Donors gathered recently for the latest Giving+Together event at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul to hear from representatives from The Arts Partnership.

The Arts Partnership, which began in 2006, is a collaborative effort of the four arts organizations that share the Ordway’s space. The Partnership is staffed by Jamie Grant, president and CEO of the Ordway, Barry Kempton, artistic and executive director of Schubert Club, Jon Limbacher, vice president and chief operating officer of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Ryan Taylor, president and general director of Minnesota Opera, all of whom work collaboratively on joint programming and other goals related to their shared success and use of the space.

All four leaders treated donors to a panel discussion about their partnership and what collaboration can look like in the nonprofit sector. Nadege Souvenir, vice president of Operations & Learning for the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, facilitated the discussion.

One topic of interest was the evolution of the organizational relationships. At first, the organizations were not optimally designed for partnerships as they were originally set up for competition, not for cooperation. But now, through the partnership and shared work, they are navigating several critical issues, both as independent entities and through the Partnership. Shared learnings include securing funding sources; ensuring accessibility, diversity and equity in their work; and communicating the public value of their organizations.