How Collaboration is Powering Social Impact in 2025
219 professionals weighed in on what’s next for the impact sector, identifying resource pooling and collaboration as the industry’s biggest opportunity.
Across sectors, social impact leaders are facing economic instability, political resistance, and mounting burnout. But even in this turbulence, one thing is becoming clear: working in silos is no longer an option.
More than half of the respondents in our recently released 2025 State of Social Impact Report identified Resource Pooling & Collaboration as the biggest opportunity this year. Whether you’re a nonprofit navigating funding freezes or a purpose-driven company seeking to scale meaningful work, the path ahead is collective.
We need to stop working in silos and start recognizing that the challenges we face—climate, equity, justice, access—are deeply interconnected. No one organization can solve them alone.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Frontline nonprofits to brand-led initiatives, cross-sector teams are building reciprocal partnerships. Teams are opting to share resources and insight with co-created campaigns. Each organization is leveraging its unique strengths to expand access for the partner organization.
Whether it’s a nonprofit contracting an agency to craft with taste or a consumer brand allying with a grassroots leader, the sector is prioritizing collaboration over competition.
As one responder expressed, “We need more honest, behind-the-scenes conversations, especially around survival strategies. That includes financial pivots, messaging risks, and structural pressures that aren’t always shared in the open.”
We found a majority agreement that sharing strategies is important as the effort to create a better world globally is a collective one. Instead of focusing on singular success, respondents say they’re building collaborations grounded in a shared vision.
This is also key for building dynamic work that is not one-dimensional. Especially considering the intersectional nature of advocacy, sharing innovation can inspire tangible change across the board. Thinking out of the silo in advocacy is key for Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director of the national gun reform advocacy initiative, Moms Demand Action.
Especially when advocating for a multi-layered issue such as gun violence, working across sectors is how they advocate for the socioeconomic reasons that lead to the main issue in the first place. She told us working in alliances is key in navigating multidimensional issues in Episode 6 of The Negative Space.
I think this is where it's really important to work in partnership. We are on the front lines of gun violence prevention, but there are other organizations that might be on the front lines of food insecurity or might be on the front lines of mental health care or might be on the front lines of just healthcare generally or crime or whatever that may be. And I think it's so important to bring all those pieces together. - Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director of Moms Demand Action
Organizations reported co-applying for grants, co-producing campaigns, and co-owning outcomes, demonstrating the power of shared solutions in driving a goal forward.
For nonprofits, collaboration is a resilience strategy: partnerships help lighten operational burdens, open new funding opportunities, and increase reach without overstretching your team. For for-profits, it’s about impact integrity: working alongside community-rooted groups creates work that resonates, rather than replicates. It’s also how today’s consumers and clients measure commitment.
“We must come together to amass scale amongst ourselves. The work, thus impact, is more important than ever. Too many siloed and micro conversations are happening. We need a conversation and singular voice to address the attack on impact-centric work.”
We have a five-step guide on how you can form the right partnership for your goals in the State of Social Impact report. Inside, you’ll find guiding questions to inform the process of tailoring the right collaboration for your cause and audience.
You can also use the Anthem Winners Gallery as a roadmap. Identify potential partners aligned in mission, medium, or audience. And explore The Negative Space Podcast for the solutions that impact leaders are using to navigate the impact sector today.
If you’ve been making an impact on the world, honoring it on our stage can give you global exposure. Enter the 5th Annual Anthem Awards before the Final Entry Deadline on Friday, August 1st!
