E.    COLLABORATION

Canada's not-for-profit sector has been hard hit by a lengthy recession. Resources are limited while demand for services and programming has increased.

Not-for-profit agencies are competing for funding and many are losing their traditional market share. Organizations are looking at new and cost effective ways of providing services. Funders are expecting groups to link and pool resources in order to become more efficient. 'Partnerships,' 'strategic alliances,' 'collaboration,' and 'cooperation' are approaches that charities and funders alike are exploring as possible ways to affect social change.

Collaboration is defined as II a voluntary contract between two or more... [ organizations] with a common vision that place their dollars, effects, labour, and skill or some of all of them in lawful commerce or business with the understanding that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses between them" (1)

It is possible, and indeed probable, that women's groups will want to extend the concept of collaboration into a 'collective' approach. The term collective implies a method of decision-making based on reaching consensus between either groups or individuals. Many women's groups are quite comfortable with this approach to decision-making. The authors of this Report do not wish to pre-determine what method of decision-making will be adopted by the groups involved and have thus used the more general term 'collaboration' throughout the report.

National equality-seeking women's groups need to consider the critical elements for success and barriers to an effective collaboration. The elements for success are well established and include: positive attitude, a balanced team composition, communication, commitment of resources, equitable power structures, informed stakeholders, sound management, financial and administrative stability and creativity. Above all, women's groups must understand the implications of working collaborative and make a commitment of trust, cooperation, and resources to any new joint effort. The initiative's success will depend on this.

(1) Audet A.B., Rostami, J. (1993) Partnership Strategies for Community Investment, National Consultations: Final Report. Institute for Donations and Public Affairs Research, Toronto, Ontario

Chrow

Gibson

Omidvar