Chris Tonniges, President and CEO of Lutheran Family Services, and Wayne Brown, President and CEO of the Urban League of Nebraska, found that there wasn’t a space for nonprofit executives to meet and have the opportunity to collaborate. The “Future of Human Care” Symposium was created to bring nonprofits together to harness the power of collaboration. On October 11th, Lutheran Family Services (LFS) partnered with Urban League of Nebraska and McGrath North to organize an inaugural symposium for nonprofit executives to discuss “Hot Topics” in nonprofit care such as finding the right collaborators, fundraising and building long-term strategies to prepare nonprofits for whatever lies ahead in the future.

While others may see competition in the nonprofit space, Tonniges sees opportunity for partnerships. “The demand for help greatly outweighs the support nonprofits are capable of giving. Only through collaboration can we meet the needs of the people,” Tonniges says.

One of the big points at the event was finding the right people with whom to collaborate. It’s important to find like-minded leaders to have discussions about ways in which they can uplift one another and to create complementary strategies for the future. Tonniges explains that collaborative success happens when we “park the ego at the door.” The goal of a partnership is to achieve and provide the best possible care and opportunities for the people and communities one serves.

LFS and Urban League of Nebraska have experienced the benefits of actively working together when organizing career fairs. After having separate events, Urban League of Nebraska and LFS realized one was better at bringing in driven people looking for work and the other did a better job at bringing employers of various fields to the conventions. Now they have collective job fairs, combining their skill sets to serve their communities comprehensively.

Before hopping into alliances, organizations need to do an internal assessment to figure out what they do well and what they need to do better. An assessment provides insight on how to find the best collaborators for every aspect of each nonprofit’s plan to strengthen and grow the communities they support. Nonprofits, when exchanging skills and ideas, can click together like puzzle pieces to create a bigger picture for the best ways to execute human care now and into the future.

The symposium also highlighted the need for discussing and establishing long-term strategies to keep nonprofits going through anything the future may bring. How a nonprofit sets up their sustainability model directly affects how they can serve the community in perpetuity. One of the keys is to not have a singular fund. There can be risks when relying on one person or company. It’s also important for nonprofits to not be scared to reach out to for-profit organizations. It won’t taint the integrity of an event to have a for-profit partnership when goals align. McGrath North, a local law firm that helped to organize this event, sees uncapped potential between partnerships between for-and nonprofits. Lauren Goodman, a Shareholder of McGrath North explains that “events like [the symposium] only serve to make our communities stronger.” Including for-profits collaborations in the nonprofit sector can help provide insights from different perspectives on finances and fundraising, direct care, underserved areas in the community and what they need from nonprofit organizations. It is also a way to build lasting community relationships and connections. Everybody in our community can play a role in nonprofits’ missions and goals.

Recognizing limitations of the nonprofit is another important factor to collective success. Some nonprofits are expansive and serve multiple communities — LFS, for example, has 21 locations across 9 communities — which allows the nonprofits to fulfill more needs. But even larger nonprofits have limitations, and through collaboration with smaller and newer nonprofits, organizations can help exceed the limitations each encounter through exchanges in skills and collective goals.

Some of the biggest issues nonprofits battle surround access and systemic programs. Starting in 2024, Medicaid will have new health plan contracts which will be in place until 2028. The new structure forces partnerships within the medical sphere as part of the model. Another issue that Omaha still sees is a sense of redlining, keeping services and care in some communities and out of others. “You can’t force the neighborhood to solve all of its issues,” Tonniges says.

A shifting in population brings about its own set of issues. People who live below the poverty line are being pushed out of certain areas and into others such as Millard, Papillon, Elkhorn, and the services those residents require need to be relocated to serve those who are in need.

Moving forward the goal of the symposium is to inspire others to grow and evolve. LFS and Urban League of Nebraska see this as a launching point and hope other organizations run with the box they’ve opened. They hope to continue with the partners and sponsors they were able to work with during the event such as McGrath North. Getting together to create more change for the better of communities was the goal of the first symposium and will continue through every symposium moving forward. “It’s about the collective improving the community,” Tonniges says.