The Future Is Collaborative

Many collaborative funds today are using different fiscal sponsorship models to house and operate their work. The fiscal sponsorship field in general is also growing and expanding rapidly, largely in response to many of the same values driving collaboratives: fostering equity, increasing efficiency and impact, sharing expertise, and building trust. Join us for a presentation and discussion led by Social Impact Commons, the leading national field builder for the fiscal sponsorship ecosystem. We will cover common fiscal sponsorship models including tactical frameworks for agreements and matchmaking, trends of how the fiscal sponsorship field is changing, elements of a healthy fiscal sponsor relationship, including the question if and when to spin out. We will close with a discussion about the challenges facing collaboratives in their relationships with fiscal sponsors and how as an ecosystem we might push forward that conversation.

Narrative change is a growing strategic priority for collaborative funds around the world, with many collaboratives looking to add a narrative strategy to their approach. Moderated by Darren Isom, partner at Bridgespan, this session will feature three collaborative funds leading efforts to build narrative power for social justice and human rights in different regions of the world: Bridgit Antoinette Evans, CEO of the Pop Culture Collaborative (USA), Moky Makura, President of Africa No Filter (Sub-Saharan Africa), Maxine Thomas-Asante, Power of Pop Fund (UK). Join these innovative leaders as they discuss the societal challenges that gave rise to each of these collaboratives; the overarching field resourcing and ecosystem-building strategies that they have implemented to overcome these barriers; and the ways in which they have partnered with philanthropic foundations and donors to scaffold fields, fund bold experiments and critical infrastructure, and create stronger conditions for measurable impact at scale. Participants will also gain insights on developing narrative change investment strategies at various scales within your own collaborative fund.

Collaborative funds have become more prolific in recent years, as their effectiveness and expertise have become more widely recognized. Yet despite their growth and impact, collaborative funds are often under-resourced. Until now, few if any organizations have posed solutions to this problem because we have not yet named it for what it is: a systemic, sector-wide problem.

Over the course of six months in 2023, Borealis Philanthropy and BDO’s Nonprofit & Grantmaker Advisory team worked together to create a financial model that reflects the true cost of supporting and sustaining movements. This webinar will offer reflections about the experimental, cross-functional collaborative process they undertook,which has led to deeper dialogue about how they do and resource their work. Participants are invited to join us for a wider conversation about how we align our values and beliefs with the models and structures we use.

We will be joined by Rodney Christopher, a senior advisor to the Nonprofit & Grantmaker Advisory team at BDO, Jeanne Bell, Co-founder of JustOrg Design and curator at Nonprofit Quarterly’s Leading Edge Program, and Rebecca Luxenberg, Director of Finance at Borealis Philanthropy.

Collaborative philanthropy models are powerful—but messaging on collaboratives can be challenging given the nuance of this philanthropic structure. This session takes a deep dive look into effective messaging from two perspectives. Brunswick Group will share key findings from research with hundreds of high net wealth donors about their perceptions of collaboratives and what messaging resonates most compellingly. We’ll also hear insights from Panorama Global, who led a Co-Lab session at the Global Summit of Collaborative Funds in October 2023 and crowdsourced the top ten messages collaboratives themselves feel are most powerful. By examining both research insights and what resonates directly with frontline collaborative leaders, this session will illuminate helpful ideas and guidance for any collaborative fund looking to strengthen their messaging and engagement.

Philanthropic collaboratives play an increasingly important role in the philanthropic ecosystem—and have identified measurement and learning as a critical area for exploration. Leaders express their desire to navigate a focus on measurement without succumbing to pitfalls—like eating up resources, choosing compliance over learning, or privileging the concerns of donors over those of grantees and communities. Bridgespan has launched a new report that shares the experiences of dozens of collaboratives, and explores how they can most effectively measure, evaluate, and learn in the pursuit of greater impact.

Please join us in welcoming Bridgespan along with a panel of collaborative leaders to discuss the insights from their report, as well as practical realities of operationalizing equitable measurement systems.

Are you a collaborative fund with a bold vision? Ready to scale your impact and grantmaking for the communities you serve? Is your idea a proven concept that can create a better world? Join us to learn more about the Audacious Project’s application process. As a collaborative itself, Audacious Project has also supported other collaborative funds like the END Fund. Members from the Audacious team will share insights specific to collaboratives looking to submit an audacious idea before the April 15 deadline. This webinar will cover details and timelines from sourcing to finalist selection to donor engagement and everything in between.