As a sector, nonprofits are poised at an historic moment.

Several developments are coming together to make the next few years a time of unusual opportunity for positive change in the way we are structured, the way we work together, and the way we interact with constituents.

The sector has already been buzzing about a perceived generation gap, particularly as it relates to leadership succession planning. But this generational shift has implications beyond the role of Executive Director.

The sector has to adapt to engage constituents as well as leaders.

The aging of the Boomer generation presents opportunities for emerging leaders to step into key roles in the sector and for experienced Boomer leaders to redefine their roles as they redefine retirement.

Still, the generations will need to bridge differences and work together as partners for years to come.

At the same time, many nonprofits will need to fundamentally shift their expectations for engagement of supporters in internal processes, decision-making, and “membership” activities if they are to survive. We have recently worked with several large membership groups which recognize that engaging younger generations will require a different kind of organization.

In my first Getting To Yes post, I described our collaborative committee model and the requirements for joining the collaborative effort. Then I described the process of defining an organization’s seemingly intractable problem and discovering a solution that satisfies previously rival stakeholders.

At this stage, we advise clients to begin testing this solution with key constituents who are not on the committee.

It is at this stage that a strange and wonderful thing happens.

The committee members, with newly found “ownership” of the possible solution, become advocates for it. And the committee of previously rival stakeholders begins to form a real team.

The larger organization takes notice: “If Joe and Jane can agree to anything, it must have some merit,” they think. And the ownership of the solution spreads throughout the organization.

A lasting benefit of this approach is that it can model collaborative problem solving throughout an entire organization. Often the original problem addressed through the collaborative committee model is just one component of a much larger organizational conflict, and the process serves as a successful strategy for leaders to address other large and complex issues facing their organization.