Collaborative empowerment begins within the community and is brought to public, private, or nonprofit organizations. The community sets its own priorities and controls resources allocated to the collaboration. This increases community self-determination. For example, agencies which address issues of child welfare, crisis intervention, family health, and financial assistance might all be invited into the process by the community. The process of collaboration is initiated in a community setting and assisted by the community.
Early discussions focus on assumptions and values.
All resource contributions from participants are equally valued. The resource may be a member's knowledge of a community, an organization's contribution of funding, or myriad other items and experiences. The diversity inherent in a multicultural collaborative effort is another highly valued resource. Both a needs assessment analysis and everyday examples from community residents are used to identify community problems and set priorities for collaboration activities. Decision-making power is equally shared by the community and outside organizations.