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Perhaps the best way to show how partnerships trump competition is our own Foraker story. When The Foraker Group was founded, we were concerned that other professionals who supported nonprofits would perceive us as having an unfair competitive advantage because of our tax status or our relationships with funders. But the job of building capacity for nonprofits is a big job in Alaska and we knew from the start that we could not do this work alone. Early in our development, our board and staff looked for the right balance in relation to other providers. One of our values is collaboration, and we knew we had to walk the talk. We decided never to respond to a proposal for work where we intentionally would compete with our colleagues.
Our approach has been to share our theory of change for building capacity, and from time to time we have even contracted with our “competitors” to increase our own capacity. We found that in many cases these outside consultants found value in our methods. Now, Foraker clients who also work with our colleagues benefit from a more aligned approach to improving their organizational capacity.
Part of a nonprofit’s increased capacity is the ability to identify its partners. Like a mall that has two or three magnet stores, each selling similar products, we develop more business for everyone through partnership than if we had tried to monopolize the market. We are not in competition. We are interdependent.
Who are your top strategic partners who help make your mission work effectively?
–Dennis
Dennis McMillian, is President of The Foraker Group, a capacity building organization based in Alaska, and the author of Focus on Sustainability: A Nonprofit’s Journey.