Strategic Partnerships for Stronger Nonprofits

Nonprofits are most impactful when we work together. As nonprofits increasingly explore how to become sustainable, streamline operations, and expand their impact, more leaders are looking to strategic partnerships as viable strategies.  Strategic partnerships, which can take many forms, are often needed to advance mission-focused impact, efficiently steward resources for the benefit of the communities being served, and facilitate long-term change.

The Greater New Orleans Foundation, in partnership with JPMorgan Chase & Co., is excited to offer the Strategic Partnerships for Stronger Nonprofits series to help organizations explore and execute a strategic partnership or organizational restructure. Through this 2-part series, participants will: 

• Be introduced to the spectrum of strategic partnerships – including joint programming, shared administrative functions, strategic alliances, and mergers;  

• Walk through the stages of a strategic partnering or restructuring process;  

• Assess their readiness to enter a strategic partnership or begin an organizational restructure; and 

• Receive support to launch a project in real time (for organizations who exhibit readiness). 
  

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Session One: An Introduction to Strategic Partnerships and Organizational Restructuring 

All organizational collaborations draw from the same underlying concept: nonprofits can do better together. In this introductory session, you will build a foundational understanding of the broad continuum of strategic partnerships and organizational restructuring. Attendees will: 

• Learn how nonprofits collaborate through formal partnerships, mergers, joint ventures, administrative or back-office consolidations, and other creative endeavors; 

• Explore how nonprofits in our region have executed a variety of strategic partnership and organizational restructuring projects; 

• Engage in exercises to assess readiness for potential strategic partnerships or organizational restructuring; and 

• Explore potential organizational partners.

The workshop will be held in person on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 from 9 am to 12 pm. Breakfast is included. Organizational leaders and board members are encouraged, but not required, to attend this introductory workshop together. While the workshop is free, registration is required. Click here to register. Seating is limited.  

Please note that participation in session one is required if your organization is interested in attending session two. Additionally, upon completion of this introductory session, attending organizations will have the opportunity to sign up for office hours to support organizational explorations, assessments, or execution of a strategic partnership or organizational restructuring project. 

About the facilitator 

Lara Jakubowski, Partner and Head of Growth 

La Piana Consulting 

Lara Jakubowski (she/her) is a veteran leader in the social sector, with roots in community development finance and nonprofit capacity building. Her career has been inspired by the people and organizations committed to addressing income inequality. She focuses her client work on solutions that are evidence-based, practical, and sustainable. Lara meets clients where they are and leverages her experiences as a nonprofit Executive Director, lender to affordable housing developers, convener of nonprofits in shared spaces and shared services, Board Member, and technical assistance provider to build client impact. She has previously worked with the Greater New Orleans Foundation to support strategic partnership, organizational restructuring, and mergers projects in southeast Louisiana and see them to completion. 

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Session Two: From Assessment to Integration: Implementing a Strategic Partnership Project 

Pre-requisite: Organizations interested in registering for this session must have attended session one. 

While strategic partnerships can maximize efficiencies and enhance mission impact, they require an intentional approach. Organizational leaders – both board members and staff leadership – play important roles in developing successful collaborations. This second session will support nonprofits that have identified a potential organizational partner for a strategic partnership.  

In this session, nonprofit teams will extend and apply their learnings from session one, drawing upon case studies and experiences from nonprofits in our region. In this second part of the workshop series, participants will: 

• Dive further into the assessment, agreement, and implementation phases of the strategic partnering process; 

• Learn the complementary, yet distinct, roles that board members and executive leadership play in the process;  

• Complete an assessment to identify their core interests and critical issues; 

• Receive step-by-step guidance to implement a strategic partnership project; and 

• Develop a mitigation strategy for expressed concerns and roadblocks anticipated during the execution phase of the project. 

This session is for organizational teams (of 2-4 people) who have identified a strategic partnership project they want to pursue. To ensure board and staff leadership are moving together in both discussions and process, organizational teams must include the organizational leader (Executive Director or CEO) and at least one board member. Representatives from any partner organizations are expected to attend as well. 

This session will be held in person on Thursday, June 18, 2026, from 9 am-12 pm. While the workshop is free, registration is required and will open on April 1 to organizations that attended session one – “An Introduction to Strategic Partnerships and Organizational Restructuring.”  

About the facilitator 

Lara Jakubowski, Partner and Head of Growth 

La Piana Consulting 

Lara Jakubowski (she/her) is a veteran leader in the social sector, with roots in community development finance and nonprofit capacity building. Her career has been inspired by the people and organizations committed to addressing income inequality. She focuses her client work on solutions that are evidence-based, practical, and sustainable. Lara meets clients where they are and leverages her experiences as a nonprofit Executive Director, lender to affordable housing developers, convener of nonprofits in shared spaces and shared services, Board Member, and technical assistance provider to build client impact. She has previously worked with the Greater New Orleans Foundation to support strategic partnership, organizational restructuring, and mergers projects in southeast Louisiana and see them to completion.