Over the past year, a renewed spirit of collaboration has emerged among three key organizations serving Colorado’s nonprofit and philanthropic sector: Colorado Nonprofit Association, Community Resource Center and Philanthropy Colorado. What’s driving this shift? In short: new leadership, shared values, and a clear recognition that we can do more together.
Each organization welcomed a new or newly-tenured CEO within the past few years. These fresh perspectives—and a mutual commitment to strengthening the sector—opened the door to a more intentional approach to collaboration.
In November 2024, with support from the Boettcher Foundation, the three CEOs came together for a strategic planning session. This conversation marked an important pivot from informal connection to deliberate alignment. The session produced two tangible outcomes:
- A shared agreement to "start slow" and build trust through focused, high-impact collaboration.
- A decision to clearly articulate how each organization contributes uniquely to the sector’s health and capacity.
That spirit of shared leadership has already produced results.
Earlier this year, we jointly contributed to the State of the Sector event, elevating key challenges and opportunities for Colorado’s nonprofits. In parallel, our organizations stayed in close contact with both local and national partners to protect the sector’s role and independence amid emerging federal legislation and executive orders. The recently released Colorado Nonprofit Economic Impact Report (2024–2026) became a foundational tool in this work—highlighting the nonprofit sector’s $62 billion contribution to the state economy and its support for over 262,000 jobs.
To complement the data, we also created a joint narrative piece: Strengthening Colorado’s Nonprofit and Philanthropic Ecosystem. This companion report outlines how each organization plays a distinct role:
- Philanthropy Colorado supports institutional funders and leads philanthropic policy and peer learning.
- Colorado Nonprofit Association delivers advocacy, resources, and education for nonprofits across missions and regions.
- Community Resource Center provides deep capacity building and access support, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Together, these efforts lay the groundwork for smarter, more efficient collaboration—without duplicating services or diluting missions.
We believe this kind of alignment matters more than ever. As the needs of Colorado’s communities grow more complex, so must the coordination of those working to meet them.We invite you to explore the reports, reflect on the progress so far, and stay tuned for what’s ahead.
Read the COLORADO NONPROFIT ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT
Explore the COLLABORATIVE ECOSYSTEM OVERVIEW