Ideas on Non Profit Effective Collaboration

Since 2008 the ESADE Institute for Social Innovation in Spain and the PwC Foundation decided to start up the the ESADE-PwC Social Leadership Programme to generate and spread knowledge concerning leadership in non-profit entities and create a joint venue for sharing and reflection among social leaders. Each year a report is issued on a topic related to leadership in the non-profit spanish sector and last year, 2012-2013, the focus was on collaboration in NGOs.
The result is a worth reading report on the different kinds of collaboration that exist, but above all, to attempt to deliver ideas and examples of those that should be encouraged (and at the same time identify those which are unnecessary or at least should not represent a major effort for the entities) and offer some interesting examples. Even when the report is in spanish, an english abstract is also available.
It is a fact that in the non-profit sector there are multiple networks and platforms at differing levels and collaborations arise as a way to be more efficient and effective. Understanding collaboration as significant when it creates strategic value for participants, the report classifies organizations according to the collaborative approach which they adopt from networked and collaborative institutions to self-focused organizations. The study analyses and presents the three main forms that significant collaborations can take: strategic alliances, institutional integration, and networked work.
Given the important similarities of this landscape with the emerging collaborative culture in the international jesuit stage, this report could be if interest for our institutions to review the value contributed by the collaborative approach within the organization’s overall strategy and in the analysis of our present collaborations and the identification of potential allies. It also could contribute to help in the definition of our own collaboration strategy and determine what types of collaboration may be most interesting and efficient to achieve our mission.

• Link to the abstract in english: http://jesuitnetworking.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/english-FICHA-Resumen-libro_ColaboracionONG.pdf
• Link to the original spanish version: http://itemsweb.esade.es/wi/research/iis/publicacions/2013_ColaboracionEfectivaONG.pdf