The Collaboration Spectrum
What is collaborative working?
The charity commission describes ‘collaborative working’ as ‘joint working by two or more organisations (community and voluntary) in order to better fulfil their purposes, while remaining as separate organisations’.
The spectrum of collaboration between organisations can take a range of forms. Options range from informal networks or arrangements such as borrowing equipment to a legally binding agreement, for example a consortium contract.
Why collaborate?
Interest in collaboration working between voluntary organisations has been growing over the last few years. The factors that have led to this include:
- A move away from grant funding to contracts
- Streamlining of procurement processes; a preferred single point of contracting rather than multiple contracts
- A decline in small contract opportunities and a rise in large scale contracts
- A need for more efficient use of resources
The Charity Commission's ‘Hallmark of an effective Charity’ says you should regularly “Consider whether collaborations and partnerships (including the possibility of a merger) with other organisations could improve efficiency, the use of funds and the better delivery of benefits and services to beneficiaries”.
Potential benefits of collaboration:
- New or improved services
- Wider geographical reach or access to new beneficiary groups
- More integrated or co-ordinated approach to beneficiary needs
- Financial savings and better use of existing resources
- Knowledge, good practice and information sharing
- Sharing the risk in new and untested projects
- Capacity to replicate success
- Stronger, united voice
- Competitive advantage
- Mutual support between organisations
Potential risks of collaboration
- Outcomes do not always justify the time and resources invested
- Loss of flexibility in working practices
- Complexity in decision-making and loss of autonomy
- Diverting energy and resources away from core aims - mission drift
- Damage to or dilution of your brand and reputation
- Damage to organisation and waste of resources if collaboration is unsuccessful
- Lack of awareness of legal obligations
- Stakeholder confusion
Top tips for collaboration
Please click here to access top tips for collaboration
The collaboration spectrum
Click on the items below to find out more on the particular model of collaborative working: