More Than the Sum of Its Parts: An Innovative Organizational Collaboration Model

Lauri Goldkind,Manoj Pardasani

doi:10.1080/03643107.2011.584366

Abstract

For at least the past decade, the social service sector has been pressed by external forces to develop models of interagency collaboration. While many organizations use strategic partnerships, joint service delivery models, and even mergers to remain viable in climates of competition, few agencies have explored the possible rewards of sharing development and fundraising tasks. This article examines an innovative collaborative fundraising entity forged by three child welfare organizations in the New York City area. The authors conducted structured interviews with key stakeholders at each of the three agencies to describe the model as implemented by the agencies as well as begin to identify the organizational and executive characteristics that may make such models successful. The article concludes with a discussion of recommendations and suggestions for organizations interested in pursuing similar collective efforts, in addition to providing areas of consideration for agency executives.

Highlights

With the economic downturn of the recent past and few prospects for a speedy recovery, merger and collaboration models are becoming increasingly attractive to agency leaders, boards of directors, and funders as vehiclesThe notion of merging two or more organizations can connote power struggles, turf squabbles, brand identity issues, as well as the potential for disgruntled and displaced staff
As the structure of the Foundation evolved, each agency agreed to provide at least two board members for the new Foundation. To date those board members have been the executive directors of the partner agencies as well as a board member from each agency who serves a dual role of being a board member at their home agency as well as a board member of the Foundation
The authors have illustrated a model of collaborative fundraising that is both innovative and promising

Summary

Introduction

With the economic downturn of the recent past and few prospects for a speedy recovery, merger and collaboration models are becoming increasingly attractive to agency leaders, boards of directors, and funders as vehiclesThe notion of merging two or more organizations can connote power struggles, turf squabbles, brand identity issues, as well as the potential for disgruntled and displaced staff. Not all merger tales are fraught with discord or conflict; the Foundation, a pseudonym for the actual organization the researchers investigated, is a replicable example of three agencies combining forces to create a fourth new entity. Examining this novel interagency collaboration may expand the current thinking on mergers and collaborations. The Foundation is a partnership of three youth services/child welfare organizations in the New York City area. Its expressed purpose is joint fundraising, utilizing planned giving as a tool for ensuring organizational sustainability.

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