Transcript Promoting Philanthropic Leadership

Collective Impact: Nebraska Children and
Families Foundation
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Collective Impact Is Distinct from Other
Approaches to Collaboration
More Elements of Collective Impact
Type of
Collaboration
Definition
Collective Impact
Initiatives
Long-term commitments by a group of important actors from
different sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific
social problem
Funder
Collaboratives
Groups of funders interested in supporting the same issue
who pool their resources
Public-Private
Partnerships
Partnerships formed between government and private sector
organizations to deliver specific services or benefits
Multi-Stakeholder
Initiatives
Voluntary activities by stakeholders from different sectors
around a common theme
Social Sector
Networks
Groups of individuals or organizations fluidly connected
through purposeful relationships, whether formal or informal
It is distinct from other forms of collaboration
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What Makes Collective Impact Different from Other
Approaches to Collaboration?
Conditions
Mindset
Structure
Leadership
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Five Conditions for Collective Impact
Common Agenda
Shared
Measurement
Mutually Reinforcing
Activities
Continuous
Communication
Backbone Support
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Working in Collective Impact Requires a Mindset Shift
Technical Solutions
to Problems
Adaptive Solutions
to Problems
Silver Bullet
Taking Credit
Silver Buckshot
Giving Credit Away
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Source: Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work, 2012; FSG Interviews and Analysis
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Collective Impact Infrastructure:
Structuring for Intentionality and Uncertainty
Common Agenda and Shared Metrics
strategic guidance
and support
partner-driven
action
= community
partner (e.g.,
nonprofit, funder,
business, public
agency, resident)
Ecosystem of
Community Partners
Steering
Committee
Work
Group
Chair
Chair
Chair
Work
Group
Chair
Chair
Backbone
Support
Chair
Work
Group
Chair
Chair
Work
Group
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* Adapted from Listening to the Stars: The Constellation Model of Collaborative Social Change, by Tonya Surman and Mark Surman, 2008.
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Each Stakeholder and Group Plays a Specific Role
Stakeholder / Group
Community
partner
Description and Role
•
•
Work Group
•
(a.k.a. network,
action team)
•
•
•
Steering
Committee
(Strategy
Group)
Backbone
•
•
•
•
•
Individual organizations and members of the community (e.g,
nonprofit, funder, business, public agency, student, parent, resident)
Partners should have access to a variety of opportunities to learn
about and engage in the initiative
Comprised of cross-sector community partners targeting particular
element of common agenda (e.g., early childhood, K12, postsecondary,
OST, data, policy, funding)
Designs and implements a targeted action plan, involving non-work group
members as needed
Led by two co-chairs willing to invest time and (ideally) staff capacity
Some groups or networks serve slightly different functions, e.g., funders
group (to identify opportunities for alignment), or inclusive community network
to raise awareness about project and provide mechanism for vetting actions
Comprised of cross-sector community partners (representative of the
large ecosystem)
Provides strategic direction for the initiative and champions the work
In some cases, committee members are chairs for action teams
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 funding
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Partners Are Engaged at Multiple Levels, with the Backbone
Coordinating the Various Leaders, Partners, and Groups
Notional CI Structure
Key Roles
Steering Committee
B
Steering Committee
 Provide overall vision and leadership
for the effort
A
Working Groups
C
1
2
3
K
B
Working Groups
 Lead implementation including
indicator selection and strategy
setting
Partners & Community Members
 Collaborate on indicator selection,
strategy setting, and implementation
O
N
E
Partners & Community Members
Backbone
 Serve as a neutral, coordinating
entity that convenes stakeholders
and manages activities
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Collective Impact Requires Unique Leadership
Required Skills For System Leadership
• Support groups in getting to shared aspirations
• Foster a different, deeper type of dialogue that leads to
greater clarity, understanding of difference, innovation
• Help people understand the greater system and the
complexity of which they are a part
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In Catalyzing Social Change, Collective Impact Also Depends on
Essential Intangible Elements for Its Success
Collective Impact’s Intangible Elements
• Relationship and Trust building
• Fostering Connections between
People
• Leadership Identification and
Development
• The Power of Hope
• Creating a Culture of Learning
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Source:
Channeling
