Collaborative Practices

There is an increasing use of technology as a tool of collaborative practice or to support a collaborative activity. Effective collaborative technologies provide functionality that enables users to value add to collaborative processes. Shared data bases and referral systems, wikki’s, and blogging and networking websites that allow many people to contribute to a collaborative outcome, are examples of collaborative technologies. Read more

One agency receives funds from a variety of sources to provide a funding pool, with people working across a number of programs. To be effective collaborative agreements need to be documented prior to the collaboration.  Wakermen et al; 2006  Read more

Sponsorship is business-community collaboration that if properly undertaken can provide a win –win outcome for both parties. Not For Profit organisations are provided with an additional source of income or support. Businesses have their profile raised and their name promoted by the community group. Traditional sponsor may be both short term, for example for a single event or activity or long term with an agreed commitment over a longer period of time. Read more

Mentoring may occur between not for profit organisations with a larger organisation providing knowledge, skills and support to enable the development of smaller services. It may however also occur between for profit businesses and not for profits where support is provided to improve the business structure and income management of the mentored organisation. This approach may also be used to transfer skills to a viable organisation that wishes to develop a new area of expertise. Read more

CRM first used in 1976 in America, is a form of long-term sponsorship  incorporating marketing initiatives built on the collaborative efforts of a business and a community organisation - it enables a business to link their product or brand to, and generate revenue for, the community organisation and is a powerful marketing tool that businesses and not for profit organisations are increasingly leveraging. Read more

Group Buying Schemes enable a group of organisation to collectively buy goods and services, to reduce costs and increase efficiencies.  

Advantages

• By buying in bulk the purchasing power of the collaboration is increased
• Less time spent finding and ordering the right products
• Reduced freight cost

Organisations working in similar area of the sector join together to become a single larger organisation, merging their governance and administration tasks.

Advantages

• Human resource efficiencies
• Spreading cost of premises 
• May enable services to be spread over a wider geographic area
• Resource efficiencies

When auspicing occurs, the auspicing organisation accepts legal responsibility for the organisation being “auspiced” and may also undertake administrative tasks for that orgaisation. Further an auspicing body is an incorporated organisation and enables a non-incorporated group  to apply for funding and grants. This means that the auspicing organisation receives the money on behalf of the unincorporated group and is responsible for making sure the project is completed and the money is accounted for (acquitted). Read more

Although they are legally recognized entities Cooperatives have a different type of structure to companies, trusts, incorporated associations and other similar organisations. This is defined by a set of principles which shapes their character. The International Cooperative Alliance definition Cooperatives is:

“… an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through jointly owned democratically controlled enterprise.” Read more

Organisations sharing expensive infrastructure. Co-location models of collaboration may be called “Service Hubs”, “Multi-Tenanted Service Centres”, “Service Clusters” and “one-stop-shops” and take a variety of forms.  A variety of collaboration models are well suited to also incorporate co-location into their approach. These include:  Co-Governance, Amalgamation, Cooperatives and the lead Agency Model. Read more