Here at Canopy, we have the unique vantage point of working with a wide range of cultural institutions, particularly those with living and green collections. With our client base, we see the benefits of cross-pollination in action every day. This ongoing exchange of ideas and best practices across different sectors isn’t just beneficial — it’s essential for relevance, sustainability, and advancement in today’s interconnected cultural landscape.
Getting outside your lane to explore what other organizations are doing allows you to expand your network, learn from their expertise to implement new ideas, and discover potential opportunities for collaboration.
Why is cross-institutional collaboration so valuable?
For gardens, zoos, aquariums, science centers, and other types of cultural institutions, there are common challenges — including visitor engagement, financial sustainability, and community relevance. By breaking down traditional silos between different types of organizations, we can develop more innovative solutions to tackle these shared challenges.
Shared expertise to foster new ideas and support: When a zoo collaborates with a botanical garden, both can gain new perspectives on ways to collectively address climate resiliency.
Expanded audience reach: Cross-promotional partnerships can introduce your institution to audiences that might never have discovered you otherwise.
Enhanced funding opportunities: Many funders prioritize collaborative projects that demonstrate broad community impact.
Stronger advocacy: Together, cultural organizations can create a more powerful, unified voice for policy changes that benefit the entire sector.
How can you bring more cross-pollination into your strategy?
Learn from different perspectives.
Look at what associations are doing in your field and adjacent fields: AAM (American Alliance of Museums), AZA (Association of Zoos & Aquariums), ASTC (Association of Science & Technology Centers), ACM (Association of Children’s Museums), IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions), and APGA (American Public Gardens Association) all offer great resources and professional development opportunities that can spark innovative thinking.
Attend a conference in a different sector: Zoo professionals who attend APGA events often return with fresh perspectives on collection management and sustainability practices. Attending conferences in the museum field (AAM) or science center world (ASTC) can introduce entirely new approaches to interpretation and visitor engagement.
Actively visit other sites to see how they handle guest experience, exhibit design, programming, etc.: Consider organizing staff field trips specifically focused on learning from institutions with different core missions. Don’t limit yourself to similar organizations — a children’s museum might offer valuable insights for a botanical garden’s family programming, for example.
Build meaningful connections and partnerships.
Invite a leader from a different type of institution to come and talk with your board, leadership, or staff: For instance, having a science center director speak to garden staff about interactive exhibit design could generate new approaches to plant interpretation.
Establish formal knowledge-sharing partnerships between complementary institutions: Several successful cross-sector collaborations have created joint committees that meet quarterly to exchange best practices in areas like visitor services, digital engagement, and membership development.
Create a professional exchange program: Work with other cultural institutions in your region to set up a day where staff can shadow at partner organizations, to help them gain insights into different operational approaches and workplace cultures.
Develop strategic collaborations.
Look for ways to develop partnership opportunities that align with your mission: Conservation organizations and nonprofits with living collections often share overlapping goals that can lead to powerful collaborative initiatives. Explore local, national, and global opportunities.
Seek out partners in your community that have aligned values and common goals: Are there ways you can collaborate and build capacity? Get together and discuss shared challenges and opportunities for joint programming, funding, and advocacy.
Consider inspiration and resources from further afield: Whether that’s the for-profit sector (IAAPA, retail design, hospitality), healthcare (for wellness programming), or technology companies (for digital engagement strategies) — there are always nuggets to glean if you’re willing to step outside the box and investigate.
Cross-pollination isn’t just about borrowing good ideas — it’s about creating transformative approaches that wouldn’t be possible without diverse institutional perspectives. The most interesting and viable solutions often emerge at the intersection of different organizational cultures, missions, and expertise.
And since our team always strives to walk the talk: This June, look for us at the APGA Conference in Denver, where we will be learning from our partners in the garden space and gathering insights to bring back to our wider community. We look forward to sharing more takeaways next month!
