Starre Vartan peered into the transparent beehive in front of Vancouver’s Fairmont Waterfront Hotel and marveled at what she saw: two bees intertwining their legs and holding each other fast, creating a bridge for other bees to cross a gap in the hive.

“They’re festooning,” explained the beekeeper. The bees connect the hooks on their legs to span the gap for their fellow bees. Their collaboration doesn’t stop there; bees work together to keep their colleagues warm or cool, tell each other where to find food, bathe each other, and even care for their sick.

“Like humans, bees are incredibly social creatures, who will protect the ones they love and will work together for common goals,” Vartan wrote. “It’s worth remembering that we can learn plenty from them.”

Festooning—smart players working together effectively—paints a great picture of how United Way works in our community, connecting with partners and ideas to tackle the toughest issues.

“At United Way, we know that we can’t accomplish our impact work alone. We need everyone at the table,” said Natalie Saucedo, United Way BCKR’s Senior Director of Strategy & Innovation.

Saucedo pointed out that partnership—working together toward a common goal—is fundamental to United Way’s mission. It’s even part of the name: “united.”

“From collaborating on working committees for disaster relief, convening volunteers to provide supports to small businesses, to working hand in hand with our donors and partner organizations, our entire community comes together to make sure we live in a place where everyone has an opportunity to thrive,” she said.

But partnership is much more than gathering “many hands to make light work,” as the old saying goes. Partnership must be strategic. It must involve diverse partners with the right resources, expertise, and lived experience, understanding the issues and addressing them most effectively. That’s where United Way is uniquely equipped.

Alyssa Stewart, Vice President for Impact & Engagement, said United Way BCKR is thoughtfully designed with expert staff to drive programs and forge stronger partnerships. Without that expert staff, she said, the work of impact simply doesn’t happen.

“Our team is the engine behind the work we do and the impact we are able to have in our region,” she said. “We built a team of talented and passionate people, highly skilled, with wide-ranging personal and professional experiences that bring invaluable insight and ultimately, meaningful outcomes for our organization and region.”

That’s why United Way BCKR has spearheaded partnerships for disaster relief, for housing needs, for small business support, why the organization is the turn-to partner for nurturing equitable grantmaking, and much more.

Like bees in a hive, United Way BCKR “festoons” the power of partnership and expertise to drive impact on a regional scale.

What can you do?

Consider how you can be a partner—by making a financial gift, by engaging as a volunteer, by advocating for the people we serve. Learn how having an experienced, knowledgeable staff is vital to a nonprofit’s mission by understanding the “overhead myth.”

Hear more from Natalie Saucedo:

MORE: See all the stories in this series.