Collective Impact Forum

When collaborative partners come together to tackle complex challenges, learning must be part of the work itself and not an afterthought. In this new podcast episode, we talk with Lauren Gase  of Mindful Metrics and  Lori Fuller of Fuller Impact about  Emergent Learning and how the principles and practices that are part of Emergent Learning can support collaboratives that are navigating uncertaint...

What does it look like for a collaborative to shift from nearly sunsetting to achieving a vibrant renewal? We tackle this challenging question in the 100th episode of our podcast, where we dive into the realities of what it means to rebuild collective work from the ground up. To explore this topic, we talk with Annie Burke , the executive director of Together Bay Area , a regional coalition focuse...

What does it look like for a collaborative to balance planned strategies with new and rising needs? In this new podcast discussion, we talk with Melissa Darnell, Heather Equinoss , and Luzette Jaimes from the organization CoCreative , and learn how they work with collaboratives to blend structured and emergent strategies when doing collective work. Listen in as we explore: How to navigate complex...

In a time when so many are grappling with division and polarization in their communities, where does one start to build connections to better understand when and why do you feel like you “belong” in your community?  In this new podcast conversation, we talk with Anjum Rahman and Atarau Hamilton-Fuller from Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono, based in Aotearoa New Zealand. In the aftermath of the...

A backbone’s role in a collective is often to facilitate collaboration among partners and help the group make progress toward a shared goal. This can be a complex challenge, as the backbone doesn’t hold formal authority or decision-making power. Instead, it must rely on its central coordinating position to influence, build alignment, and advocate for the collaborative’s mission. In this new podcas...

How can a community shift their economic future? In this episode, we explore how communities heavily reliant on a single industry can come together to diversify and build a more resilient economy. This kind of transformation is complex and requires collaboration across a broad range of partners to support the wellbeing of the whole community. We discuss what it looks like to diversify single-indus...

Collaboratives based in the U.S. that are working to solve for and reduce disparities in their communities are facing compounding challenges with the current chaotic sociopolitical climate, including sudden funding cuts, mass job losses, mis- and disinformation campaigns, demoralizing messaging from national leaders and those they have deputized, and vigorous attacks on both equity and democracy....

Listening to community members and tapping into community expertise are key factors when trying to understand why social issues are happening, and what potential solutions may be best to address these challenges. This is especially true for philanthropy, a sector committed to traditionally funding social change through more “top down” strategies, rather than seeking and empowering community-driven...

What are the skills and mindsets necessary to be a backbone leader for a collaborative? In this new podcast discussion, we talk with Paul Schmitz and Dominique Samari , authors of the recent report, “Backbone Leadership Is Different.” We explore how backbone leadership is unique and why It differs from traditional, more hierarchical leadership styles. In the discussion, we dive into: The specific...

Companies can be a critical partner in collective impact work. However, working with companies can pose unique challenges, from understanding how to initiate these partnerships to understanding how to best partner to sustain these relationships over time. To learn more about how collaboratives can engage and partner with the private sector to advance social change work, we talk with Nikhil Bumb ,...

Achieving long-term change requires having government—whether local, state, or federal—at the collaborative table as a key partner. However, many collaboratives share that building these partnerships can be challenging, intimidating, or confusing. To better understand how to build and sustain effective relationships with public sector partners, we talk with Caroline Whistler , CEO and co-founder o...

Later this fall, Tamarack Institute’s Co-CEO Liz Weaver will retire, closing a chapter that includes many decades supporting community change, collective impact, and poverty-reduction work across Canada and beyond. Liz is a long-time collaborator and dear friend of the Collective Impact Forum, and it has been a true honor to work alongside her as she has served so graciously and thoughtfully as a...

Last year, Independent Sector published research on how advocacy by the nonprofit sector has evolved over the last 25 years, and specifically, how it has severely declined, with only 31% of nonprofits reporting advocacy activities over the last 5 years. Compare that to the year 2000, where more than double that—74% of the nonprofit sector--was participating in advocacy activities. That dip in advo...

How can inclusive design spur community connections and build stronger partnerships in the process? During the COVID pandemic, the Van Alen Institute and the Urban Design Forum collaborated to launch Neighborhoods Now , a program shepherding resources, both funding and people, toward pandemic recovery and strengthening community partnerships across four boroughs in New York City. One notable commu...

When building a collaborative strategy or working through your implementation plans, it might feel like what you need most is a crystal ball (or a mystically accurate Magic 8 ball) to reveal which activities will work, which won’t, and where you can pivot so you and your partners can keep making progress. Moving ahead while surfing through ambiguity and questions like, “what will happen if…” can m...

Without proactively removing the structures and systems that have contributed to inequity, place-based collaboratives can not make a meaningful impact on the lives of those most excluded and underestimated in communities. However, given the increasing anti-DEI political and cultural headwinds unfolding in the US and several other countries, communities are facing increased challenges pursuing thei...

Navigating and managing change is key to a collaborative’s journey, but it’s also one of the most challenging as each partner’s relationship, personal history, and ability to participate in change can vary. Differences in how partners navigate change, if not recognized and explored, can make it difficult for the collaborative to  achieve meaningful progress towards shared goals. How does one lead...

Addressing issues related to disability and access are often cordoned off within the social sector and philanthropy. Disability is often deemed as “separate” from issue-specific systems change work, such as education, climate, economic mobility, or health equity. Funders supporting causes like these may think that their focus does not require including disability, or that addressing disability may...

Understanding a community’s “context” and its readiness for complex change work is a critical factor for launching and advancing collective impact work. Knowing the local context is necessary to support work with and within a community--who is part of the community, what are they experiencing, and what are their challenges, needs, assets, and opportunities? Where do relationships exist, and is the...

A core element of collective impact is changing systems in the pursuit of equity. Pursuing policy change and advocacy efforts are some of the key levers to effectively change how systems operate. But how can cross-sector partners within a collective impact initiative work together to co-create a policy agenda that addresses inequities and closes disparities? In this discussion we learn how a polic...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we wanted to highlight the importance of recognizing and supporting mental health as a critical and necessary element of a robust and sustainable collective impact effort. We frequently receive questions from a wide variety of collaboratives that are experiencing challenges related to the mental health of their team and partners, and the impact that this h...

For more than a decade, The Opportunity Youth Forum at the Aspen Institute’s Forum for Community Solutions has been working with a growing network of urban, rural, and tribal communities across the U.S. to build and scale reconnection pathways that achieve better outcomes in education, employment and overall well-being for opportunity youth. (Opportunity Youth are young adults, age 16-24, who are...

We welcome back members of the Healthy Food Community of Practice to hear what they learned from their multi-year collaboration and how the way they worked together changed over time. Launched in 2020, the Healthy Food Community of Practice is a network of more than 50 organizations working toward a shared goal—that communities of color across the country can access and consume nutritious food. Th...

The Millers for Nutrition coalition is working with 100+ millers and other partners to achieve an ambitious goal— getting nutritious, fortified food to 1 billion people by 2026. One of the critical questions that Millers for Nutrition has grappled with is how to get private-sector partners, many of whom may be in competition with each other, to find common ground, build sustained, trusting relatio...

What does it mean to build a movement? How is movement building connected to organizing and practicing solidarity with others? And why are these concepts important to make progress on collective work? In this deep dive conversation, we discuss core aspects of movement-building with Adaku Utah , senior manager at Building Movement Project . In this discussion, we review definitions of movement-buil...