Monique Brizz-Walker
Event Strategies for Success
July 18, 2019
Presented in collaboration with Candid (formerly Foundation Center)
Sponsored by Mutual of America
“We’re seeing a number of really innovative and impactful collaborations. Yet, these collaborations happen almost by serendipity. We need to change that and find ways to make collaboration more deliberate.”
H. Art Taylor
CEO, BBB Wise Giving Alliance
Art Taylor’s quote – About innovative and impactful collaborations – serves as a bridge to the reason why we’re here.
Welcome to our conversation around ways to raise your profile and strengthen your philanthropy.
Participants were from some non-profits of varying sizes throughout New York City and some were from out of town. There were approximately 60 guests total. Participants fell into the following categories:
- Work directly with nonprofits
- Serve as present board members
- Serve as volunteers
- Are curious about non profits
Three participants shared a a recent fundraising approach that didn’t go as they expected or achieve the desired outcome AND why they felt it didn’t work. One common thread emerged – each organization leader attempted to do way too much alone.
This session allowed them to see the benefits of collaboration and some reasons why it is important to collaborate especially for emerging non-profits:
Collaborate to Build Capacity
Collaborate to Build Greater Visibility
Collaborate to Strengthen their Philanthropy
Collaborate to Build Capacity
- Broaden your mission without overtaxing existing resources.
- Most organizations, regardless of size, struggle with this.
- This may mean trying something new – joint roundtables, convening or joint workshops? • Working to Create greater impact. Paid in full investment strategy.
- Together we achieve much – alone we can achieve so little.
Collaborate to raise visibility
- Enter with an abundance mindset. This is critical as no one wants to feel they are embracing
someone else’s problems. - Merge your public faces to heighten awareness about your work.
- Collaborators and partners are joining to operate from a position of strength.
- One way to do this is to build something new – create a portfolio of diverse programs/offerings.
- Ensure everyone takes ownership for risks and rewards.
- Enlist non-traditional partners in your work.
- When you are looking to build your organization then you must BUILD with fresh eyes.
- Also incorporate stakeholders and beneficiaries needs into your decision to build.
Collaborate to strengthen philanthropy
- Define who you serve from the outset. This allows collaborators to see where/how they fit.
Also a time to make adjustments as needed. - Define the division of labor and honestly identify any implicit gaps that may have developed. Look to organizations with similar missions/visions who collaborate well.
- Create ways to effectively govern, share information and communicate with your external audiences.
FRAMEWORK for building effective collaborations
- CREATE synergy around shared values.
- MAXIMIZE competencies to expand your reach.
- PROMOTE out-of-the-box solutions to persistent problems.
- EMPOWER leadership and teams with new avenues for success.
- ADOPT and IMPLEMENT ways to measure outcomes.
- REFINE systems for greater efficiency.
