GLN 2025 - A Different Approach - Panels

[Paul Terlemezian]

This link will be used for all of these events:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85383220879?pwd=mXpWalPwlyaYtyASPOrBHrY1E...

• Meeting ID: 853 8322 0879
• Passcode: 764101

Please send an email to [e-mail] or reply to this discussion if you are interested in having a role on any of these panels.

Thursday, October 30, 8:00 - 9:15              The Real Need                           Plus-BYOL-Plus

Who benefits when nonprofits and for-profits collaborate? What do the beneficiaries need from the collaboration? What will we not collaborate on that "everyone" does? What collaborations will we reduce? What aspects of collaboration will we do better than anyone? What aspect of collaboration has "never" been done?

Humorists:

• When money speaks...

Panelists:

• Chuck Barlow

Moderators:

"Remarkable Speakers:

Friday, October 31, 1:00 - 2:15                Business Model                          Plus-BYOL-Plus

Who is the beneficiary? What do they value? What relationship will we establish with them? Who already has a relationship with them? What revenue streams will we create? What activities will we offer? What resources do we need? Who will we partner with? What expenses will we incur?

Humorists:

• Sheldon Approved

Panelists:

• Shannon Dayhoff

Moderators:

• Chuck Barlow

"Remarkable Speakers:

Monday, November 3, 10:00 - 11:15            Decisions about Data                   Plus-BYOL-Plus 

What new questions will we ask about old problems? What new answer will we seek to old questions? What comes first - the data we need or the decisions we make? What data will we create? Who needs this data? How do we assure the timeliness, accuracy, and completeness of the data we use or create?

Humorists:

• Shopping Efficiency

Panelists:

• Mike Blake
• Eric Bluestein
• Sherry Heyl

Moderators:

• Chuck Barlow

"Remarkable Speakers:

Tuesday, November 4, 2:00 - 3:15            Incremental Improvement              Plus-BYOL-Plus

• Crawl – What can be done today to make progress?
• Walk – What can be done repeatedly to make progress?
• Run – How do we predictably accelerate progress?
• Drive – How do we broaden the impact of the progress?
• Fly – How do we reach what was unattainable?
• Orbit – How do we sustain performance assurance?

Humorists:

• And...

Panelists:

• Chuck Barlow
• Bob Norton

Moderators:

"Remarkable Speakers:

Thursday, November 6, 1:00 - 2:15           Simplification                               Plus-BYOL-Plus

The rules of simplification:

1. Understand what others really do - not what they say they do, or you think they do...and why
2. Reinforce  integrators - people with the position and interest to make others cooperate
3. Increase power for others so that they use their judgment and take risk
4. Shadow of the Future - feedback loops that reveal to people the consequences of their actions
5. Increase Reciprocity - remove barriers that create dysfunctional self-sufficiency
6. Reward Cooperation - failure is not helping or not asking for help...identify real weaknesses

Humorists:

• A Simple Act
• Yves Morieux

Panelists:

• Chuck Barlow
• Judy Glick-Smith

Moderators:

"Remarkable Speakers:

Monday, Friday November 17 21, 12:00 - 12:45     Summary                                    Conversation

• What did we learn?
• What will we do next?
• How can you collaborate with us or others?
• What do you wish to make sure we know about?
• What else?

[Paul Terlemezian]

I asked Claude AI to answer the questions associated with The Real Need:

Who benefits when nonprofits and for-profits collaborate?

The beneficiaries are multi-layered: the end communities/populations being served, both organizations (through shared resources and expanded impact), employees who gain diverse perspectives, and society at large through more sustainable solutions. The most profound benefit goes to those who fall through the cracks when sectors work in silos—people facing complex problems that need both market efficiency and mission-driven commitment.

What do the beneficiaries need from the collaboration?

They need authentic partnership not performative allyship, sustained commitment beyond pilot programs, transparency about motivations and constraints, solutions co-created with them (not for them), and accountability mechanisms that keep both partners honest. Most critically, they need the collaboration to actually solve problems rather than just generate reports or PR.

What will we not collaborate on that "everyone" does?

Refuse the "innovation theater"—those high-visibility partnerships that look good in press releases but lack real implementation plans. Avoid collaborations driven purely by optics, tax benefits, or checking ESG boxes. Skip the endless "convenings" that produce frameworks but no action. Don't compete for the same pool of philanthropic dollars while pretending to collaborate.

What collaborations will we reduce?

Reduce transactional, one-off engagements that create overhead without impact. Scale back partnerships where power imbalances prevent honest dialogue. Minimize collaborations with misaligned values or where one party sees the other as merely a service provider rather than a true partner.

What aspects of collaboration will we do better than anyone?

Excel at shared risk-taking—where both sectors put real skin in the game. Master the art of translating between different organizational languages and metrics. Build trust faster through radical transparency about what each party needs to succeed. Create feedback loops that actually inform strategy, not just annual reports.

What aspect of collaboration has "never" been done?

True co-governance models where decision-making power is genuinely shared across sectors and includes beneficiary voices at the board level. Collaborations where the for-profit's core business model actually transforms (not just its CSR arm). Partnerships with built-in "sunset clauses" designed to make the collaboration obsolete because the problem is solved—not sustained indefinitely for institutional survival.

How do these resonate with the community you're building? I'm curious what unique insights your diverse leaders bring to these questions.