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Collective ImpactPREPARED FOR SHEATUFIM | SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

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There are several different types of problems

Source: Adapted from “Getting to Maybe”

Traditional approaches to social change are not solving our most complex problems

technical solutions

Complicated Complexemergent systemsstep-by-step recipes

Simple

baking a cake building a rocket to send to the moon

improving community health

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Collective impact is a structured, multi-sector approach to address complex problems

Collective impact is the commitment of a group of important actors

from different sectors to a common agenda for addressing

a specific complex problem

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Collective impact has five elements

COMMON AGENDA

SHARED MEASUREMENT

MUTUALLYREINFORCING

ACTIVITIES

BACKBONE ORGANIZATION

CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION

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Collective impact has been successfully applied to many different complex challenges

Education Health

Economic DevelopmentYouth Development

Environment

Community Development

*

*

*

*

Source: FSG research and analysis

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A facilitator of collective impact aims to get participants to embrace systems leadership

Cover article in Winter 2015 Issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review

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Most change processes don’t go deep enough in learning to lead to transformative change

“Observe, observe, observe”

“Act swiftly, with a

natural flow”

Presence“Retreat and reflect” and

allow inner knowledge to emerge

Most Change Processes

Analyze Act

Decidevs.

Transformative Change Processes

Sense Realize

Source: Presence, An Exploration of Profound Change in People, Organizations, and Society; 2004; Senge, Peter, Scharmer, C.Otto, Jaworski, Joseph, & Flowers, Betty Sue.

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Social change leaders transform into systems leaders by developing certain capabilities

See the system in which actors are embedded

Foster reflection and generative conversation

Shifting collective focus from reactive problem-solving to co-creation

ToolsCapability

System Mapping

Learning Journeys

Appreciative Inquiry

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A systems leadership approach to catalyzing change requires a number of mindset shifts

Technical solutions to problems

Adaptive solutions to problems

Silver bullet Silver buckshot

Credit hoarded Credit as shared currency

Focus on evidence Focus on evidence and relationships

Source: Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work, 2012; Essential Mindset Shifts for Collective Impact; 2014.

Content Expertise Content and context expertise

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A great philosopher eloquently described systems leaders about 2,500 years ago

The wicked leader is he whom the people despise.

The good leader is he whom the people revere.

The great leader is he of whom people say, “We did it ourselves.”

Lao TzuTao Te Ching (The Book of the Way)

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Launching a collective impact initiative has several prerequisites

Influential Champion and Supportive Leadership

• Champions are respected by and have the ability to engage cross-sector leaders

• Government leadership is engaged

Urgency for Change• Critical, complex problem in the community• Frustration with existing approaches

Availability of Resources

• Committed, potential funding partners with sustained funding for at least 3 – 5 years of infrastructural investments

Basis for Collaboration

• Trusted relationships among cross-sector actors• Presence of existing collaborative efforts

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Collective Impact in action looks like this

partner-driven action

strategic guidance and support = community

partner (e.g., nonprofit, funder, business, public agency, parent)

Community partners working on strategies

Backbone support

• Guides strategy• Supports

aligned activities• Establishes

shared measurement

• Builds public will• Advances policy• Mobilizes

resources

Steering committee

Work group

Work group

Work group

Work group

ChairChair

ChairChair

ChairChair

Chair

Chair

Common agenda and shared metrics

* Adapted from Listening to the Stars: The Constellation Model of Collaborative Social Change, by Tonya Surman and Mark Surman, 2008.

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Program and service providers are critical to Collective Impact and can play many roles

A representative from the program or service provider serves as a member of a Collective Impact initiative’s steering committee

A representative from the program or service provider serves as a member of a Collective Impact initiative’s working group

Program and service providers align their activities and goals to the common agenda and shared measurement system

Program and service providers rarely serve as the backbone because backbones need to be neutral; however, this is not a hard and fast rule

Program and service providers can help catalyze a call to action for a more comprehensive, system-wide approach

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Many people have responsibility – yet no one person makes all the decisions

Community partner

Working Group

• Individual organizations and members of the community (e.g, nonprofit, funder, business, public agency, student, parent,)

• Partners should have access to a variety of opportunities to learn about and engage in the initiative, and will be key to implementing strategies

• Ultimate “power” resides within the community at large

• Comprised of cross-sector community partners targeting particular element of common agenda

• Designs and implements strategies, involving non-working group members as needed

Steering Committee

• Provides strategic direction for the initiative• Champions the work• Aligns own work to common agenda• Some Steering Committee members serve on working groups

Backbone • Provides dedicated staff • Supports the work of partners by assisting with strategic

guidance, supporting aligned activity, establishing shared measurement, building public will, advancing policy, and mobilizing resources