In the nonprofit sector, strategic alliances are crucial for amplifying impact, sharing resources and enhancing service delivery. In this article, I'll explore three types of strategic collaborative nonprofit partnerships — defined for the purpose of this piece as a relationship between two or more organizations, codified by a formal agreement such as a Memorandum of Understanding.

Before joining forces to form a new strategic collaborative nonprofit partnership, take a closer look at the benefits, challenges and unique opportunities that these specific alliances can offer, as well as ways to seek and vet potential partners for meaningful collaborations.

Sector-Specific Alliances

A sector-specific alliance brings together organizations within the same sector (e.g., after-school care, youth development) to increase the impact they can make beyond their own stakeholders. Consider, for example, two after-school care organizations, serving youth from different communities. Or a region-wide or nationwide alliance of museums, each with a different focus, but all serving their respective communities through the arts and arts education.

Benefits: Sector-specific strategic collaborative nonprofit partnerships can amplify their passion for the sector and connect stakeholders from disparate communities or neighborhoods. They can present a unified front when faced with industry-specific or sector-wide challenges, collectively pushing for policy changes that benefit the entire sector.

Challenges: Competition for funding within the same sector can strain these alliances. Coordination among diverse organizations is also challenging, given the varying levels of capacity and strategic priorities.

Opportunities: Sector-specific alliances are uniquely positioned to influence policy and public opinion. They can undertake large-scale projects or research initiatives that no single nonprofit could manage alone, leading to groundbreaking innovations and reforms.

Service Delivery for Strategic Collaborative Nonprofit Partnerships

Alliances of this type typically focus on developing efficiencies through sharing infrastructure, technology and/or specialized staff. Take, for example, a co-op of multiple nonprofits that are sharing office space, a fractional CFO or even copiers.

Benefits: By sharing facilities, office space, tech or team members, nonprofits can negotiate lower costs and reduce overhead. As a result, they can obtain bulk pricing, build vendor relationships and improve service quality. These strategic collaborative nonprofit partnerships are particularly beneficial for smaller organizations that stand to gain from pooled resources or those in regions where talent is scarce but demand for specialized staff is high.

Read the full article about strategic collaborative nonprofit partnerships by Randy Wong at Forbes.