As a nonprofit, it’s no secret that we’re in a perpetual state of fundraising. Paying our tutors, providing technology assistance, arranging transportation, coordinating enrichment trips, and the few hundred things in between—these, in addition to the cost of operations, all require funding.
Yet what we really need is more partnership and cross-sector collaboration in order to ensure true sustainability for our cause and our work with Atlanta’s youth and their families.
What is cross-sector partnering?
In the simplest terms, cross-sector partnering is when people from different sectors—business, government, nonprofit, and others—come together to work towards a common cause.
More specifically for Future Foundation, it means collaborating with organizations and individuals in the business sector in order to rally resources for youth development; working alongside local government officials to align policies that benefit our kids; and partnering with community-based organizations and other nonprofits to create a unified front against systemic issues such as poverty, illiteracy, food insecurity, and more.
We have served hundreds of students and their families with our Second Family model for over 20 years, but there are so many more youths in need of services and support.
That is the power of cross-sector partnerships—amplification. Forging these partnerships allows us to leverage our resources and maximize our impact in order to better serve the needs of those who need it most. Not only that, this approach of inviting community stakeholders to participate allows us to share knowledge, build capacity, work with leaders from different backgrounds, and create innovative solutions to complex challenges.
During a morning walk just earlier this week, I was reflecting on my own experience with cross-sector partnerships.
When I initially accepted the position at Future Foundation, it dawned on me that in my rearing, collaborations from my own community have brought me to where I am today.
As a high school senior, I dreamt of going to Clark College, an esteemed HBCU, but my counselor told me I would never get accepted into college.
I’ve never been more proud to prove someone so wrong.
During a morning walk just earlier this week, I was reflecting on my own experience with cross-sector partnerships.
When I initially accepted the position at Future Foundation, it dawned on me that in my rearing, collaborations from my own community have brought me to where I am today.
As a high school senior, I dreamt of going to Clark College, an esteemed HBCU, but my counselor told me I would never get accepted into college.
I’ve never been more proud to prove someone so wrong.
My mother convened a village of cross-sector partners right there in my hometown Omaha, NE–everyone from customers in my grandmother’s salon to preachers to politicians to sororities to shriners to educators to the investor and the philanthropist Warren Buffet, formed an alliance to get me to Atlanta, GA and accepted into Clark College.
Participation is Our Responsibility
Generally speaking, people do not care unless they feel the impact on their own lives. Why should an organization headquartered in California or even Japan lend its resources and support to a cause in, say, Atlanta?
Because just as Future Foundation strives to act locally and think globally, seemingly local issues such as gang violence, teenage pregnancy, and crime, can (and do) have huge implications worldwide. Just as dismal rainfall in one region impacts the annual yield of broccoli in one place, which means fewer spears on the plate of people in a different area.
It is our responsibility to participate in the global community and to lift up one another. In this way, we are able to create a sustainable future for our youth and cultivate hope, opportunity, and success in our communities.
In order to ensure a bright future for all of us, we must bring together partners from the public, private, and philanthropic sectors. This means government agencies, local businesses, foundations, and individuals who are committed to making sure our youth have the support they need to succeed—both in school and in life.
In the end, bringing together community stakeholders helps us to move past our own limitations and focus on creating a real impact in our community.
At Future Foundation, we are committed to cross-sector partnering because we recognize the power of collective action in creating lasting, sustainable solutions to equity in education and the hundreds of barriers our youths face every day in Atlanta. This is the Second Family model in action—community stakeholders coming together to create possibilities beyond what any one sector has the capacity to do independently.
Partner with Future Foundation
We need more leaders—in the business sector and beyond—to recognize the importance of coming together to tackle the tough issues that threaten our communities. By doing so, we can create an impactful model of youth empowerment and development that goes beyond our organization.
We need educators, policymakers, other nonprofits, philanthropists, and corporate dollars to build capacity and amplify the work we are already doing for Atlanta’s youth and their families.
If you and your organization would like to help amplify our mission and join us in our pursuit of a brighter future, please reach out to us.
Together, we can create a better tomorrow, not just for Atlanta’s youth but for those who will no doubt benefit as a result of these students being allowed and lifted to thrive.