Getting the Most from Your Organization’s Partnerships
October 9, 2025by Victor Valentine, CEO of NHSA
NHSA recently hosted a roundtable conversation for its national human services leaders that centered on a timely question: when should nonprofits engage in external partnerships? In today’s fast-moving landscape, opportunities often arrive faster than organizations can properly evaluate. Yet one shared truth emerged—not every collaboration is meant to be pursued. Many of our leaders agreed that an effective approach begins with disciplined skepticism—not as rejection, but as protection. Starting from this premise allows organizations to pause, assess, and ensure that each potential alliance advances mission integrity, board directives, and public trust. From there, the move toward execution becomes intentional and grounded in clear success criteria.
Partnership guidelines make this progression from skepticism to execution both transparent and strategic. They prompt leaders to weigh board priorities, public perception, shared constituencies, mission alignment, and the potential to leverage collective voices. Each serves as a lens to measure opportunity, risk, and relevance. Consider incorporating the following steps when developing your organization’s partnership framework:
Pre-Screen: Quickly assess proposals against key criteria and decline those that fail to meet essential standards.
Internal Review: Engage a small cross-functional team to evaluate alignment and flag potential risks.
Conditional Pilots: Test uncertain partnerships through short-term projects before committing fully.
Formalize Agreements: Establish clear MOUs outlining roles, metrics, communication norms, and exit terms.
Ongoing Monitoring & Exit Planning: Reassess alignment, perception, and value regularly—and adjust or exit when conditions change.
Used consistently, these guidelines promote unity across leadership levels and signal to potential partners that your organization operates with purpose, discipline, and the reputational care essential to nonprofit success today. For more information or to learn how your organization can join NHSA and participate in our membership roundtables, please contact NHSA’s Chief Impact Officer, Melissa Reifler at MReifler@nassembly.org.