Change:and
Making
Collective Impact Work, 2012; FSG Interviews
Source:
FSG Interviews
Analysis
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Differences between Collective Impact and Collaboration
Collaboration
Collective Impact
Convene around specific
programs / initiatives
Work together over the long
term to move outcomes
Addition to what you do
Is what you do
Prove
Advocate for ideas
Learn and improve
Advocate for what works
Collective impact initiatives also are always cross-sector, whereas
collaborations often occur within a single sector
Source: Jeff Edmondson, Strive
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Many Types of Organizations Can Serve as Backbones
Types of Backbones
Examples
Funders
New Nonprofit
Existing Nonprofit
Government Agency or School District
Shared Across Multiple Organizations
“Backbone for backbones”
Private Sector
Individual Facilitator
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Example: Communities That Care’s Backbone Structure
A non-profit, direct-service
organization
Originally: ~3 staff members
Currently: ~1 staff member
A governmental, capacity building
organization
~3 staff members
~5 staff members
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Six Core Functions for the Backbone
Guide Vision and Strategy
Support Aligned Activities
Establish Shared Measurement Practices
Build Public Will
Advance Policy
Mobilize Funding
Backbones must balance the tension between coordinating and maintaining
accountability, while staying behind the scenes to establish collective ownership
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Source: FSG Interviews and Analysis
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Backbone Leaders Need The Following Major Skillsets
Skillset
Strategic Skillset:
• Identify, research, and analyze information
needed to make decisions
• Recognize patterns and challenges to
achieving big-picture goals
• Find areas of coordination or gaps to fill
Servant Leadership Orientation:
• Seek to serve the community, not your
individual organization
• Perceived as neutral, listening, and
reflective
Function
Shared Measurement
Steering Committee Leadership
Working Group Support
External Comm. and Engagement
Steering Committee Leadership
Working Group Support
Community Organizing Mindset:
• Identify any and all partners and work with
all them to achieve goals
• Equip fellow partners with tools and
information
External Comm. and Engagement
Steering Committee Leadership
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Steering Committee Members Should Be Carefully Recruited
Sample Traits
1. Decision Maker. CEO/President Level - Able to drive systems change relevant to
effort
2. Representative. Geographic coverage of effort (counties and subregional steering
committees) as well as sector
3. Influential Champion. Commands respect of broader set of stakeholders (and
perceived so). Can bring stakeholders to the table and keep them there. Can
champion the strategy with the broader community
4. Content Expertise/Practitioner. Familiar with subject matter to contribute
substantively
5. Passion and Urgency. Passionate about issue and feels real urgency for the need
to change
6. Focused on the Greater Interest. Represents need of their own organization but
able to think and act in the greater interest of the community
7. Commitment. Willing and able to commit time and energy to attend meetings and
get work done
8. Lived Experience. Bring experience with the issue and as a likely beneficiary of the
initiative
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Working Group Member Traits
 Two co-chairs
Leadership
 Can commit the time (~3-4 hrs/month plus meetings, but time will vary)
 Collaborative leaders and facilitators, conveners, able to “get stuff done”
 Also possess the traits below
 Issue-aligned, collaborative, action-oriented
 Can commit to attending meetings and reviewing pre-read materials
Members
 Are knowledgeable about the problem to be addressed
 Usually one level down from the steering committee members, but have
authority to represent organizations and make decisions
 Cross-sector representation
 7-10 members initially (will vary by initiative)
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Working Group Member Responsibilities
 Strategy and Indicator Development
̶
Review research on effective strategies within local context (if applicable) and
external best practices
̶
Use data to inform identification of strategies and ongoing refinement
̶
Develop and refine indicators
 Implementation
̶
Coordinate activities among working group member organizations and other
relevant partners
̶
Identify resources to support and / or execute strategies
̶
Provide progress updates to and learn from the steering committee, backbone, and
other working groups
 Leadership
̶
Champion the effort with relevant stakeholders
̶
Align member organizations’ work to the goals, indicators, and strategies of the
working group where possible
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A Backbone’s Scope and Budget May Grow Over Time,
Primarily Reflecting Staff Additions And Available Resources
Year 2*
Year 1
1. Executive Director
2. Data Manager
3. Facilitator
1.
2.
3.
4.
