Collaboration Isn’t a Threat — It’s the Future of Nonprofit Sustainability
Collaboration Isn’t a Threat — It’s the Future of Nonprofit Sustainability
By Cynthiana Sweeney, CD Funding Solutions
In the nonprofit world, collaboration is often celebrated in theory but quietly avoided in practice. We’re praised for sharing ideas at conferences and cross-promoting on social media, yet when the stakes rise—when budgets shrink, and missions overlap—we often retreat into silos.
The truth is, many nonprofits are doing remarkably similar work, often serving the same populations in the same geographies with comparable methods. And while variety can be valuable, duplication, especially in times of scarcity, can dilute impact, strain resources, and burn out the very people doing the work.
At a time when the safety net is fraying and demand for services has surged by 80% (USD Nonprofit Institute, 2024), we need to challenge some of the cultural and structural habits that keep us isolated. That starts with rethinking our relationship to collaboration, not as a threat to organizational identity, but as a strategy for sustainability.
Why We Avoid the Conversation
Let’s be honest: the idea of merging, sunsetting, or even deeply partnering with another organization can feel threatening.
For leaders, it can stir fears of losing hard-won visibility, autonomy, or control. For boards, it can spark anxiety around reputation, legacy, and donor loyalty. And for staff, it may surface worries about job security or a shift in organizational culture.
But underneath those fears lies something powerful: a real desire to protect impact. To continue showing up for our communities in meaningful ways. That desire can be honored, and expanded, through thoughtful collaboration.
What Real Collaboration Looks Like
Not every partnership needs to be a full merger. Some of the most effective collaborative models right now are far more adaptive:
· Shared back-office functions to reduce administrative costs and redirect resources to direct services
· Joint programming where two or more orgs share curriculum, space, and evaluation frameworks
· Collective fundraising models that reduce donor fatigue and increase pooled impact
· Co-located services offering “one-stop” access for clients with complex needs
· Planned sunsetting of programs or organizations that have achieved their mission or would be stronger under another umbrella
None of this means losing mission, it means amplifying it through alignment.
The Role of Funders
Funders have an outsized role to play in this evolution. Too often, funding structures reinforce fragmentation by requiring nonprofits to prove their individual value over and against their peers. If we want to encourage collaboration, we need grantmaking practices that reward partnership:
· Streamlined applications for joint initiatives
· Funding for exploratory conversations, capacity building, and legal support for partnerships
· Incentives for shared staffing, infrastructure, and evaluation systems
· Public celebration of organizations that make bold, strategic shifts—even when that means closing a program or sunsetting altogether
If funders model trust, flexibility, and systems thinking, nonprofits will follow.
A Culture Shift Worth Making
What if we treated collaboration as a form of leadership?
What if we viewed merging as a strategic step forward, not a fallback? What if we praised sunsetting not as giving up, but as passing the torch with clarity and grace? What if we focused less on organizational survival, and more on community-level outcomes?
None of these shifts are easy, but all of them are worth considering. Because in a time of rising need and finite resources, collaboration isn’t just an efficiency measure. It’s an act of care. It’s a statement of values. And it just might be the key to long-term sustainability, not just for one organization, but for the entire ecosystem.
