Wall Street is on fire. It’s 2008, and markets are melting. Banks are being bailed out by Uncle Sam as working people are losing their homes and going hungry.
Enter Feeding America, an organization on the front line of food security and hunger relief. They saw a recession, growing need for food, and declining donations and what did they see? Opportunity.
Companies were desperate to become more efficient while meeting growing consumer demands, and that’s where Feeding America saw its opening. In the Starbucks Foundation – uniting two of our favourite things, philanthropy and caffeine – Feeding America saw a way to work together to help the company shift its practices while solving a deep and growing crisis.
In a move that screamed “disruption,” they joined forces to launch the game-changing “FoodShare” initiative. Together, they set out to combat hunger and reduce food waste by redistributing surplus perishable food from Starbucks stores to local food banks and pantries. The result? A win-win partnership of epic proportions: Starbucks slashes its environmental footprint, and Feeding America delivers millions of meals to struggling families.
Partnerships take place at the scale of your organization. Whether you are hyperlocal or international, opportunities exist where you can find a way to turn your pain into your power by finding the organization that sees your pain as an opportunity (and sees you as the solution to their pain). When we think partnerships, a lot of us think about cold, hard, cash – but the reality is that when we take money out of the equation, the benefits remain. What exactly are those benefits?
- Resilience
When the economy plummets, it’s sink or swim for many nonprofits. The lifeline? Strategic partnerships. By joining forces, nonprofits and funders create a life raft of pooled resources, expertise, and connections. Think of it as the philanthropic Avengers assembling to save the day. - Innovation
Cross-sector collaborations can spark game-changing ideas. Funders and nonprofits, with their unique perspectives and experiences, can come together to create innovative solutions that neither could have achieved alone. - Risk Mitigation
Partnerships enable organizations to share the risks associated with ambitious projects. By distributing the burden, funders and nonprofits can be more daring, leading to potentially transformative outcomes. - Brand Amplification
By partnering with reputable organizations, nonprofits can enhance their credibility, attract new supporters, and amplify their brand. It’s like getting a celebrity endorsement without the Hollywood price tag. - Efficiency
Collaborative efforts can cut down on bureaucracy and streamline processes, allowing nonprofits to focus on what really matters – making a difference.
Collaboration is a Medicine for Economic Uncertainty
Collaboration is more than just a buzzword; it’s the medicine we need in turbulent economic times. It’s the peanut butter to the nonprofit jelly, the yin to the funder yang… okay fine, I’ll stop.
If we roll up our sleeves, find our philanthropic soulmates, and face economic storms head-on, we won’t just make an impact, we’ll thrive.