It takes two to tango: Non-profits can gain by pooling their resources, funding efforts and advocacy works

THE CHARITABLE and non-profit sector faces many challenges today - finding funding, keeping charitable status, preventing staff burnout and feeling like the funders are setting the priorities. Competition for scarce resources, the pressure to be sustainable and just the day-to-day challenges of running our organizations put enormous demands on our time and energy. And just when you think that you have these issues under control, someone suggests that you should work in partnership to get funding.

Working with others takes time and energy. But more and more non-profits, charities and others are banding together to provide a united front, consolidating their strengths and helping each other succeed.

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Here are just a few benefits that working in collaboration might bring:

Create efficiencies Consider the benefits of consciously and strategically sharing administrative and overhead costs. For example, three theatre groups in Toronto realized that they already worked together a lot - the same faces often met at each of their board meetings. Each maintained its own office, photocopier and boardroom facilities. By partnering up, they shaved several hundred square feet off...