Understanding Nonprofit Collaborations: A Case Study of Communities in Schools of North Texas and its Partner Organizations

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand and categorize the diverse forms of collaborations, and explore the challenges of cross sector collaborations. To achieve these purposes, we analyze documentation of 132 collaborative partnerships of Communities in School of North Texas (CISNT), and conduct interviews with select partners of CISNT. Our results suggest that the nature of collaborations vary. Partnerships tend to be informal and resource sharing. The findings further indicate that nonprofits face challenges in the collaborative process including management of accountability and interorganizational communication.