All of us involved with Global Lift Collective are thrilled to see how many collective impact efforts are emerging in the mission world. No doubt that we can do much more together than we can do separately, and there's tremendous untapped opportunity in coordinated efforts.
Our experience over many years as Global Lift Collective has formed, informed by research from Stanford University on creating the right conditions for effective collective impact, has taught us that six questions are helpful to consider in establishing a collective effort.
Collaboration among leaders or organizations usually begins with passionate people who care deeply about their work. But caring isn't enough—these individuals must truly know and trust each other. And they must truly understand and respect each other's work. This is absolutely foundational.
This knowing goes deeper than just sharing information with each other—it's about seeing each other's work in the field and spending a lot of time together only for the goal of fostering a genuine sense of understanding each other and personal relationship. This is the foundation upon which great collaborations seem to grow.
Start with "Why do we want to work together?" and not "What are we going to do together?" Effective collaboration requires aligning our aspirations around a shared purpose that everyone feels ownership of—something that calls forth the best from each participant. Not all work should be done collaboratively, so there must be a clear “why” to pursue it.
This alignment emerges through honest conversation about what matters most. Why is working together prudent and strategic? How will things be different if we coordinate, and is that worth the effort expended to coordinate efforts? When a group can clearly answer why they're working together, decision-making becomes clearer and leads to momentum.
One of the most challenging questions in collaboration is about boundaries—who should play what role in a collective effort and who may not be the right fit. This isn't about exclusion, but creating the right conditions for success by involving partners that align around values, program approaches, level of commitment, and so on.
Don't be afraid to clarify expectations and involve partners who meet those expectations. Clear is kind. Sometimes the most generous thing is recognizing when someone's participation would serve neither them nor the collective well.
Every collaborative effort needs foundational support—not control or hierarchy, but systems and processes that hold space for the work the group is doing together. This might be communication rhythms, shared tools, or clear ways of making decisions.
Good structure doesn't constrain; it enables. The question isn't whether to have structure, but what kind serves the work and the people doing it and allows the proper voices to make decisions.
Successful collaboration requires that someone or some organization in the group serve as a "backbone” - a consistent presence others can rely on to keep the group moving forward, ensure strategic coherence, and coordinate work among everyone involved.
The backbone person or organization doesn't direct the work; it supports and sustains it. Someone has to be willing to play this role for collaborative efforts to endure.
Collaboration or collective impact operates on a different timeline than individual action and requires embracing what many organizations fear: admitting we're figuring it out as we go. It demands both patience—not passive waiting, but active cultivation of conditions needed to keep moving forward—and adaptability to learn as challenges or new insights evolve.
This means treating setbacks as information rather than failure, building capacity to course-correct without losing momentum, and choosing patience that allows space for all voices and emergent solutions.
When we can honestly answer these questions—when we know each other deeply, align around shared purpose, thoughtfully consider inclusion, create supportive structure, identify our backbone, and commit to being both patient and adaptable—coordinated efforts can flourish!