Typical
Responsibilities:
• Guide vision and strategy
• Liaise with Working Group
and Strategy Groups
• Build public will / awareness
• Begin implementation of
strategies and shared
measures
• Guide vision and strategy
• Support and coordinate
aligned activities
• Deepen shared
measurement practices
• Build public will / awareness
• Expand priority strategies
and partners based on data
• Build public will / awareness
• Communicate progress
• Advance policy
• Mobilize funding
Estimated
Budget:
$3-400K
$5-600K
$7-900K
Potential
Staff:
Executive Director
Data Manager
Facilitator
Project Coordinator
Year 3 On*
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Executive Director
Data Manager
Facilitator
Project Coordinator
Communications Manager
Office Manager / Assistant
* The resources required by the Backbone vary with the needs of the initiatives. In some instances budgets have remained flat or declined; in others, FTEs and
budgets have grown with the changing requirements of the role
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Source: FSG case work and analysis
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Backbones Typically Have Multiple Funding Streams
Private foundations
Community foundations
United Ways
Corporate foundations
Local businesses
Individual donors
Government funding
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Collective Impact Efforts Should Use Both Shared Measurement
and Evaluation to Understand Their Effectiveness and Impact
Evaluation
Shared
Measurement
Systems
(SMS)
Evaluation refers to a range of activities
that involve the planned, purposeful, and
systematic collection of information about
the activities, characteristics, and
outcomes of a CI initiative
Shared measurement systems (SMS)
use a common set of indicators to monitor
an initiative’s performance and track its
progress toward goals
SMS can be both an input to evaluation (by providing data and/or shaping
evaluation questions) and an object of evaluation
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By Investing in CI, Funders Have an Opportunity to Amplify
Impact, Leverage Funding, and Drive Alignment
Amplify Impact
Increase Efficiency of
Resources
Drive Alignment
 Involves multiple
partners working towards
long term, systemic
change
 Allows more efficient
use of funding,
especially in times of
scarce resources
 Reduces duplication of
services
 Offers a holistic
approach by channeling
the energy of various
stakeholders towards
solving a problem
 Enables leveraging of
public and private
sources of funding
 Embeds the drive for
sustained social change
within the community,
facilitating “order for
free”
 Provides opportunities to
influence the system
from within and outside
by coupling advocacy
with action
 Opens channels for
organizations to access
additional funding
against an issue
 Increases coordination
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Source: FSG Interviews and Analysis
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Six Sources of Influence Enable Backbones to Shape and Guide
the Work of Collective Impact Without Formal Authority
Sources of Backbone Influence
1
Competence
2
Commitment
3
Neutrality
• Technical expertise in a relevant
content area, strategic visioning and
problem-solving
• Interpersonal skills to manage
relationships
• Conceptual ability to take the bird’s
eye view and see initiative as a whole
• Track record demonstrating
dedication to the issue and/or
initiative
• Significant ongoing effort to the
initiative, inspiring confidence in
others that the backbone is
reliable and persistent
• Objectivity of having no personal
stake and no competitive
dynamic with those involved
• Inclusivity, creating safe spaces
for difficult conversations and
representing the needs of others
4
5
6
Data & Information
• Quality data and research to
understand the problem, promote
accountability, learn and improve
• Perspectives from community
members and those who stand to
directly benefit from the work
• Media channels to disseminate
information
Network
• Strong connections to crosssector players and community
members, enabling backbone to
broker and mediate relationships
between individuals and groups
• Endorsements from influential
champions
Visibility
• Awareness about the initiative
and the backbone’s
contributions among partners
and community members
• Regard for backbone and
recognition of its supportive role
(i.e. sense that backbone does
not seek to take credit)
Sources: FSG interviews with external stakeholders. L. K. Johnson, Exerting Influence without Authority (Harvard Management Update, December 2003). D. A. Whetten and K.
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S. Cameron, Developing Management Skills: Gaining Power and Influence (New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, 1993).
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While There Is No Definitive Measure for Backbone Influence,
Key Inputs Can Help to Demonstrate the Backbone’s Contributions
Measures of Backbone Influence
Leveraged Funding
The amount of funding that has been leveraged or
redirected based (at least in part) to the efforts of the
backbone
Indicators of Initiative
Progress
Initial outcomes the backbone can share related to process
(e.g., # of partners involved) or systems change impacts
(e.g., legislation passed that supports initiative goals)
Evidence of
Systems Change
Indications from stakeholders that shifts are taking place in
the way that the community makes decisions about
policies, programs, and the allocation of its resources —
and, ultimately, in the way it delivers services and supports
its citizens and constituencies*
Stakeholder Perceptions
of Backbone Value
Observations from community members about the
importance of the backbone
A dashboard of these measures is available for each backbone, upon request
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* Systems change definition source: Comprehensive Community Initiative (CCI) Tools for Federal Staff (http://www.ccitoolsforfeds.org/systems_change.asp)
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Hawrood’s Five Characteristics of Civic Culture to Embed In
Collective Impact
1) Ownership by the larger community
2) Strategies that fit the community
3) Sustainable enabling environment
4) Focus on impact and belief
5) Story a community tells itself
This civic culture can contribute significantly to
the success of an initiative
Source: Rich Harwood
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This Effort Has Achieved Significant Impact to Date
Between 2010 and 2012, across the state:
 Juvenile arrests were down by 24%
 Juvenile admissions to state placement were down
28%
Between December 2010 and June, 2013:
 The number of youth in state custody declined by 45%
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Source: NYJJ Progress Report, December 2013
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