It’s not easy being a nonprofit in 2026. Funding from traditional sources is declining, and fulfilling their missions with the limited resources available is a continual challenge.
NonProfit Connect, the Hamilton-based organization dedicated to building nonprofit leadership capacity, wants to help. And while it can’t offer money, it can offer strategies for navigating this challenging new landscape.
On Wednesday, February 25, the organization is launching “The Resilient Nonprofit: Collaboration and Creative Solutions for Success,” a three-part series to help regional nonprofit leaders move past survival mode. The free series is aimed at nonprofit executive directors, CEOs, senior staff, and board members.
Meetings take place in person at the Princeton Area Community Foundation in Carnegie Center from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. 30 minutes of networking precedes the formal program. Space is limited, and registration is required by visiting www.nonprofitconnectnj.org.
The sessions cover strategies for creative, collaborative nonprofit management that encourages long-term stability and growth. These strategies are:
Leverage Collective Intelligence: Engage in shared learning with regional peers facing similar hurdles.
Protect and Advance Your Mission: Explore practical ways to adapt your organizational model while staying grounded in purpose and community impact.
Move from Isolation to Integration: Learn how shared back-end services can reduce overhead.
The first session, on Wednesday, February 25, is titled “Strategic Alliances in Practice: When, Why, and How Nonprofits Partner.” Presenter Allison Trimarco, a Bordentown resident, is the founder of Creative Capacity, an organization that partners with nonprofit leaders to solve management challenges and strengthen their missions.
Event materials describe the session as follows:
“Strategic partnerships, including alliances, program transfers, administrative consolidations, and mergers, can help nonprofits strengthen impact, extend capacity, solve persistent challenges, and respond to changing conditions when approached thoughtfully.
“This session is for nonprofits exploring collaboration as a pathway to greater stability and success. We will examine the range of partnership models available and how they work in practice. Participants will learn when it makes sense to consider collaboration or consolidation, the first steps to take, how to bring boards into the conversation, and common challenges that can derail these efforts.”
The second session, also led by Trimarco, takes place Wednesday, March 25. “Leveraging Partnerships for Greater Good — Voices of Experience” builds on the partnership discussion from the first session and brings in the perspectives nonprofit leaders with firsthand experience of mergers, collaborations, and program transfers.
“Panelists will reflect on their decision making process, lessons learned, and the realities of navigating change. Participants will gain candid insight into what worked, what was challenging, and what they wish they had known earlier, offering practical takeaways for leaders considering or actively exploring partnership opportunities,” event materials say.
The final session, “Alternative Options to Making It Work: Rethinking ‘Back-End Functions,’” takes place Wednesday, April 22. The session is described as follows:
“As nonprofits navigate tighter budgets and growing demands, many are turning to alternative staffing and service models. This session introduces options such as fractional roles and PEOs and explores how they work in practice. A panel of service providers and nonprofit leaders will share real-world experiences, highlighting benefits, trade-offs, and key questions to consider when deciding if these approaches are the right fit for your organization.”
