Collective impact collaborations are initiatives that aspire to achieve significant, community-wide progress on complex, systemic social issues. They attempt to do this by coordinating key sectors to work together toward a common goal. Defining characteristics of collective impact collaborations are:
- Cross-sector coordination between nonprofits, philanthropists, businesses, and government
- A shared aim to achieve ambitious and measurable change (i.e., 10 percent improvement or more)
- Long-term investment by all stakeholders (at least 3–5 years)
- Substantive constituent engagement and involvement of community members
- Use of shared, measurable data to inform the agenda, track progress, and make improvements
How collective impact collaborations are used
Collective impact collaborations can be incredible effective in addressing complex social issues with multifaceted causes that require the coordinated actions of multiple actors. For example, collective impact collaborations have been used to address low college-readiness rates and high teenage pregnancy rates (see case studies). Collective impact collaborations can refocus, transform, and strengthen a field and its efforts to address issues by creating alignment toward long-term solutions that work.
The methodology of collective impact collaborations
Initiating collective impact collaborations can be complicated and time consuming. This is partly due to the complexity of issues they seek to address and the range of stakeholders involved. There are four general stages involved in the development of collective impact collaborations:
- Identify the opportunity: Take stock of the issue and the players in the field (see: market mapping and landscape analysis). Identify potential stakeholders, including government, businesses, nonprofits, philanthropic organizations, and constituent communities.
- Lay the foundation and organize: Enlist trusted, high-profile leadership to coordinate efforts and engage stakeholders. Dedicate staff time and organizational capacity to coordinate and support communication among stakeholders, analyze data, and provide administrative support. This is typically accomplished by creating a new organization. Cultivate long-term funding directed at the collaboration's efforts.
- Set the agenda: Convene stakeholders to agree upon a shared vision, an agenda, and the metrics of success. Work with stakeholders to align resources toward interventions that evidence suggests will succeed.
- Implement and manage: : Implement action toward the shared vision and goals. Track metrics of success to learn and make improvements over time, with strong coordination from the key leader and supporting organization. Ensure clear channels of communication between all actors.
Related topics
Additional resources on collective impact:
Collective Impact
This article from Foundation Strategy Group (FSG) introduces the term "collective impact" and outlines core pillars of successful initiatives.
Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work
A follow up to FSG's article, this piece gives deeper guidance on how to create, manage, and sustain successful collective impact initiatives.
Needle-Moving Community Collaborations: A Promising Approach to Addressing America's Biggest Challenges
Members of the White House Council for Community Solutions and Bridgespan explore the ingredients for success in exemplary collective impact community collaboratives.
Needle-Moving Collective Impact: Three Guides to Creating an Effective Community Collaborative
Building on the White House Council for Community Solutions and Bridgespan's work, this collection of guides—Collaborative Life Stages, Capacity and Structure, and The Next Generation of Community Participation—offers tactical pathways for helping community collaboratives succeed.
Examples and case studies of collective impact collaboratives:
Needle-Moving Community Collaboratives: Cincinnati, Covington, and Newport
Faced with a growing epidemic of youth leaving high school unprepared for college or careers, stakeholders in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky banded together, led by The Strive Partnership, to increase graduation and college-enrollment rates. Strive's success depended on its shared vision and agenda centered around what works and on using data to inform the agenda and improve over time, supported by the necessary resources and structure.
Needle-Moving Community Collaboratives: Milwaukee
To combat one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country, which incurred huge costs to the community, stakeholders in Milwaukee worked together to lower the teen birth rate by more than 30 percent. The United Way of Greater Milwaukee dedicated capacity to coordinating these efforts, which, combined with organization by effective leaders and community member engagement, have been central to the initiative's success.
