Implementing the Lead Agency Model for Collective Impact Liz Weaver Vice President, Tamarack – An Institute for Community Engagement www.tamarackcommunity.ca - liz@tamarackcommunity.ca

Online Learning Communities For Collaborative Leaders who use collective impact approaches to address complex community issues. tamarackcci.ca For individuals who care about community, the vibrancy of neighbourhoods and the unique role of citizens in social change. seekingcommunity.ca For Cities that develop and implement comprehensive poverty reduction strategies vibrantcommunities.ca

Workshop Overview Collective Impact and Community Change Collaboration Spectrum Complexity + Community Change Pre-Conditions of Collective Impact Conditions of Collective Impact Implementing the Lead Agency Model for Collective Impact Questions?

An Overview of Collective Impact Greater Cincinnati Foundation Collective Impact: Pulling Together http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZZRvNXOozc

The Collaboration Spectrum Trust Compete Co-exist Communicate Cooperate Coordinate Collaborate Integrate Competition for clients, resources, partners, public attention. No systematic connection between agencies. Inter-agency information sharing (e.g. networking). As needed, often informal, interaction, on discrete activities or projects. Organizations systematically adjust and align work with each other for greater outcomes. Longer term interaction based on shared mission, goals; shared decision-makers and resources. Fully integrated programs, planning, funding. Turf Loose Tight

Complexity + Community Change

Use expertise, experiment and Learn-by-doing, see what emerges, adapt. Create stability, look for opportunities to innovate. Wicked Problems & Social Messes Develop common ground, compromise or compete. Follow the ‘best practice’ recipe. Use expertise, experiment and build knowledge.

Characteristics of Complex Problems Complex problems are difficult to frame The cause and effect relationships are unclear There are diverse stakeholders Each experience of is unique The characteristics & dynamics of the issue evolves There is no obvious right or wrong set of solutions There is no objective measure of success

Collective Impact

From Isolated Impact to Collective Impact Funders select individual grantees Organizations work separately Evaluation attempts to isolate a particular organization’s impact Large scale change is assumed to depend on scaling organizations Corporate and government sectors are often disconnected from foundations and non-profits. Collective Impact Funders understand that social problems – and their solutions – arise from multiple interacting factors Cross-sector alignment with government, nonprofit, philanthropic and corporate sectors as partners Organizations actively coordinating their actions and sharing lessons learned All working toward the same goal and measuring the same things

Used for Many Complex Issues Teen Pregnancy Health Education Homelessness Community Safety Poverty

Collective Impact – Framing Questions Do we aim to effect ―needle- change (i.e., 10% or more) on a community-wide metric? Do we believe that a long-term investment (i.e., three to five-plus years) by stakeholders is necessary to achieve success? Do we believe that cross-sector engagement is essential for community-wide change? Are we committed to using measurable data to set the agenda and improve over time? Are we committed to having community members as partners and producers of impact?

The Phases of Collective Impact Governance and Infrastructure Strategic Planning Phases of Collective Impact The Phases of Collective Impact Community Involvement Phase I Generate Ideas and Dialogue Phase II Initiate Action Phase III Organize for Impact Phase IV Sustain Action and Impact Components for Success Convene community stakeholders Identify champions and form cross-sector group Evaluation And Improvement Create infrastructure (backbone and processes) Facilitate and refine Continue engagement and conduct advocacy Support implementation (alignment to goal and strategies) Collect, track, and report progress (process to learn and improve) Hold dialogue about issue, community context, and available resources Map the landscape and use data to make case Create common agenda (common goals and strategy) Facilitate community outreach specific to goal Facilitate community outreach Engage community and build public will Determine if there is consensus/urgency to move forward Analyze baseline data to ID key issues and gaps Establish shared metrics (indicators, measurement, and approach)

Preconditions for Collective Impact Influential Champion(s) Urgency of issue Adequate Resources

The Five Conditions of Collective Impact Common Agenda All participants have a shared vision for change including a common understanding of the problem and a joint approach to solving it through agreed upon actions Shared Measurement Collecting data and measuring results consistently across all participants ensures efforts remain aligned and participants hold each other accountable Mutually Reinforcing Activities Participant activities must be differentiated while still being coordinated through a mutually reinforcing plan of action Facilitators Notes: This slide provides an overview of the five core conditions of collective impact and brief descriptions of each. These will be described in more detail in the next set of slides. The facilitator can just introduce the five conditions: common agenda, shared measurement, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communications and backbone support. Consistent and open communication is needed across the many players to build trust, assure mutual objectives, and appreciate common motivation Continuous Communication Backbone Support Creating and managing collective impact requires a dedicated staff and a specific set of skills to serve as the backbone for the entire initiative and coordinate participating organizations and agencies 11 Source: FSG

Common Agenda Define the challenge to be addressed. Acknowledge that a collective impact approach is required. Establish clear and shared goal(s) for change. Identify principles to guide joint work together.

