How to Develop Nonprofit Relationships to Expand & Scale Programs & Generate Revenue: Exploration of Cooperation, Partnership, and Collaborations
- Nonprofit Learning Lab
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
In today’s nonprofit landscape, forming strategic relationships with other organizations is an essential strategy for growth, sustainability, and greater impact. As funding becomes more competitive and community needs more complex, nonprofits are increasingly finding value in working together. Strategic relationships can help organizations expand services, scale programs, and generate revenue.
There are different ways nonprofits can work together, ranging from informal arrangements to deep, strategic alliances. Defining partnership helps clarify expectations and supports stronger planning, accountability, and sustainability. We outline three potential tiers of nonprofit partnerships—cooperation, partnership, and collaboration—and offer guidance on how to build each effectively. These are not legal definitions, but rather practical categories to help organizations clarify expectations, roles, and levels of engagement.
Defining Nonprofit Relationship Types Matters
Some nonprofit professionals use terms like "collaboration" or "partnership" interchangeably, which can lead to confusion, misalignment, or unmet expectations. Defining the type of relationship you’re entering helps all organizations understand the level of commitment, resource-sharing, and decision-making involved. These definitions support internal planning and help communicate clearly with funders, staff, and community stakeholders.
🤝 Tier 1: Cooperation
Definition: An informal relationship where organizations share information, resources, or activities to support mutual goals without formal agreements or shared decision-making structures.
Key Characteristics of Nonprofit Cooperation
Informal interactions and communications
Limited scope and duration
No formal agreements or contracts
Each organization maintains full autonomy
Examples:
Cross-promoting each other’s events or programs
Sharing non-sensitive resources like flyers or newsletters
Providing mutual referrals
Exploration Questions:
What kinds of information would be helpful to exchange with peer organizations?
Are there any strategic organizational relationships that could be strengthened through simple, informal cooperation?
How could cross-promotion of events or services expand your organization’s reach? Which organizations do you want to reach out to to promote your events, programs and services?
What mutual goals do you share with other organizations in your network or community?
🤝 Tier 2: Partnership
Definition: A more structured relationship where organizations work together on specific projects or objectives, often involving shared resources, responsibilities, and formal agreements.
Key Characteristics of Nonprofit Partnerships
Formal agreements outlining roles and responsibilities
Shared resources and joint planning
Defined objectives and outcomes
Regular communication and coordination
Examples:
Joint grant applications
Co-hosting events or workshops
Developing a shared program with divided responsibilities
Exploration Questions:
What specific project or objective would benefit from shared planning, staffing, or resources?
Which organizations share a similar audience or service area and could benefit from a more formal, joint effort?
What resources (space, staff time, funding, materials) are you prepared to contribute to a joint effort?
What do you need to document in an agreement to ensure clear roles, responsibilities, and communication?
How will you evaluate the success of the partnership once the project or event concludes?
🤝 Tier 3: Nonprofit Collaboration Defined
Definition: A deep, strategic alliance where organizations integrate services, share decision-making, and work collectively towards long-term goals, typically formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Key Characteristics of Nonprofit Collaboration
Formalized agreements detailing shared governance
Integrated services and joint program development
Shared staffing or co-location of services
Collective branding and unified communication strategies
Examples:
Merging programs to offer comprehensive services
Establishing a joint initiative with shared leadership
Developing a collective impact model to address systemic issues
Exploration Questions:
What long-term goals or systemic issues could be more effectively addressed through deep collaboration?
Which organizations have the leadership alignment, trust, and shared vision to engage in collective decision-making?
How can programs or services be integrated to reduce duplication and increase impact?
What governance or decision-making structure will support shared leadership across organizations?
What funding, staffing, or infrastructure changes would be needed to sustain a strategic collaboration?
How will you ensure ongoing communication, transparency, and accountability across all levels of each organization?
Recommended Trainings:
Leaders can make or break an organization. We need leaders with agility, tenacity, and an open heart and mind. Join us to learn top skills and approaches for successfully leading nonprofits and teams today. Through interactive discussions, we'll help you move from management to strategy for lasting impact. Explore new frameworks you can immediately apply to better motivate your team to meet shared goals. You'll walk away with a better sense of your leadership style as well as what works best for your team. Finally, gain a better understanding of building meaningful and strategic relationships vital to being a more impactful and influential leader.
Managing nonprofit programs requires planning and flexibility. Simultaneously launching new nonprofit programs while managing an existing program takes even more creativity, time and effort. Creating and expanding programs and services in a nonprofit helps lead to growth, innovation and delivery of services. Are you looking to expand or scale a program in your organization, agency or nonprofit? Need some guidance before dedicating a lot of resources, capacity and staff time? Program development, expansion and scaling is a process and takes time for staff, board members and volunteers. We will also explore three "the how of expanding and scaling programs, who to involve such as internal and external partners, and methods to ensure program quality.
