People have to connect as people before they can collaborate

Networks grow at the speed of trust.

Josiah Hannah from Coalfield Development shared a good idea from their monthly staff meetings. They included meals, which made the whole thing more personal and relaxed.

But then they realized they could expand this approach. They started inviting community partners to join some of their gatherings. The shared meals created natural conversation and connection. You can imagine how this expanded their potential for collaboration with their nonprofit partners. From there, they expanded again to include people they call solutionists: rural do-ers, people with promising ideas and drive but maybe not a platform yet.

That adds up to their staff, their nonprofit partners, and the local people creating great things informally. What started as internal team building is a solid foundation for broader community collaboration.

People have to connect as people before they can collaborate.

Or put it another way:

Networks grow at the speed of trust.
(I saw that on an Appalachian quilt.)

Who are you inviting to your next staff meal?

Build Robust Networks for Targeted Purposes

If you’re ready to build stronger collaboration in your community, check out our free recording of our Rural Collaboration Webinar. Dell Gines from IEDC (International Economic Development Council) joined me and Deb Brown from SaveYour.Town for a no-charge webinar to help you develop robust networks for targeted purposes.

Get the recording here: Rural Collaboration Webinar

The strategies we share have been tested in real communities. Because when people connect as people first, collaboration becomes possible.