On October 25, 2013 I Walked Into My Boss’s Office and Quit My Job.... Why You Ask?

The answer is complicated, but it was time, and I knew I had to make a drastic change in my life. I expound on the rationale and steps leading up to this sudden move in my book, ChangeSeekers.
 
Bottom line? I wasn’t happy. I was impatient to do more. And I wanted to test a theory that had marinated in my mind for years, having worked inside government, as a lobbyist, and as a program director at an international nonprofit always liaising with private sector leaders.
 
The theory was that for the private sector in particular, but also reaching into the nonprofit and public sectors as well, partnership and collaboration were critical to solving some of our biggest planetary challenges, and yet many organizations were without guidance on how to partner effectively while maintaining allegiance to their internal goal setting processes. Addressing long-standing issues like climate change, access to clean water, poverty and gender equity would not be feasible by one organization alone, regardless of the size of their pocketbook. Concerted, mutual engagement around the notion of comparative advantage was paramount.
 
On January 15, 2014 I launched Connective Impact to test this premise. Having never been an entrepreneur, and still questioning whether I was doing the right thing, many around me thought I was being rash. Many of my best decisions are, though, to be honest. The move felt right in my gut, though. What was also right? My intuition that partnerships needed more attention.
 
A process I developed during that tumultuous time between quitting my job and launching Connective Impact, a 6-step simplified method for engaging in effective collaboration, is still formidable and one we use with our clients to this day.  In using this process I’ve learned so much, and am grateful that my crazy idea has thus far stuck.
 
Over the last five years I have experienced too many epiphanies to count about the way organizations work in silos, and how much more effective they can be when they partner. I have learned that what makes the difference for the solutions we so need to improve our global society is winning hearts, then minds – empathy -- not sympathy. I have learned that with all the sadness and negativity there’s as much, if not more, goodness and positivity. It is a blessing to be able to focus on the good, and promote the better. I never for one day take it for granted. These last five years have changed my life in ways I can not even begin to measure, and I hope the next five and five after that, and five after that give back at levels that far exceed what I’ve been able to take in.

As I mark the 5th anniversary of Connective Impact’s launch, I’m sharing what I’ve learned and what I foresee as we begin a new year and double down on doing what’s right for our planet and its people.
 
WHAT I’VE LEARNED:

• Partnership needs must be individualized. They are diverse and dynamic and no one way of partnering will suit every organization. Individualized attention on not only each organization, but each team, and even to an extent each team member, will help to ensure partnership development is effective for the long term.
• Relationship building is a lengthy process.  There is no silver bullet to finding long term funding, or making a lasting partnership. This stuff takes time. A solid partnership strategy can take 6-18 months from priority setting to project launch. When guided by a methodology such as ours, we manage time and resources to keep partnerships and collaboration on track and more efficient. Time is indeed money, and we don’t want to waste either.
• Partnership roadshows are a great way to accelerate partnership building. We’ve led 12 client roadshows over the last 5 years. What are roadshows? They are 1-5 day targeted meetings where we set clients up with potential partners to discuss strategies for engagement. These are done all over the world, and we’ve found the intense in-person discussions move partnerships along a lot of faster. You cannot beat that face-to-face!
• Facilitating group think is only as strong as your most organized approach to priority setting and issue alignment. There’s nothing worse than decision by committee. If collaboration is effective, there has to be some individualized engagement. Our priority setting process helps connect individual goals and objectives with what’s feasible across an organization. This ensures collaboration is bought in across the board, and group think actually gets us somewhere!
• Collective action works when the right partners are engaged. Wrong partners = little impact. Finding the RIGHT partners is so critical. Evaluating partnerships when they aren’t working right is also important. Don’t keep working with the same partners just because you think it’s the right thing to do. Being selective and finding the right match is at the crux of effective partnering.
• Impact via collaboration must have a clear return on investment. Measuring ROI makes it easier to justify partnering. This is especially true for companies, impact investors and social enterprises. That said, nonprofits, governments and foundations want to see their investment returned in multiples as well. Measuring impact keeps organizations one-step ahead in courting the right partner.
• Staying updated on funding, partnership, project and investment trends means opportunities abound. We started sending out a bi-weekly funding update last year, and have found our clients appreciate the dynamic, up to date and detailed information contained within. We will continue this service into the new year, and hope to broaden the information we share with all of our network around partnership effectiveness and collaboration opportunities.

 
AS FOR THE FUTURE:

• Paths for partnership will become clearer among unconventional partner-types. No longer will the traditional corporate/NGO or foundation/NGO mixes be standard. Expect to see new companies partnering with social enterprises, forming stronger relationships within their supply chains and regions of operations. Imagine collaborations between local actors with different business aims, wanting to focus on community development and grassroots impact. The more unconventional, the more buzz. Partnerships will thrive on the buzz.
• Brands will combine social entrepreneurship with societal action. Social entrepreneurs are the most popular kids at the high school dance these days. Big brands are scooping them up to stay relevant among the next generations, and also to learn how to stay dynamic and profitable in ever changing economies. Employees want to work for brands that have purpose imbedded within their business aims. Social enterprises have that notion down, thus taking over as the more attractive business types for hiring new, influential and creative talent. These employees will be looking for partnerships that make a true difference for our planet and society as a whole.
• NGOs will reevaluate their role in corporate partnerships. Traditional corporate philanthropy is nearly gone. Corporations are looking for more like-minded partners. NGOs are being more strategic and dare I say, cautious, in how they partner with companies. Mutual benefit is the name of the game and that will only grow over the next give years.
• Funding will be based on more creative partnering. As foundations like MacArthur and Rockefeller consider doubling down on a few singular big picture challenges, as opposed to spreading their funds across multiple issues and regions, finding innovative partnerships to apply for these types of proposals, and then ensuring effective delivery, will be a big challenge for partnership building over the next few years.

 
Below: Some of our 5-year accomplishments

Wondering what we see in store for 2019? Join our Purposeful Profits Through Partnerships webinar on January 22nd and find out!

Joanne Sonenshine is Founder + CEO of Connective Impact, an advisory firm helping organizations address social, environmental and economic development opportunities through partnership. She is author of Purposeful Profits: Inside Successful Businesses Making a Positive Global Impact, and ChangeSeekers: Finding Your Path to Impact.