Finding Common Ground: A Practitioner-Led Model for Trust and Collaboration Nonprofit sectors across the country face fragmented systems, uneven access to resources, and persistent trust gaps between funders and practitioners. What does it actually take to move from disconnection to coordinated, trust-based collaboration? This session explores a multi-year, real-world effort led by York County Community Foundation (YCCF) to strengthen nonprofit sector resilience starting with a countywide landscape study and evolving into a practitioner-led collaborative model. The York County Nonprofit Collaborative (YCNC) was launched in response to eight actionable recommendations identified through the funder-supported cross-sector nonprofit landscape assessment. Rather than centralizing control, YCNC is intentionally structured using a Constellation Model, distributing leadership across six interconnected workgroups aligned to key system challenges identified in the assessment. This model shifts traditional nonprofit–funder dynamics by placing strategy and decision-making in the hands of nonprofit practitioners, while maintaining coordination through YCCF as the backbone organization. The result is a more transparent, accountable, and collaborative ecosystem designed to build long-term resilience and strengthen social trust. Participants will leave with: • A practical framework for launching a cross-sector collaborative • Strategies to rebalance power and elevate practitioner voice • Tactics to build trust across funders and nonprofits • Lessons learned from implementing a distributed leadership model Whether you are just beginning to explore collaboration or looking to deepen existing partnerships, this session offers replicable approaches to building stronger, more connected nonprofit ecosystems.