In case you didn’t notice, it’s hard out there. Increasing number of organisations applying for a smaller pool of donations. New contracts are almost unheard of while compliance is a never ending beast.
If we want a thriving charitable sector, we need to be smarter. We can’t keep on setting up new organisations in the belief that our purpose is so just that money will simply appear. It won’t.
We need genuine collaboration towards shared goals.
- Organisational interests need to take a back seat in our drive to achieve a common purpose.
- We need to look for partners outside of our specific sector to broaden our skills and resource base.
- We need to collaborate bravely to break down barriers and change systems
We need to competing over funding
- We have to accept that there will only be a certain level of funding in New Zealand. Duplicating our services simply dilutes that pool.
- We need to recognise the potential of business in supporting shared goals. This relies on meaningful relationships not simply expecting never ending donations.
- Working with other organisations to allow services to be delivered with economy of scale.
We need to have contentious conversations
- There is a place for joint ventures and mergers. We need to look past our own brands and ‘local’ solutions if we want to make a significant difference to our communities.
- Local solutions are a valid option but we still need to look for opportunities to share or leverage infrastructure. Duplicated infrastructure dilutes funding and diverts our focus from achieving our purpose.
The Optimistic Cynic 