In theory, the goal of every great non-profit/community organization is to support the success of the most vulnerable community members. The question is, can this be achieved in the most effective way when organizations refrain from collaboration? It is impossible to ignore the tremendous impact that nonprofits currently have on their community members through the services they may provide, but what if that impact could be amplified? What about the people that may have more complex challenges?
The truth is that for many individuals that find themselves in a position where they are strapped for resources, their struggles don’t exist in just one area of their life, they show up across the board. How do we help individuals in this situation finally get back on their feet? The answer is through Collective Community Support. Every community organization has a set of services they may provide in a specific category. Unfortunately for many, receiving support in that category alone will not fully satisfy their needs in order to be successful. For example, an individual that is homeless would be very grateful to receive food from a local food pantry, but this would not change the fact that they will likely remain homeless and find themselves in a position of hunger in the next few days.
The purpose of Collective Community Support is to view an individual’s challenges holistically and find ways that organizations can build a network that brings their resources together to improve the overall quality of life of those that they serve. With this mindset, both the organizations and the community members win. If organizations with a diverse set of services start working together, community members can resolve their problems in a more efficient way. Each organization wins in this situation because they can focus on what they do best without the burden of not having the resources to fully support their clients.
11/14/21