Collaboration from within

The overall aim of the ‘Collaboration from within’ project is to strengthen the internal and external
collaboration capacity of Flemish care and welfare organisations within the social profit sector that participate in – whether
mandatory or not – external partnerships and networks. The project supports organisations in thinking and acting in an impact-oriented manner
within external (cross-sectoral) collaborations. After two years, this has resulted in a practical guide setting out the
building blocks of a collaboration policy (policy areas, work processes) and the effective principles and conditions for
developing,
evaluating and strengthening the collaborative capacity of individual organisations, within the context of networks and collaboration. This enables social profit organisations to position themselves as competent, reliable and
attractive network partners and to fulfil their social mission with greater impact.

The project aims to strengthen the
collaborative capacity of both non-profit organisations and businesses (consultancy firms) by providing a practical guide and concrete tools, ensuring that collaboration is no
longer organised on an ad hoc basis but rather in a strategic and structured manner. This leads to a more efficient use of resources,
cost savings, better staff deployment and a wider reach for services. At the same time, organisations can become more innovative,
resilient and attractive as partners.
For consultancy, this translates into new, evidence-based insights and methodologies that tailor services to specific sectors
. Collectively, this results in clear economic added value and greater social impact, as
organisations collaborate more effectively on complex issues and are thus able to offer higher-quality and more integrated
support.
Applying the practical guide helps to gain insight into the impact of collaboration on
the individual organisation, both in the short and long term.