In the community sector in New Zealand, there is a common struggle to operate on limited budgets, with increased demands on services. Recently, the challenge has been increased even further with many funders calling for a greater level of collaboration between organisations.

In the community sector in New Zealand, there is a common struggle to operate on limited budgets, with increased demands on services. Recently, the challenge has been increased even further with many funders calling for a greater level of collaboration between organisations.

Much research, discussion and evaluation has been conducted to explore the principles and practices of successful collaboration, and to understand how organisations can forge productive and fair partnerships.

Largely successful collaboration is about finding a common ground, defining a clear purpose, and developing trust in one another to work together to better support the community that you're collectively serving.

However, it's equally important to have systems and technologies in place that can enable you to communicate effectively, to share knowledge and resources, and to help manage the time of all of the parties involved.

Some tools that are available to use when working in collaborative partnerships are:

• Microsoft Project 2010 is among the best in project management & collaboration software. From meeting crucial deadlines, to selecting the right resources and empowering your teams, the Online Project Management Software is an intuitive system which helps organisations more effectively find and share information, with all partners involved in a project or programme.
  Find Microsoft Project software donations for eligible not-for-profits

• Microsoft Sharepoint 2010 makes it easier for people to work together. Using SharePoint 2010, people can set up websites to share information with others, manage documents from start to finish and publish reports to help everyone make better decisions.
  Find Microsoft Sharepoint software donations for eligible not-for-profits

• It's not always easy or convenient for all parties to be in the same place, but it's important that proximity doesn't hinder progress on a project. GotoMeeting is a web conferencing tool that allows 25 users and a host to collaborate securely on the web and on the phone. It's ideal for conducting online meetings and video conferences with remote users, giving impromptu online presentations or providing online training to volunteers or other users.
  Find GoToMeeting software donations for eligible not-for-profits

• For smaller projects, there's also a number of other cloud based solutions that can be used to help with collaborative processes. Use Dropbox or SkyDrive to share files remotely, Google docs to co-edit documents in real-time, and Doodle to align meetings in calendars.

• With Microsoft Office 365, you can get your work done securely, communicate in real-time, and access and edit documents from almost anywhere. Combining the Microsoft Office suite with Office 365 unlocks its full potential as a great solution for productivity, collaboration, communication, and worry-free IT, using programmes that you're already familiar with like Excel, Word, Powerpoint and Outlook.

No matter what tools you use, the principles of good collaboration still apply; you need trust, communication, clear goals, and to work together to serve your community. However, with the right technology solutions it can be so much easier to connect, to manage your projects and to keep things moving forward together.