Here at the Center we often we receive pertinent and thought provoking questions, like the one we received a week ago: what is the difference between partnership and collaboration? It seems that collaboration has become a hot topic lately, especially with grant writing and funders. Everyone wants to know who you collaborate with. After all, no man is an island. So, after a google search and numerous articles, here’s our take.

​Collaboration is an open, inclusive process or decision making tool to engage a broad array of diverse entities to come together to find solutions or the best creative outcome for problems/issues but aren’t bound contractually.  Collaborative partnerships are essential to addressing emerging issues and trends. Think about the collaborations with your organization. It’s a group of people with a common goal addressing an issue, like homelessness. Poverty. Domestic Violence. These issues are too overwhelming and daunting to tackle alone.