Key Takeaways

• Strong relationships are built through consistent actions that demonstrate reliability, respect, and follow-through over time.
• Trust deepens when leaders listen actively and engage stakeholders as partners rather than transactions.
• Relationship strength increases when communication is authentic, transparent, and aligned with shared values.
• Sustainable impact depends on investing in long-term relationships, not just short-term outcomes or immediate needs.
• Nonprofits thrive when leaders intentionally design systems and habits that prioritize connection, reciprocity, and mutual benefit.

Engaging in effective networking and building strong relationships can provide nonprofits with valuable support and resources. From individual donors to corporate sponsors, forming tight partnerships extends the reach of a nonprofit and enables all involved parties to boost their credibility and generate positive results.

However, developing genuine, meaningful relationships means making deliberate decisions based on full consideration of the benefits for the constituents a nonprofit serves. Below, 18 Forbes Nonprofit Council members discuss how nonprofit professionals can go about building relationships with other organizations, community leaders and stakeholders.

1. Focus On Building A Real Connection

Healthy nonprofit partnerships grow from relationships, not transactions. Reach out early, listen closely and understand what partners truly value. Trust grows in quieter moments like check-ins and coffee breaks. Stay connected and show up in the ways that matter. This familiarity makes collaboration feel authentic and is where meaningful impact begins. Nurture relationships to build shared possibilities. – Jessica Gomez, Momentous Institute

2. Take The Initiative

Don’t wait for a perfectly packaged partnership opportunity to land in your lap—reach out first. Approach potential collaborators with curiosity and a willingness to explore ideas that may fall outside your usual focus or sector. Proactive engagement signals openness and creates space for authentic connection. – Bree Carriglio, Fund For Armenian Relief

3. Find Common Ground

First, we find where WKKF’s priorities align with others’ goals. Pooling funding with funders and investors and building deep relationships with our nonprofit partners has vastly multiplied the impact of our work. Forming partnerships begins with listening to the communities where we work and to potential nonprofit and funding partners. This requires an open curiosity, not a prescribed offer. – Carla D. Thompson Payton, W. K. Kellogg Foundation

4. Start With Trust

When nonprofits communicate consistently, listen actively and show genuine understanding of others’ priorities, they create the conditions for partnership. From there, shared goals emerge, opening the door to collaborative efforts that deliver real value for both the organization and the community. – Lacey Stone, USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

5. Embrace Curiosity

Successful relationships are born out of shared need and purpose. Start with curiosity by asking what the other group is trying to solve, why it matters and what’s changed for them. Share your own goals and compare notes. A quick reset and alignment check builds trust and helps you find the overlap where real partnership can grow. – Matt Nash, The Blackbaud Giving Fund

6. Prioritize Authenticity And Genuine Interest

Strong relationships are built with authenticity and genuine interest. Connect as human beings first, then find shared goals and offer to help or collaborate to achieve them. AI allows us to be so much more efficient, so we can invest our time saved in nurturing our human connections and building trust. If you can meet in person, opt for that. Either way, showing up consistently is key. – Carrie Varoquiers, Workday

7. Avoid Being Transactional

Don’t only engage when you need something. Instead, collaborate regularly by sharing best practices, reciprocating referrals and including peer organizations in media and thought leadership opportunities. Make sure there’s a mutually beneficial reason to collaborate. – Philip Weinberg, STRIVE

8. Align Around Shared Mandates

I focus on building relationships through shared mandates. As an intergovernmental organization, we begin by aligning with governments, institutions and community leaders around common development priorities. When cooperation starts with mutual objectives and transparent dialogue, partnerships grow naturally and become long-term and effective. – Ekramy El Zaghat, World Fund for Development and Planning

9. Seek Reciprocal Support

Support goes both ways. Look for ways that each partner can support the other. For example, a local artist group recently donated some amazing pieces of their original artwork for our 50th Anniversary Luncheon and Silent Auction. A few weeks later, I and some of my board members attended an art show to benefit this same group. It’s a simple gesture, but one that demonstrates my desire to build a true relationship. – Kimberly Lewis, Goodwill Industries of East Texas, Inc.

10. Show Up Consistently

One of the most effective ways nonprofits can build meaningful relationships is by showing up consistently for the community in ways that aren’t transactional. That means engaging long before you need something. Spend time listening to key leaders, joining coalitions, attending neighborhood meetings and asking what gaps they see on the ground. – Christine Schuster, Emerson Health

11. Be A Generous Connector

I’ve found the easiest way to build real partnerships is to be a generous connector long before you need anything. Share a resource, make an introduction or hype someone’s work publicly. People remember who shows up with no strings attached. It keeps things human and opens the door to collaborations that feel like actual relationships, not networking with a name tag. – Michael Bellavia, HelpGood

12. Organize Collaborative Events

Nonprofits can cultivate key relationships by organizing collaborative events. Invite community leaders to co-create initiatives, and consistently follow up to sustain momentum. What works best is fostering authentic dialogue. Start by listening first, then offering shared value so that trust grows naturally into long-term partnerships that provide resources, credibility and mutual support. – Yujia Zhu, FASSLING.AI

13. Seek To Amplify Other Perspectives

One of the most powerful questions you can ask is, “Who’s missing?” Start by deeply engaging your key donors and volunteers, then invite them to help answer that question. This strengthens their connection to your organization and opens the door to warm, trusted introductions, allowing you to expand your network through people who already believe in your mission rather than cold outreach. – Karen Cochran, Philanthropy Innovators

14. Hold Small Roundtables With Peer Organizations

Nonprofits can strengthen networks by convening small roundtables with peer nonprofits, funders, experts, employers and civic leaders. Use the session to spot trends, surface shared challenges and identify one or two joint actions. Distribute responsibilities and schedule a follow-up session. For years, I’ve seen how these focused conversations build buy-in and lead to practical collaboration. – Christopher Washington, Innovative Leadership Institute

15. Invite Partners To Co-Author Articles

I focus on elevating partners by inviting them to co-author thought leadership pieces. This moves us beyond transactional relationships to shared intellectual ownership. By sharing my platform to amplify their voice, I validate their expertise and deepen trust. It transforms stakeholders into true collaborators while expanding our collective impact. – Erin Mote, InnovateEDU

16. Co-Design Relationships

A great place to begin is intentionally designing relationships with partners and community leaders. Lead by listening for shared values and priorities, then experiment in simple ways to collaborate and show up for one another in a truly relational way. These trust-based and human-centered practices often create alignment and unlock momentum for collective impact through heart-based connections. – Jasmine Burton, America’s Promise Alliance

17. Be Willing To Put In Effort

You have to give to get. The strongest partnerships are those in which both sides benefit and both sides have skin in the game. With every potential partner, it isn’t just about why it’s good for you; you need to also demonstrate how it benefits the partner and how partnering with your organization leverages their other investments in the space. It’s all about creating a win-win situation. – Patrick Riccards, Driving Force Institute

18. Maintain Consistent Engagement

Lasting partnerships tend to grow from consistent engagement with people and communities over time. That presence builds trust and understanding in ways that formal outreach alone cannot. Those relationships provide a steady foundation for collaboration that holds up over time. – Gregory Johnson, Foundation for the Mid South

*This article originally appeared in Forbes