Partnerships for Scale: Building Collaborations with Outsized Impact

​Partnerships are everywhere in philanthropy and development — but not all of them deliver on the promise of scale, sustainability, or systemic change. For funders, the challenge is not just building partnerships, but building the right ones: collaborations that break silos, align strategies, and unlock impact that no single actor could achieve alone.

This session invites funders and practitioners to reflect on the opportunities and pitfalls of partnerships and coalitions. Together, we’ll ask: what does it take to move beyond rhetoric toward collaborations that truly shift systems?

Speakers

• ​Beatrice Onyango — Senior Equitable Giving Manager at Segal Family Foundation, supporting inclusive philanthropy and equitable grantmaking.

• ​Chilande Kuloba-Warria — Founder & MD of Warande, driving social impact through leadership, governance, and organizational development.

• ​Jen Schumacher-Kocik — Partnerships Leader, strengthening social impact through nonprofit strategy, collaborative philanthropy, and CSR.

• ​Wende Valentine — Executive Director of dZi Foundation, leading community-driven development initiatives in rural eastern Nepal.

• ​Wendy Chamberlin — Senior Advisor at Trickle Up with nearly 20 years’ experience in philanthropy, financial inclusion, and climate-adaptive solutions.

​What to Expect

• ​Surface lessons learned – Share what makes funder collaborations succeed — and where they fall short.

• ​Explore models of scale – Examine how partnerships and networks can sustain long-term impact.

• ​Challenge assumptions – Discuss whether de-siloing efforts actually lead to outsized outcomes.

• ​Co-create principles – Identify what effective, equitable, and durable collaborations look like.

​Why Join?

• ​Rethink the role of partnerships in driving scale and systems change.

• ​Learn directly from peers experimenting with funder and cross-sector collaborations.

• ​Contribute your own insights to a candid conversation on what works — and what doesn’t.

• ​Leave with practical ideas for building partnerships that matter.

​Who Should Attend?

• ​Funders and philanthropists exploring collaborative giving and pooled models.

• ​Foundation and NGO leaders invested in coalition-building for systemic change.

• ​Practitioners curious about engaging funders in cross-sector partnerships.

• ​Anyone committed to moving partnerships from rhetoric to real impact.