Supporting Collaborative Practice

Fostering deep relationships is at the heart of what we do.

The increasingly complex socio-environmental issues of recent decades have spurred a new generation of collaboration that spans ownership boundaries, watersheds, communities, projects, and existing partnerships.

This kind of collaboration is how we move beyond land protection toward caring for our social and ecological systems in ways that are democratic and durable, and also how we bring the power of collective impact through networks to life.

The CLSN supports this work through fostering best practices for collaboration and by championing broad participation, inclusivity, and access. This includes peer exchange, research on collaborative capacity and impact, and resources for those working in partnerships.

Resources that support collaborative practice

Collaborative Stewardship toolkit here!

Are you a member or coordinator of a partnership or collaborative? Dive into our Collaborative Stewardship Toolkit for helpful resources and guidance on every stage of a collaborative's life cycle.

Fundamentals of Collaboration

Collaborative stewardship is both an art and a science. Get the tools and resources you need to work better together here.

Do more, better, together: Investing in collaborative work to make a difference

2025

Details: Collaborative approaches are often applied to today’s most complex challenges and emergent opportunities. This is certainly true for the field of landscape stewardship, the practice of conserving, restoring, and stewarding landscapes and seascapes at scale. Those working in this field recognize the value of collaboration, and while pressing questions persist, the discussion has shifted. Rather than question the value of collaboration, it is more likely to be about why and how to invest in collaborative models. The purpose of this article is to contribute to the larger conversation by introducing the Collaborative Capacity Impact Model™, a data-driven framework based on an interdependent, scalable system of 15 impacts and the process of scaling up, accelerating, and sustaining those impacts. The concept of collaboratives as a special type of organizational model is discussed, along with five key collaborative design elements.

What Does Collaborative Capacity Make Possible?

November

2023

Details

Collaborative conservation and stewardship offer effective approaches for addressing complex challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental justice. They also provide innovative ways to fill governance gaps and make inclusive decisions in situations for which we have no sufficient structure, processes, or abilities. However, in order to effectively allocate scarce resources, we need to better understand how to invest in the “collaborative capacity” that sustains collaborative groups, partnerships, and networks.

This study provides an analysis of what collaborative capacity is and how it leads to improved conservation and stewardship outcomes based on expert perspectives gathered from in-depth interviews and focus groups with practitioners, leaders, and funders across the United States.

We present a framework that illustrates the collaborative capacity elements that are necessary and fundable, as well as a list of activities they enable. We share the reasons why consistent, long-term investment in these elements is needed. We emphasize the contextual factors that affect collaboration so that these investments are made in the right places, at the right times, and in the right ways to achieve their potential. We end with a set of recommendations directed toward practitioners, funders, and researchers that will help align their efforts, making them more effective, efficient, and able to achieve durable outcomes.

What Does Collaborative Capacity Mean? Moving Toward a Shared Understanding

August

2022

Details

Collaboratives continue to emerge as a viable and effective type of organization that can tackle today’s most complex problems. Collaboratives reflect the best qualities of formal and informal organizations — durable and adaptable. To optimize these qualities, their capacity needs must be met.

The purpose of this research note is two-fold:

(1) to raise awareness that collaboratives (as a type of organization) have capacity needs just like all other enduring organizations, and
(2) to help develop a common language and understanding of collaborative capacity and other relevant terms.

Supporting Collaborative Practice

Fostering deep relationships is at the heart of what we do.

Resources that support collaborative practice

Collaborative Stewardship toolkit here!

Fundamentals of Collaboration

Do more, better, together: Investing in collaborative work to make a difference

What Does Collaborative Capacity Make Possible?

What Does Collaborative Capacity Mean? Moving Toward a Shared Understanding

The Stewardship Network

Contact Us

Support Our Work

Supporting Collaborative Practice

Fostering deep relationships is at the heart of what we do.

Resources that support collaborative practice

Collaborative Stewardship toolkit here!

Fundamentals of Collaboration

Do more, better, together: Investing in collaborative work to make a difference

What Does Collaborative Capacity Make Possible?

What Does Collaborative Capacity Mean? Moving Toward a Shared Understanding

The Stewardship Network

Contact Us

Support Our Work

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