Recently I had the privilege of working with a group of UK charity and third sector CEOs, who had begun collaborating as a matter of urgency at the start of the pandemic.

This blog post [now archived] on their #NeverMoreNeeded website said:

“The CEOs of a number of sector infrastructure bodies and their respective policy and comms teams have been working in close partnership during the Covid-19 crisis to lobby government for recognition of the value of the sector and the services it provides, and to push for funding and support. This scope has widened to include working strands looking at different areas of activity that have been affected by the pandemic, including regulation, contracting and commissioning, volunteering, grants & foundations, comms and equalities issues.
The level of cooperation and collaboration has been – to use the word of the moment – unprecedented. However, the challenges for charities are far from over and many would like to see this partnership continue, enabling infrastructure CEOs to support each other and address sector wide challenges through the period of the pandemic and beyond.
Every collaboration at some point experiences stresses and challenges, and this one has been no different. We are moving into a new phase of this crisis, and as a result need to both strengthen the partnership and allow it to evolve. In June, Lloyds Bank Foundation funded a review project to allow members of the collaboration to step back and take stock.

This short, practical briefing summarises their reflections on key lessons learned from the collaboration so far, and the recommendations for other collaborators.

Key lessons

Relationships are the foundation… and a big part of the benefit
Know why you’re collaborating, find your common purpose
Expect stresses and deal with them
Develop clear, appropriate governance
Expect difference
Sometimes you just need to jump in and give it a go
Keep reflecting and learning