The Partnership Network (TPN) is a network of organizations that mobilizes the community development network to create the conditions for change and solve complex community challenges at the macro, meso, and micro levels of our communities. 

TPN Member Story #1: PULSE

PULSE cultivates a community of young servant leaders to transform Pittsburgh. We invite talented university graduates to partner with Pittsburgh nonprofits for a year of service and leadership. PULSE fellows SERVE with a nonprofit, LIVE in community, and GROW as a leader.

Chris Cooke is the Executive Director at PULSE. In the following Q&A, he speaks about their experience participating in TPN.

“The Partnership Network is filled with great people and great organizations doing great things. The value of not only meeting with like-minded peers, but pursuing new opportunities bigger than the capacity of your individual organizations is valuable.”

-Chris Cooke

Q: Why did your organization decide to be a part of The Partnership Network? 

A: PULSE decided to be a part of The Partnership Network because we believe that the challenges of the nonprofit sector in Pittsburgh, and community development network in particular, requires a system-level approach. We were eager to find others that have a similar interest and commitment to thinking more broadly than their own organization’s mission and in getting things done.

Q: What is the most rewarding part of being in The Partnership Network?

A: The most rewarding part of The Partnership Network so far has been the development of a shared trust, shared language, and a shared commitment to the same vision and mission. Meaningful relationships have been built in the pursuit of the network’s foundation.

Q: How has The Partnership Network impacted your organization?

A: The Partnership Network has created opportunity for us to retool our own Nonprofit Partner Network and think more about how to drive its collective impact in the nonprofit sector in Pittsburgh. As a results, PULSE decided to gather our 40 nonprofit partners on a regular basis throughout the year for connection, collaboration, and cultivation. The creation of our own network has changed our thinking about how we can best leverage our unique position partnering with a multitude of organizations each year. You can find more information here.

Q: What would you tell other organizations about the value of The Partnership Network?

A: The Partnership Network is filled with great people and great organizations doing great things. The value of not only meeting with like-minded peers, but pursuing new opportunities bigger than the capacity of your individual organizations is valuable. The nonprofit sector, and community development network in particular, is in desperate need of seeing a new way of working together. It is encouraging to be surrounded by other individuals and organizations that are committed to this pursuit together.

Q: What do you hope for The Partnership Network to accomplish in the year ahead?

A: In the year ahead, my/our hope would be that The Partnership Network would complete a tangible project that models a new way of collaboration for the nonprofit sector in Pittsburgh and beyond.

For more information on The Partnership Network, visit our website or contact Stephanie Chernay at stephanie@neighborhoodallies.org