figure out a way to reinvent and IMPROVE how we work and collaborate as nonprofits. In the process, we can strengthen neighborhoods and communities. That will benefit everyone.   

When times are tough, I refer back to the words Lui Collins sang in Baptism of Fire – “The only way out is through.”

We are stronger together.

Pat

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Pat Libby is a change management consultant working principally with nonprofit corporations. She is author of The Empowered Citizens Guide: 10 Steps to Passing a Law that Matters to You, Oxford University Press, The Lobbying Strategy Handbook, second edition, Oxford University Press, and Cases in Nonprofit Management, SAGE. She has served as an academic, senior executive, board member, and consultant to innumerable nonprofit organizations and foundations for more than three decades.

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