At every meeting I attend, “collaboration” is always mentioned. Sometimes I want to scream.
In my experience, the third sector is one of the best sectors for collaboration. Yet, it’s almost always framed as though charities aren’t collaborating enough. And, honestly, I’m growing tired of being spoken down to simply because I choose to work in the third sector.
The number of times I’ve been patronised for working in this space is staggering – it was true when I first set up my charity, and while things improved after COVID, the “pity” comments are creeping back in. Let’s be clear: the third sector did an incredible job during the pandemic. But back to collaboration – because this is what matters most.
Collaboration isn’t just about charities working together. It’s about everyone in the local community: statutory services, businesses, town councils, local authorities, funders. We all need to sit in the same room to discuss priorities and explore how we can truly collaborate.
Time and again, I am shocked by how little some local authorities know about their own departments. For example, our charity is funded by a local authority to provide domestic abuse support – yet the domestic abuse team within that same authority didn’t even know about it until we reached out. Moments like these are frustrating, but they also highlight the enormous potential for improvement.
I sit on multiple boards and steering groups and make it a priority to attend as many meetings as possible. I do this because I’ve seen firsthand the consequences of siloed working. True collaboration requires all of us giving time, effort, and honesty to explore how we can work together. It may even need someone to coordinate it, but the investment is worth it.
The wider challenge is that, in a nation that often operates like a business, organisations are pitching against each other. This environment makes collaboration difficult. But if we are brave enough to prioritise it, the rewards – for communities, organisations, and the people we support – are enormous.
Collaboration takes courage. It takes humility. It takes persistence. But, from the front line, I can say it is also one of the most powerful ways we can make a lasting difference.