Collaboration Projects Between Government and Nonprofit Organizations
Collaboration is a process where two or more people or organizations work together to achieve shared goals.
This was the case with the Garvanza Park rainwater collection project, which opened with an official ceremony this morning in Highland Park, California.
Whereas this small park before was just a grassy area with a few trees and a baseball field, now it has a skate park, workout equipment, a playground for kids, many more trees (natives), drought tolerant grass, and two underground cisterns to collect, infiltrate, and store a million plus gallons of water, with a playing field on top.
The project resulted from a five year collaboration between several government and nonprofit organizations.
How did that work? Looking at the typical characteristics of government vs.
nonprofit organizations, it would appear to be nearly impossible for them to work together.
Government organizations are known for being systematic, predictable, reluctant to commit and resistant to change, cautious with what they say and do, and protective of their reputations.
However, they also know the official rules and regulations, are struggling with new legislation to conserve and clean up resources, and have access to grants and other financial incentives to make changes needed.
Nonprofit organizations are known for being active promoters of change.
They are outspoken, critical, observant, often pushy.
Due to media hype, they're known for sometimes being violent (though in reality, that's rare).
They are also good at researching and developing ideas outside of the norm, experimenting, and having passionate volunteers willing to lend a free hand to make the world a better place.
For the two types of organizations to work together on this project, it took a willingness to look past surface reputations - to see each other as people with common goals, rather than antagonists, to learn to trust each other's good will.
It took the willingness to work through inevitable conflicts to create solutions and a willingness to share ideas, time, and money, and whatever other resources were available.
There were several government and nonprofit entities involved with the Garvanza Park project, each with a goal that turned out to be compatible, when looked at with collaboration in mind:
How does one get from resistance to the collaboration stage? Look for interests in common.
Go as broad as you can to come to an agreement, looking first for ways to include it all.
Is there a local field with "nothing" in it that's in a good location?
Find someone to chair it who knows how to mediate.
Declare an intention to work toward the best possible collaborative solution/s and progress from there.
If conflicts arise, go back to a bigger part of the picture where both parties agree.
Then ask the dissenting parties, "What are you willing to contribute?" If one person appears to be arguing just to argue, ask that organization to provide a different representative.
Trust your mediator to know how to see such situations through.
Wherever there are mutual and/or compatible interests, there is a way to work together to satisfy them.
Wherever there are potentially conflicting points of view, there is also the potential for a vibrant, interesting result.
Make sure that the intention is not to dominate (I win, you lose), but to collaborate (we all win).
You will be surprised at what can be accomplished with this kind of approach.
This was the case with the Garvanza Park rainwater collection project, which opened with an official ceremony this morning in Highland Park, California.
Whereas this small park before was just a grassy area with a few trees and a baseball field, now it has a skate park, workout equipment, a playground for kids, many more trees (natives), drought tolerant grass, and two underground cisterns to collect, infiltrate, and store a million plus gallons of water, with a playing field on top.
The project resulted from a five year collaboration between several government and nonprofit organizations.
How did that work? Looking at the typical characteristics of government vs.
nonprofit organizations, it would appear to be nearly impossible for them to work together.
Government organizations are known for being systematic, predictable, reluctant to commit and resistant to change, cautious with what they say and do, and protective of their reputations.
However, they also know the official rules and regulations, are struggling with new legislation to conserve and clean up resources, and have access to grants and other financial incentives to make changes needed.
Nonprofit organizations are known for being active promoters of change.
They are outspoken, critical, observant, often pushy.
Due to media hype, they're known for sometimes being violent (though in reality, that's rare).
They are also good at researching and developing ideas outside of the norm, experimenting, and having passionate volunteers willing to lend a free hand to make the world a better place.
For the two types of organizations to work together on this project, it took a willingness to look past surface reputations - to see each other as people with common goals, rather than antagonists, to learn to trust each other's good will.
It took the willingness to work through inevitable conflicts to create solutions and a willingness to share ideas, time, and money, and whatever other resources were available.
There were several government and nonprofit entities involved with the Garvanza Park project, each with a goal that turned out to be compatible, when looked at with collaboration in mind:
- Northeast Trees wanted to fulfill the dream of its founder, Scott Wilson, to plant more trees and capture rain to provide local water supplies.
- The Garvanza Improvement Association wanted better neighborhoods and services for their children.
- The Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council wanted more open space and natural areas, and a nicer park below the hilly Garvanza Historic Neighborhood.
- The City of Los Angeles wanted to comply with new state laws mandating the increase of local water supplies (e.
g.
AB1881). - City Councilman Jose Huizar had committed in his election campaign to increasing the fitness of kids and adults in his district.
- The Bureau of Sanitation wanted cleaner water supplies and a way to clean up and reuse local water.
- The Parks & Recreation Department wanted more play areas and more sustainable parks.
- City Councilman Huizar coordinated the project and pulled together the $3.
8 million funding needed with federal, state, and city funds. - Northeast Trees designed the rainwater catchment and park irrigation system, and supervised installers and landscapers in carrying out that part of it.
They also provided native trees and people to plant them. - LA's Bureau of Sanitation hooked up the local neighborhood storm drain system to the new park irrigation system, so water could flow to it year round and could be cleaned of toxins before any excess went to the ocean.
- LA's Parks & Recreation Department provided the playground and fitness equipment and supervised the building of a quality skate park.
How does one get from resistance to the collaboration stage? Look for interests in common.
Go as broad as you can to come to an agreement, looking first for ways to include it all.
Is there a local field with "nothing" in it that's in a good location?
- What does the neighborhood want?
- What do the local nonprofits want?
- What does business want?
- What rules and regulations govern that area?
- Which needs/wants mesh with each other?
- Who has the ideas, the resources, the staffing power?
- Who cares the most?
Find someone to chair it who knows how to mediate.
Declare an intention to work toward the best possible collaborative solution/s and progress from there.
If conflicts arise, go back to a bigger part of the picture where both parties agree.
Then ask the dissenting parties, "What are you willing to contribute?" If one person appears to be arguing just to argue, ask that organization to provide a different representative.
Trust your mediator to know how to see such situations through.
Wherever there are mutual and/or compatible interests, there is a way to work together to satisfy them.
Wherever there are potentially conflicting points of view, there is also the potential for a vibrant, interesting result.
Make sure that the intention is not to dominate (I win, you lose), but to collaborate (we all win).
You will be surprised at what can be accomplished with this kind of approach.
