Ability360 CEO: Treat other nonprofits as partners, not rivals

Phoenix (STN) – In uncertain times, nonprofits that treat each other as partners rather than competitors are better positioned to serve the people who depend on them. That was the message from Chris Rodriguez, CEO of Ability360, who joined the November episode of ‘It Happens at STN’ to talk about collaboration.

Ability360 is a Phoenix nonprofit that has empowered people with disabilities for more than 40 years. “Our mission is to support people with disabilities so that they can exercise maximum independence in the community,” Rodriguez said. The organization does that through home healthcare, home modification programs, and its sports and fitness center, which recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. All of it is focused on youth, adults, and seniors with disabilities.

In recent years, Ability360 has absorbed several nonprofits and strengthened others. Rodriguez insisted that collaboration works as long as everyone comes to the table with the right mindset. “Come to the table in good faith and willing to listen to the others around the table and to think creatively about how to solve what can be extremely complex issues.”

Partnerships also do not have to stop at the edge of an organization’s mission. “You don’t always have to just stay in your bubble,” Rodriguez explained. “Even if one group is focused on disability and the other’s focused on homelessness, I think learning from each other is really what’s going to help us get through what can be some uncertain time.”

For leaders unsure how to start, he said it begins with not looking at each other “as competitors, but as nonprofits that are moving in the same direction to address issues in the community,” and with being willing to be vulnerable. Rodriguez has watched organizations struggle in silence until it was too late for peers or funders to help. “One of the assets of a true leader is being transparent,” he said, with colleagues, staff, and boards.

According to Rodriguez, that openness matters more now, as many nonprofits face deficit budgets. “If you don’t accept the fact that times are hard, it’s difficult to address those difficulties if you can’t see them.”