The Challenge: The funding landscape is shifting, and the traditional "do more with less" model is reaching its limit.
The Solution: Our three-part series, The Resilient Nonprofit: Collaboration and Creative Solutions for Success, is a dedicated space for regional nonprofit leaders to move beyond survival mode. Through a focus on organizational strengths and creative collaboration, we will explore strategies for moving your charitable mission with a focus on sustainability and explore ways that strategic alliances and shared services can protect your mission while increasing your impact. Join a cohort of Executive Directors, senior staff, and Board members to investigate sustainable approaches for the future.
- Leverage Collective Intelligence: Engage in shared learning with regional peers facing similar hurdles.
- Protect and Advance Your Mission: Explore practical ways to adapt your organizational model while staying grounded in purpose and community impact.
- Move from Isolation to Integration: Learn how shared back-end services can reduce overhead.
Session 1: Strategic Alliances in Practice: When, Why, and How Nonprofits Partner
February 25th 8:30am-10:30am
Presenter: Allison Trimarco
Strategic partnerships, including alliances, program transfers, administrative consolidations, and mergers, can help nonprofits strengthen impact, extend capacity, solve persistent challenges, and respond to changing conditions when approached thoughtfully.
This session is for nonprofits exploring collaboration as a pathway to greater stability and success. We will examine the range of partnership models available and how they work in practice. Participants will learn when it makes sense to consider collaboration or consolidation, the first steps to take, how to bring boards into the conversation, and common challenges that can derail these efforts.
Session 2: Leveraging Partnerships for Greater Good - Voices of Experience
March 25th 8:30am-10:30am
Moderator: Allison Trimarco
Now that we have discussed strategic partnership options, this session brings together nonprofit leaders [and board members] who have firsthand experience with mergers, collaborations, and program transfers to share what it really looks like from the inside.
Panelists will reflect on their decision making process, lessons learned, and the realities of navigating change. Participants will gain candid insight into what worked, what was challenging, and what they wish they had known earlier, offering practical takeaways for leaders considering or actively exploring partnership opportunities.
Session 3: Alternative Options to Making It Work: Rethinking “Back-End Functions”
April 22nd 8:30am-10:30am
As nonprofits navigate tighter budgets and growing demands, many are turning to alternative staffing and service models. This session introduces options such as fractional roles and PEOs and explores how they work in practice. A panel of service providers and nonprofit leaders will share real-world experiences, highlighting benefits, trade-offs, and key questions to consider when deciding if these approaches are the right fit for your organization.
Location: Princeton Area Community Foundation
2/25/26 & 3/25/26:Stockton Room- lower level of Building 212 Carnegie Center Dr, Princeton, NJ 08540
4/22/26: Einstein Room- lower level of Building 101 Carnegie Center Dr, Princeton, NJ 08540
Networking from 8:30-9:00am with program to follow
Seating is limited. We encourage early registration and ask that organizations limit attendance to a small number of key staff members.