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Home Inspiring Collaboration

Inspiring Collaboration

Strengthening goals through collaboration

Our Focus

Collaborative work – meaning alliances, coalitions, networks, partnerships, and collaborations – allow for accomplishing things that your organization can’t do alone.

The approach we take to inspiring collaborations is holistic and conducive to supporting cooperative work. We know that individuals and organizations work within the framework of the whole and that achieving success is integrated and a part of a system. By collaborating with other like-minded organizations, non-profits have a higher probability of success.

Our focus is on fostering net-centric leadership, strengthening relationships, building shared infrastructure, and helping leaders and their staff to become comfortable with the complexity and ambiguity that naturally occurs with such a system. Through this work, sustainable partnerships can be formed.

How We Can Help

Access to ICL’s many years of experience can take your coalition or network to the next level, resolve an ongoing conflict, or fine-tune decision-making and communication. We use a wide variety of methods to support the collaboration in determining the process design, meeting design, facilitation, and training for a collaborative mindset.

We can help you:

  • Create a shared focus and purpose
  • Determine the best structure and process
  • Decide which entities need to be engaged for the specific challenges and opportunities your collaboration seeks to address

Coalitions and networks need a chance to reflect on their unique history as well as current needs. ICL can assist you in creating a clear approach to move your collaborative work to the next level.

Recent Collaborations Supported by ICL

The Delaware River Watershed Initiative – A first-of-its-kind, multi-state collaboration of 65 organizations working together to protect and restore the Delaware River and its tributaries, the DRWI improves water quality and protects the drinking water for 15 million people in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. Launched by the William Penn Foundation in 2014, DRWI partners have protected 19,604 acres, restored 8,331 acres, and monitored and sampled water quality at more than 500 sites across four states in its first four years.

Alliance of National Heritage Areas – A membership organization of the Congressionally-designated National Heritage Areas. It is committed to raising awareness among the Administration, Congress, its partners, and the public of the benefits of National Heritage Areas to the public sector and private citizens as well as fostering educational opportunities and partnerships among organizations in the heritage development field.

Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition Alliance – A coalition for nonprofit organizations, farmers, businesses, and government agencies developing a regional food system to ensure access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food.

Green Lands Blue Waters – A partnership of environmental groups, universities, government agencies, producer associations, and agricultural businesses committed to developing and transitioning to a new generation of multi-functional agricultural systems in the upper Mississippi River Basin.

Smart Growth California –  A network of funders who are working to advance smart growth and build healthy, equitable, and sustainable communities throughout California. Smart Growth California is an initiative of the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities.

Vital Lands Illinois – A network of conservation leaders across Illinois to improve the way land conservation is practiced and to engage citizens and public officials to ensure the long-term preservation of Illinois’ most vital landscapes.


Contact Peter Lane at peter (at) icl.org to explore how ICL can put together an approach that will best guide and support you as you move across the collaborative terrain.

We want a rich, diverse network that helps us work together and collaborate to get those outcomes. ICL plays critical role. Without ICL doing the work, we would lose the richness; the stretch to get to the higher-level outcomes beyond the scope of our individual organizations.
John CecilNew Jersey Audubon
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