Transcript StriveTogether - Collective Impact “Building a Cradle to

StriveTogether Collective Impact
“Building a Cradle to Career Civic
Infrastructure”
Non-profit Agency Update and Input Session
October 2, 2014
FSW, Inc.
Update
•What is this work and how is it different?
• Pre-Work
•Building the Accountability Structure
• Next Steps
What do communities usually do?
• We look for a heroic leader to fix things
• We undertake “one-off” projects
• We advocate for investing in “silver bullets”
How is this different?
• Unity and inclusiveness
• Alignment of outcomes
• Measure progress toward goals
• Persist using continuous improvement
• Mobilize resources for impact
Collaboration
Collective Impact
Convene around
Programs/Initiati
ves
Work Together to
Move Outcomes
Prove
Improve
Addition to
What You Do
Is What You Do
Advocate for
Ideas
Advocate for
What Works
5
Pre – Work Overview:
• September 2013 United Way (support of BOA and GE) brought
Jeff Edmondson from StriveTogether to Bridgeport to discuss the
possibility of building a cradle to career civic infrastructure in
Bridgeport.
• While attendees said “Yes” when asked if this work was worth
pursuing, there was a clear expression of caution given the
erosion of trust, high level of fatigue and conflicting agendas.
• As a result, United Way (UW) committed to significant additional
pre-work to:
 Gain additional input/insights
 Demonstrate inclusiveness/promote broad engagement
 Build understanding of Collective Impact
 Help raise the dialog
 Identify the right leadership
 Determine next steps
Pre-Work Continued…
Engagement/Input-
• Over 150+ interviews
conducted
• Input Summarized
(Attributes for Leadership
Team, Candidate
Recommendations,
Consensus Observations,
Recommendations)
Communications• Issued White Paper
• Developed one page basic
Information Sheet
• Established webpage/very
basic
• Partnership with Sacred
Heart School of
Management/Effective
Communication Strategies
Project
• Ongoing expansion of
communication list
Core Leadership Team Attributes:
• Servant leaders/no agenda
• Neutral (not immediately polarizing)/community
credibility
• Diverse/culturally competent/community competent
• Influencers/not all the same old/can keep the order
• Cross walkers/can help bridge divides
• Can model respect, forgiveness, active listening,
transparency, can consider different opinions, values
talents and assets of the community
• Willingness/courage to lead in difficult times
Consensus Observations• Community is deeply divided/feelings are much more personal and difficult to
recover from
• Trust is hard to come by/ certain groups or individuals are significantly more
polarizing and need to be part of the larger engagement but not seen as leading
the effort
• Community wants to move forward to make positive impact but is rudderless at
the moment
• Concerns exist about how CI will impact funding /resource allocation- “Will this
take money away from the community?”
• The community is changing and the traditional distribution of power and
influence is not the future
• Leadership needs to be developed/long time lock on leadership positions has
stifled new leadership potential/diminished energy, enthusiasm, innovation
• Strategies/actions need to be sustainable and have community ownership/buy
in
• Funders must not set the agenda but should support the agenda
Recommendations• Cannot be owned or driven by United Way/Board. Core Leadership Team and
community must lead (UW is the support organization). The community will
listen and watch this carefully.
• United Way should engage other organizations to provide backbone functions in
areas they are expert in. This will not only avoid duplication and leverage
community assets, it can help model servant leadership/collaboration/setting
differences aside, etc…
• Prior to diving into outcomes/measures/evidence/investment, the Core
Leadership Team must get out into the community to listen and learn with
authenticity and help/model/pursue truth telling and forgiveness work to help
with healing and trust building.
• Core Values and Guiding Principles for the initiative should be developed very
early on.
• Communications must be transparent, culturally relevant, frequent and
authentic.
• Extensive, ongoing, daily, work must be undertaken to promote broad
community level engagement and further develop an understanding of the
initiative.
What the Community had to say…
“We can not surrender.”
“We have many assets in Bridgeport that we need to tap.”
“The voice of divisiveness can not continue louder than the voice of
unity.”
“We need to replace the anger and hatred with love and
understanding. We owe this to our children.”
“We can make progress if we are inclusive and if we don’t leave
residents on the outside looking in.”
“Our children need to see our leaders working together to solve
problems regardless of our differences.”
“We need to focus positively. People are tired of the ugly, negative
dynamics.”
“We need to respect one another even if we have differences.”
Core Leadership Team
Frank Borres, CEO
American View Productions
Chairman, Citywide NRZ
Adrienne Farrar Houel, President & CEO
Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises, Inc.
Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano, Bishop
Diocese of Bridgeport
Bill Jennings, President & CEO
Bridgeport Hospital
Ramon Bulerin
BDI – Stratford
Danette Jones
Copious Realty Group
Joseph Carbone, President & CEO
The WorkPlace, Inc.
Delores Laws
The Dawn
Carmen Colon, Executive Director
Alpha Community Services
Dr. Fred McKinney, President & CEO
Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council
Pablo Colon III, Vice President
Radio Cumbre Broadcasting, Inc
Janet Ortiz, Director
Nehemiah Commission
Rosa J. Correa, Director, Strategic Relations
Career Resources, Inc.
Rabbi James Prosnit
Congregation B’nai Israel
George Estrada, Vice President for Facilities
University of Bridgeport
Frances Rabinowitz, Interim Superintendent
Bridgeport Public Schools
Anita Giliniecki, President
Housatonic Community College
Reverend Cass Shaw, President & CEO
Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport
Armando Goncalves, Market President, Southern CT
Peoples’ United Bank
Martha K. Shouldis, Ed.D., President & CEO
St. Vincent College
Victor Tran
2014 UCONN Graduate
Donna Thompson Bennett, Curriculum Manager/Consultant
Parent Leadership Training Institute
Role of Core Leadership Team
• Champion Vision
• Affirm Direction
• Promote the Initiative
• Encourage Broad Engagement
• Advocate for What Works
• Keep the Order
• Model and Enforce Core Values and Guiding
Principals
Core Leadership Team: Recent
Action• Affirm Membership. Is there anyone else should
help lead?
• Select Chairperson(s), Tri-Chair Structure
• Attended the Planning Retreat on July 30th
• Community Sessions
DRAFT- Accountability
Structure
CORE
LEADERSHIP
TEAM
OPERATIONS/IMPLEMENTA
TION TEAM
OUTCOMES
COMMU
NITY
ACTION
NETWO
RK
COMMU
NITY
ACTION
NETWO
RK
FUNDER
S TABLE
COMMU
NITY
ACTION
NETWO
RK
COMMU
NITY
ACTION
NETWO
RK
DATA
TABLE
COMMU
NITY
ACTION
NETWO
RK
Next Steps:
• Community Sessions
• Design Institute
• Baseline Report
• Community Action Networks
Facilitated Discussion
Area # 1 – Vision, Mission, Naming
Area # 2 – Outcomes and Indicators
Area # 3 – Guiding Principles and Core Values