Five Good ideas for building thriving partnerships within the charitable and non-profit sector

Five Good Ideas Podcast

In this session, originally recorded on April 26, 2022, we asked Teresa Marques, president and CEO of the Rideau Hall Foundation, to share her five good ideas on how to navigate effective development within the non-profit and charitable sector.

Read the full transcript.

Download the session handout.

Five Good Ideas

1. Form should follow function. Figure out your internal and shared goals, the table stakes for each party, and your respective strengths and weaknesses, then design the partnership model that best suits your situation. Don’t make assumptions about your partner.
2. Be open to unconventional arrangements and “unusual bedfellow” partners. Seek out complementarity as opposed to similarity.
3. People matter. Yes, the partnership is between organizations, but people and relationships are the critical glue and enabler of success.
4. Details matter. Figure out the parameters for decision making, accountabilities, and timelines (including sunset) and write them all down. Plan for anticipated and unanticipated costs and think ahead about financial management.
5. Trust matters most. You will be able to move much more quickly, and go farther together, if there’s trust and open communication between partners. Invest early in a culture of trust.

Resources

• (Book) Trust: Twenty Ways to Build a Better Country – by David Johnston (2018).
• (Paper – Conference Board of Canada) “The Status of Collaboration and the Role of Innovation: Supporting Networks in Canadian Industry” – by Sorin Cohn and Bruce Good
• (Book) Collaborating with the Enemy: How to Work with People You Don’t Agree with or Like or Trust – by Adam Kahane (2017).
• (Online series – Stanford Social Innovation Review) “Advancing the Art of Collaboration.”
• (Podcast – HBR IdeaCast) “The Subtle Art of Saying No.”

About the presenter

Teresa Marques, President and CEO, Rideau Hall Foundation

Teresa Marques is an established senior executive and educator in the non-profit sector. She leads the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF), an independent national charity with a vision for a better Canada. The RHF works to address key challenges facing the country in the areas of learning equity, creating a culture of innovation, leadership development, and by strengthening Canada’s culture of giving and volunteerism. Teresa has significant experience in people and talent management, stakeholder engagement, major-gift fundraising, and financial stewardship. Prior to joining the RHF, she led development teams focused on healthcare and post-secondary education. Teresa is also an instructor and course developer at Ryerson University’s G. Raymond Chang School for Continuing Education and holds degrees in Canadian history from the University of Ottawa and York University. She is a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) Director Education Program. Teresa is interested in how giving patterns and attitudes towards philanthropy in Canada are changing and is passionate about strengthening the non-profit sector and civil society more broadly.