It seems that almost everywhere you go these days, nonprofit and foundation leaders alike are talking about ways to foster and increase collaboration. In these difficult times, when resources seem to be vanishing while the demand for services continues to increase, it makes sense that organizations consider working together to make available resources go further and perhaps achieve greater results.

In principle, everyone wants to collaborate, but the reality of making it happen is extremely tough. Collaboration can be a loaded word. Today, when funders talk about “collaborating,” nonprofits sometimes hear the term as code for “merger.” The truth is, the nonprofit sector has been talking about collaboration for a long, long time, and for many, the word has become hollow because so often, the “collaborations” are forced, inefficient, for show only, or fail to result in any meaningful action or results.