In the philanthropic sector, we often get lost in the latest buzzwords about how to rethink our strategies and maximize impact, individually and collectively. Over the last couple of years, the buzzword of the moment has been collaboration and building collaboratives – a collective on organizations or individuals that work together to create something stronger than what they could produce alone.

My early career as a nonprofit development professional included some fairly unforgettable moments.  One such moment included downloading the interim report for a particularly generous funder of my nonprofit organization.  The printer jumped to life, spitting out page after page – in all, the report contained 8 pages, 12 point font, of questions.