Radical collaboration between businesses and nonprofits can lead to successful outcomes. Oftentimes, nonprofits, businesses and governments have been at odds with each other but that is changing as business leaders have come to understand that a robust economy — their bottom line — is predicated on a healthy environment, functioning democracy, and productive society.

As a founding member of the Business Alliance for Protecting the Pacific Coast, my responsibility within this group is to advance dialogue to protect our coastal economies using the collective voice of businesses. In 2019, I was invited to testify before members of Congress on the harms of offshore oil and gas drilling, in addition to the impacts of future oil spills on our coastal economies. This opportunity to testify and bring together the voices of the business community with a simple and powerful message has led to the formation of strong relationships between the public and private sectors that continue to grow every day.

  1. Participate in the political process. It’s not complicated or controversial but working with local, state and federal elected officials requires healthy and constructive engagement to address concerns of the business community.
  2. Conduct coordinated campaigns. Understanding how to apply gentle pressure consistently can create an opportunity to keep up the momentum and drumbeat you set out to accomplish. Identifying those opportunities early on can allow you to coordinate between the different groups working on this effort.
  3. Improve organizational relationships. Collaboration is key to achieve successful outcomes across a diverse group of stakeholders. For instance, bringing together environmental organizations, business leaders and those in government to flush out the challenges and opportunities allowed us to find common ground and address concerns.

Read the full article about collaboration by Vipe Desai at Forbes.