1. Know when to build, and when to join
Early in my career, I founded Grassroots Health, a youth-led public health organization that began with small, community-based efforts and grew into a movement for peer-led health education.
Over fifteen years, many aspiring social entrepreneurs came to me asking how they could start something of their own.
More often than not, I found myself turning the question around, asking not how, but why.
Why does this idea need to exist? Why are you the right person or team to bring it forward? And could your goals be better achieved by working with others already doing the work?
Unless no one is tackling the problem yet, real impact usually comes from joining forces to solve it, not duplicating solutions.
2. Do what you do best, not more
Every organisation is re-examining how to navigate an increasingly resource-limited sector. When you’re clear on what you do best – and humble about where others are stronger – collaboration becomes genuine. When each partner brings its unique strength to the table and stays anchored in solving the problem, partnership stops feeling like compromise.
So know your niche. Partner accordingly.
3. From ‘competing’, to ‘completing’ by default
Most of us were trained to build organizations that stand out, that prove their worth, that compete for funding and attention. But in a sector this stretched, competition doesn’t just slow us down – it fragments impact.
The organizations navigating this landscape best aren’t asking “How do we win?”. They’re starting by asking “Who completes what we can’t?”. Collaboration isn’t plan B. It’s the plan.
Final thought:
When we’re clear on what our distinct strength is, share it with others, and stay anchored in the problem we’re built to solve, impact at scale stops being something we chase, and starts being something we build together.