Communication in Tillamook County, Oregon Teen Pregnancy According to the Health Department summary, Tillamook county "found that forming partnerships and working together toward a desired result can bring about astounding results. ... Their turn-around was an evolutionary process, with new partners bringing contributions forward at different times." No Shared Agenda Reduce Teenagers Giving Birth Reduce Teenagers Getting Pregnant

Building a Common Agenda Prior History Positive or negative impact Pressing Issue Galvanize leaders across sectors Data Determine what you need to understand impact of the issue on community Community Context Is there community buy in? Determine community leverage opportunities Core Group Determine who needs to be involved in core group Convener Trusted leadership to facilitate collaborative efforts Community Engagement Determine how to engage the broader community in the effort

What makes the difference between a good movie and a bad movie? Common Agenda What makes the difference between a good movie and a bad movie? “Getting everyone involved to make the same movie!” - Francis Ford Coppola

Shared Measurement Identify key measures that capture critical outcomes. Establish systems for gathering and analyzing measures. Create opportunities for “making-sense” of changes in indicators.

Collaboration in Cincinnati Educational Achievement STRIVE in Cincinnati Over three hundred educational organizations, human service groups, government agencies and philanthropies and private businesses. Shared agreement on 15 key milestones and 72 measures along a student road-map of success. A strong back-bone organization supporting a variety of “networks” supporting each key milestone. Measureable progress in most key indicators in recent years. Homelessness

Strive Partnership Goals: Working together along the educational continuum to drive better results in education so that every child… • Is prepared for school • Is supported inside and outside of school • Succeeds academically • Enrolls in some form of postsecondary education • Graduates and enters a career Results: 10% increase in graduation rates in Cincinnati since 2003; 16% increase in college enrollment rate in Covington, KY since 2004

Thinking About Shared Measurement Process: # of people/orgs at table, # of community presentations, articles, etc Progress: # of programs, # of new initiatives, etc Policy: policy changes in own or other organizations, new investments, gov. policy changes Population : # of people moved out of poverty, # of high school graduates, # of low birth weight babies

Shared Measurement Who is collecting the data? Will they share the data? How effective is the data source? What data do we have to collect? What resources will we need? Does this measure actually move us on our collective impact agenda?

Mutually Reinforcing Activities Agreement on key outcomes. Orchestration and specialization. Complementary – sometimes “joined up” - strategies to achieve outcomes.

A city-wide collective impact initiative http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=negQKaCvNBU

Memphis Fast Forward

Coordination in Saint John Poverty Housing Transportation Education to Employment Early Childhood Development Workforce Development Neighborhood Renewal

Continuous Communication Create formal and informal measures for keeping people informed Communication is open and reflect a diversity of styles Difficult issues are surfaced, discussed and addressed

Cooperation in Karelia, Finland Heart Disease Common Agenda: reduce heart disease. Focus on measuring & reducing a variety of key risk factors (e.g. high fat food diet, smoking, etc.) Emphasis on mutually reinforcing strategies with multisectoral actors (e.g. changing farming practices, media profile, trade policy around production and consumption of dairy products). Backbone support provided by regional health authority. Close collaboration with a range of organizations has been an essential element of success. Diabetes Voice. May 2008. Volume 53. Special Issue.

In and Out Communication

Backbone Organization(s) Guide vision & strategy Support aligned activities Established shared measurements Build public will Advance policy Mobilize funding Like a manager at a construction site who attends to the whole building while carpenters, plumbers and electricians come and go, the support staff keep the collaborative process moving along, even as the participants may change. Jay Conner. 2004. Community Visions, Community Solutions: Grantmaking for Comprehensive Impact

