The Principles of Successful Collaboration: What Mission-Driven Leaders Can Learn from Networked Nonprofits

By Sheri Chaney Jones, CEO and Founder of SureImpact

At the recent Philanthropy Forward conference, I attended a session that left me thinking deeply about how nonprofits work together. The speaker, Dr. Jane Wei-Skillern, shared research on why some collaborations thrive while others falter. Her message was clear: when leaders focus less on their own organizations and more on shared mission, partnerships can achieve far greater impact than any single entity could reach alone.

Dr. Wei-Skillern’s research identifies four principles for collaboration success. These ideas are simple but counterintuitive to how many organizations and funders traditionally operate. As she explained, the most successful networks put mission before organization, trust before control, others before self, and constellations before stars.

These principles challenge the assumption that growth and control define effectiveness. They remind us that collaboration is not about aligning logos or building new committees. It is about aligning purpose, relationships, and results.

At SureImpact, we see these same principles reflected in the most-effective collaboratives we support. The difference is that the strongest networks also share something else: common data that shows how their collective work is improving lives.

1. Focus on Mission Before Organization

Wei-Skillern’s first principle invites leaders to place mission impact above institutional growth. Too often, boards and funders view success through the lens of expansion: more programs, more staff, more revenue. Yet growth for its own sake can distract from the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for people and communities.

Organizations that center their mission above everything else often make unconventional choices. They may share credit for their results, regrant funds to partners who are better positioned to serve a need, or forgo visibility to strengthen the field. The Energy Foundation, one of Wei-Skillern’s examples, intentionally kept a small staff and focused instead on building a network of partners advancing clean energy policy.

This same mindset applies to collaborative impact efforts. A true collective impact initiative succeeds when every participant sees themselves as part of a larger purpose rather than as the main character in the story.

Impact data is the glue that keeps this focus on mission. When partners measure outcomes in consistent ways, the mission becomes concrete. Everyone can see whether the shared work is improving graduation rates, reducing homelessness, or increasing employment. Without data, the mission remains an abstraction. With it, collaboration has direction and accountability.

2. Build Partnerships on Trust, Not Control

The second principle may be the hardest for many leaders to practice. Funders often encourage collaboration but then require detailed reporting structures that emphasize compliance rather than trust. Similarly, nonprofits sometimes form partnerships out of obligation rather than shared purpose.

Wei-Skillern’s research shows that successful networks grow from relationships rooted in values and trust, not imposed structures. Partners in these networks are selected carefully, based on shared goals and reputation for collaboration. Once trust is established, it replaces the need for constant oversight.

Trust, however, does not mean a lack of rigor. It means believing that everyone at the table is accountable to the same results. This is another place where shared data plays an essential role. When all partners use the same outcome measures, transparency becomes a natural form of accountability. Partners do not need to rely on control mechanisms to stay aligned. The data tells the story for everyone.

One of the most successful collaboratives I have seen agreed in advance on the specific outcomes they wanted to measure. With that shared understanding, each organization collected data consistently, and partners came together to interpret the results and identify ways to strengthen their collective impact. That process created both trust and momentum because everyone could see how their contributions fit into the bigger picture.

3. Promote Others Rather Than Yourself

Humility rarely gets discussed as a leadership competency, yet Wei-Skillern’s third principle suggests it may be the key to collaboration. The strongest networks celebrate each other’s contributions and resist the urge to compete for attention. Leaders in these collaborations highlight their partners’ successes, share resources, and lift up voices that might otherwise go unheard.

The Energy Foundation’s approach in China is a compelling example. Rather than taking public credit for policy progress, it positioned local experts and agencies as the face of the work. This behind-the-scenes role built credibility and long-term trust within the community.

For nonprofit leaders, this principle can feel counterintuitive. Recognition often leads to funding, and funding sustains programs. But over time, collaborations that emphasize shared recognition build far more durable influence.

At SureImpact, we see humility expressed through transparency. When organizations share outcomes openly, they are saying, “We are part of something bigger.” The willingness to share both successes and challenges invites honest learning. True collaboration thrives in that kind of openness.

4. Build Constellations, Not Stars

The final principle may be the most inspiring. Wei-Skillern writes that successful collaborations act as constellations rather than individual stars. Each organization contributes its strengths while recognizing that impact happens through the network, not the individual.

In practice, this means leaders stop asking, “How can we lead this effort?” and start asking, “Who else should be part of this, and how can we support them?” The Energy Foundation exemplified this approach by helping other funders and nonprofits build capacity, even when it meant directing money and visibility elsewhere.

This way of thinking mirrors how effective collective impact initiatives function. Partners align on shared goals, coordinate their efforts, and use data to illuminate the larger picture. Each partner’s work becomes a point of light, and together those points form a clear constellation of community change.

Impact data gives these constellations definition. Without shared measures, it is difficult to see how the pieces fit together. With them, leaders can understand how every program contributes to broader outcomes. Data makes collaboration visible.

Building the Culture of Collaboration

The most powerful takeaway from Dr. Wei-Skillern’s session is that collaboration is less about structure and more about culture. The nonprofit sector often rewards growth, control, and visibility, yet the collaborations that achieve lasting change are built on mission, trust, humility, and shared purpose.

That cultural shift requires a new way of thinking about measurement. When partners focus on learning from data together instead of using it to prove individual success, they create the conditions for real cooperation. Data then becomes a bridge rather than a barrier.

At Philanthropy Forward, I saw many leaders eager to strengthen their collaborations. The question is not whether collaboration is valuable, it is how to make it work. Dr. Wei-Skillern’s four principles offer a clear framework, and data provides the practical foundation that allows those principles to thrive.

If your organization is part of a collaborative or planning to join one, consider how you can bring these ideas to life. Keep the mission at the center. Build trust through transparency. Celebrate your partners’ success. And focus on the constellation you are creating together.

To learn more about SureImpact for Funders and Collaboratives, schedule a demo today.