07/05/2026
Collaboration is by design, never by chance
Across Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, Investing in Women supports Communities of Practice for gender advocacy. As we carried out this work with our partners, we learned that we, too, needed to operate as an “umbrella Community of Practice.”
With partners spread across countries and focused on their own deliverables, organic collaboration rarely emerges on its own. Even putting people “in the same room” doesn’t guarantee collaboration. Conflicting timelines, limited interaction, and unclear added value put collaboration in the back burner. We borrowed approaches from our partners to make collaboration a priority:
➡️ Consistently exposing partners to each other’s work;
➡️ Facilitating shared spaces for learning and exchange;
➡️ Circulating resources across teams;
➡️ Prompting collaboration whenever appropriate; and
➡️ Encouraging collective action once trust had formed.
Even our monthly meeting and reporting templates provide touchpoints on collaboration—not to force it, but to keep it visible and encouraged.
And the result has been so overwhelmingly positive. In Indonesia, Magdalene and Kopernik have collaborated through joint social media content, online contests, and by inviting each other’s staff as speakers and trainers. In Vietnam, ECUE and TUVA Communication - Nhà Nhiều Cột, together with their Communities of Practice (VGEM and Housemates), jointly hosted Gender Week in October with a total of 11 events, engaging close to 700 participants.
Collaboration rarely happens by accident. It requires intentional design, facilitation, and resourcing. When collaboration is supported, outcomes are richer, stronger, and enable impact that is greater than the sum of individual contributions.