Implementing the Lead Agency Model for Collective Impact

Six Core Functions for the Backbone Organization Guide Vision and Strategy Support Aligned Activities Establish Shared Measurement Practices Build Public Will Guide Vision and Strategy: Build a common understanding of the problem; Provide strategic guidance to develop a common agenda Support Aligned Activities: Convene external stakeholders to do mutually reinforcing activities; Facilitate communication and collaboration; Catalyze or incubate new initiatives Establish Shared Measurement Practices: Collect, analyze, interpret, and report data; Catalyze or develop shared measurement systems; Provide technical assistance for building partners’ data capacity Build public will: Build public will, consensus, and commitment; Create a sense of urgency and articulate a call to action; Support community member engagement activities Advance policy: Advocate for an aligned policy agenda Mobilize Funding: Mobilize and align public and private funding to support goals Advance Policy Mobilize Funding Backbones must balance the tension between coordinating and maintaining accountability, while staying behind the scenes to establish collective ownership Source: FSG Interviews and Analysis

Six Key Functions for the Backbone Organization Build a common understanding of the problem Provide strategic guidance to develop a common agenda Ensure mutually reinforcing activities take place: Coordinate and facilitate communication and collaboration Convene partners and key external stakeholders Catalyze or incubate new initiatives or collaborations Provide technical assistance Create paths for, and recruit, new partners Seek opportunities for alignment with other efforts Collect, analyze, interpret, and report data Catalyze or develop shared measurement systems Provide technical assistance for building partners’ data capacity Build public will, consensus and commitment: Create a sense of urgency and articulate a call to action Support community member engagement activities Produce and manage external communications Advocate for an aligned policy agenda Mobilize and align public and private funding to support goals Guide Vision and Strategy Support Aligned Activities Establish Shared Measurement Practices Build Public Will Advance Policy Mobilize Funding

Common Misperceptions about the Role of Backbone Organizations The backbone organization sets the agenda for the group The backbone organization drives the solutions The backbone organization receives all the funding The role of backbone can be self appointed rather than selected by the community The role of backbone isn’t fundamentally different from “business as usual” in terms of staffing, time, and resources Source: FSG Interviews and Analysis

Effective Backbone Leaders Share Common Characteristics Stakeholders describe backbone organization leaders as: Visionary Results-Oriented Collaborative, Relationship Builder Focused, but Adaptive Charismatic and Influential Communicator Politic Humble “Someone who has a big picture perspective—[who] understands how the pieces fit together, is sensitive to the dynamics, and is energetic and passionate.” Source: FSG Interviews and Analysis Source: FSG interviews

Things to Consider in Collective Impact Patient capital Persistence for longer term, systems change Align partners across sectors to common agenda Legitimize the work of the collaborative table No playbook, support and advance the skills and capacity of collaborative partners

Reflecting on Collective Impact Think – Pair – Share What have I learned that I can apply to my role as lead agency? What other questions do I have?

Tamarack Learning Opportunities www.tamarackcommunity.ca Learn together through: Monthly tele-learning Seminars Engage! e-magazine Face-to-Face Learning Events Online Learning Communities Communities of Practice

Tamarack Learning Communities Tamarack CCI For Collaborative Leaders who use collective impact approaches to address complex community issues. www.tamarackcci.ca Vibrant Communities: Cities Reducing Poverty For Cities that develop and implement comprehensive poverty reduction strategies www.vibrantcanada.ca Seeking Community For individuals who care about community, the vibrancy of neighbourhoods and the unique role of citizens in social change. www.seekingcommunity.ca

Deepening Community – Just Released! Read the latest book by Paul Born President of Tamarack Institute   If you do, here are some fun ways to get involved in the Deepening Community campaign: Read the book & post a short review on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Indigo.ca, GoodReads.com or iBook Go to the “Get Involved” page on www.deepeningcommunity.org Write a post about your thoughts/ideas on the book or on your experiences of community at www.seekingcommunity.ca  Wishing you joy as you deepen community!

Upcoming Tamarack Learning Events Learn more & register: http://tamarackcommunity.ca/events.html

Additional Resources Follow my blog: http://vibrantcanada.ca/blogs/liz-weaver Regular updates about Collaboration and Collective Impact are posted on Tamarack Learning Communities Sites: www.tamarackcci.ca; www.vibrantcommunities.ca; www.seekingcommunity.ca Stanford Social Innovation Review articles on Collective Impact: http://www.ssireview.org/ FSG Social Impact Consultants: www.fsg.org Collective Impact Forum: http://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/

Additional Resources on Collective Impact FSG – collective impact resources - http://www.fsg.org/KnowledgeExchange/FSGApproach/CollectiveImpact.aspx Resources for Backbones - http://tamarackcci.ca/blogs/sylvia-cheuy/champions-change-leading-backbone-organization-collective-impact