Strategies for actors offer a surprising insight into creating healthy nonprofit collaborations. This 20-minute exploration will delve into how specific rules can be applied to partnerships. For example, actors doing improvisation follow the "Yes, And" rule – never saying no. We can do the same in the nonprofit world; instead of telling other agencies 'no', we can tell them 'yes, and we will need some funding to make that happen' or 'yes, and we will need a location closer to our clients. Other lessons we can learn are deep breathing, intentional listening (rather than waiting for our 'cue' to say our line), and examining our own actions by understanding what we want for our organizations, why we want it, how we will get it by working in partnership, and what we need to overcome any obstacles. 

Based on years of experience in theatre, including undergraduate and graduate degrees, Jess Blaisus will discuss how these rules of acting have supported Resounding Joy's sustainable model of collaboration, reducing inefficiencies, and building community throughout San Diego. Participants will review funding models, clinic-to-community service continuity, and how we should always say "yes, and" instead of "no" and make sure we make our partners look as good as (or better!) than ourselves to best support our clients.

Learning Objective(s)

1. Develop strategies for promoting healthier and stronger collaborations with other agencies