Harnessing the Power of Nonprofit Community Collaboration

Welcome to your introductory lessons on community collaboration! In this three-course series, we’ll cover the basics of what community collaboration is (and isn’t) and why it matters. We’ll then look at the individual skills necessary to support your collaborative efforts and offer a self-assessment to see where you might want to build up your own competencies.

We’ll wrap up the bronze badge with an exploration of what effective community collaborations look like and how we can measure how well our organizations are doing in our existing partnerships.

While we often think of collaborating as an action that involves working well with others, you’ll soon find that there is so much more to it than that! Collaborating across organizations offers many opportunities to expand your mission-focused work. Building up this capacity in your own abilities and that of your team can have remarkably positive results.

Let’s jump in on our first lesson: “What is community collaboration?”

*Note that a transcript of all audio is available for download on the lessons to come, as well as an audio-only version of the lessons. You can always turn on closed-captions on the video player settings above.

In this lesson, we'll jump in on an overview of what community collaboration is and look at the organization's capacity for community collaborations.

Be sure to download the transcript to begin building your reference library, and also feel free to use the audio-only download below for on-the-go learning.

Now that you have some basics about community collaboration, let's take a look at why community collaboration matters.

Remember, you can download the transcript for this video below, and can also turn closed captions on and off for your convenience.

In this lesson, we'll look at the six primary skills to draw upon to support your nonprofit’s unique community collaborations. Remember: skills can be learned, practiced, and developed over time, so if you feel that you have a little (or a lot of!) room for improvement, know that you're on the right track!

Be sure to download the transcript to begin building your reference library, and also feel free to use the audio-only download below for on-the-go learning.

In this lesson, we'll bring together our learning on what effective community collaborations look like, and how can we measure it.

Be sure to download the transcript to add to your reference library, and also feel free to use the audio-only download below for on-the-go learning.

To improve our effectiveness in any capacity area of our nonprofit, it’s helpful to measure or assess how we’re doing in that particular capacity.

In this lesson, we'll explore one means of assessing how ready your organization is to collaborate on a given opportunity.

Remember, you can download the audio and transcript for this video below, and can also turn closed captions on and off for your convenience.

Welcome to your silver badge lessons on community collaboration! In this second series of lessons on this topic, we’ll build up your toolkit for putting your earlier learning into practice.

We’ll begin our work by looking at how you can activate new habits and skills surrounding collaborations, both as an individual and within your team. We’ll then explore some common structures of nonprofit collaborations that may be a good fit for your nonprofit. We’ll wrap up our work in crafting some individual and organizational goals to build up a collaborative approach that will support your strategic plan and your theory of change.

Let’s jump in!

*Remember that a transcript of all audio is available for download below on the lessons below, and you can always turn on closed-captions on the video settings above.

Let’s start with activating your community collaboration efforts and go beyond the focused skill-building we talked about in our bronze lessons. We’ll look at more deeply exploring your motives for improvement, managing innovation, and understanding others.

Be sure to download the transcript to review your learning.

Now that we have a little bit of foundation in your community collaboration efforts, let's think about how we can apply this to your organization.

Remember, you can download the transcript for this video below, and can also turn closed captions on and off for your convenience.

In this lesson, we'll look at how to put community collaboration efforts into practice with a look at how to build and enhance it in your nonprofit.

Be sure to download the transcript to review your learning.

In our consideration of how to build up your own capacity in developing and supporting effective community collaboration at your nonprofit, we’re going to consider the principles behind goal-setting.

Be sure to download the transcript to review your learning.

Setting goals to improve your nonprofit’s overall community collaboration efforts looks and feels different than setting goals as an individual.

Remember, you can download the transcript for this video below, and can also turn closed captions on and off for your convenience.

Welcome to your gold badge lessons on community collaboration! In this third and final series of lessons on this topic, we’ll round out your knowledge and tools in a way that will help you personally improve your collaborative skills.

We’ll begin by exploring some of the motivational concepts that relate to community collaboration. This will include a look at how resistance can affect your own and your team’s perspectives on joining forces with other nonprofits and institutions.

We’ll then review all that we’ve learned in this capacity area, which will prepare you for the final exercise of this topic. In this final exercise, you’ll develop a personal learning plan that will chart your own growth path for putting all you’ve learned into practice.

Let’s start off with a look at how you can get personally motivated about community collaboration activities.

Let’s jump in!

*Note that a transcript of all audio is available for download on the lessons to come, as well as an audio-only version of the lessons. You can always turn on closed-captions on the video player settings above.

In this lesson, we'll look at how motivation can be supported in building community collaboration efforts in your organization.

Be sure to download the transcript to not only review your learning but also to see the research references used in this lesson.

In this lesson, we're going to discuss how we can inspire others to get personally motivated about nonprofit community collaboration efforts, especially those who may be resistant.

Remember, you can download the transcript for this video below, and can also turn closed captions on and off for your convenience.

In this final teaching lesson on community collaboration, we're bringing together all our learning into a capstone video on how we can grow from everything we've covered thus far!

Be sure to download the transcript to not only review your learning but also to see the research references used in this lesson.