Competition vs. Collaboration

For the work I do in the community and with nonprofits, the "war" methapor is not used near as much as "competition." This term from business is brought into the conversation by well-meaning volunteers from their life experience in the business world. A few months ago I was presenting to a SCORE chapter which is made up of retired business people wanting to give back to the community. My topic was about the Top 10 differences to keep in mind when consulting with nonprofits. I thought we had had very eye-opening, effective time together---then, at the very end, one of the gentlemen raised his hand and said, "Wouldn't all this not be important if nonprofits just realized they were in competition with one another." Uggghhh! So I responded with the following question, "How can you be in competition to do the most good?" I believe that if the mission of nonprofits is to make our world and communities a better place, they should work together to ensure they are doing the most good.

Stephen shared "in leading with friendship, we give ourselves hope that we are all in this together and we all have a responsible to care and sustain one another through positive feedback and fostering shared visions. I reflect on last Christimas when I attended the "Band Together for Kids" event that was put together by five nonprofits serving kids. Proceeds from the evening of music, food, and fun went to a fund that any of the organizations can access to provide "extras" to the children they serve. The leaders of those nonprofits welcomed folks to the event, a few even played in the bands, and they laughed and had fun together...as friends. This event and the friendship and collaboration it exhibited for a shared vision of supporting children is much more compelling and sustainable than assuming competition/war against one another.

Even though it is more compelling to collaborate, our large systems often set us up for war. Our state budget this year in Illinois has meant "war" for many sectors. Just in back payments alone, the state owes nonprofits hundreds of millions of dollars. Also, most who receive state funding have experienced a 10-25% cut in their budgets. When nonprofits go to represent their cause to legislators, they must identify the specific area they represent...seniors, youth, people with disabilities, etc. Budget-related bills have been able to pass because they are tied to these nonprofit services. Ironically, Illinois is one of very few states that does not have a statewide nonprofit alliance or association. With the lack of this unifiying voice, the various silos of the sector have had to fend for themselves. The crisis of this year was more severe than past years (where this is has also occured) but seems to be shifting the conversation. A statewide organization the Donors Forum is beginning to help staff advocacy efforts--especially for the social services system. And I'm sure this is not the end.

How do we choose not to compete or be in "war" when our world of systems in business, economics, government, and more are based on it?