Collective Impact continues to work with Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission (WDAC) and Greene County Drug and Alcohol Program on their problem gambling initiatives. With the increased availability of legalized gambling in Pennsylvania comes increased concern regarding the individual and social costs of problem gambling. The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) is addressing this concern by increasing problem gambling prevention, education and outreach efforts throughout the state. Problem gambling prevention activities are intended to increase awareness of problem gambling within the general public; inform teachers, policy makers, and other professionals about the impact of problem gambling on the family unit, schools and communities; and educate at-risk populations such as college students, youth, and older adults about risk and protective factors in an effort to prevent problem gambling.

Collective Impact worked with First 5 Ventura County (F5VC) to implement a “Research to Action” project funded by the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) involving several EC-LINC communities. The mission of EC-LINC is to support families and improve results for young children in communities across the country with a focus on accelerating the development of effective, integrated, local early childhood systems. Along with several EC-LINC communities in California and Massachusetts, F5VC set out to establish the effectiveness of playgroups in the continuum of care for serving young children (birth to three) and their families, maximize the benefits of playgroups, and demonstrate the impact of playgroups on long-term outcomes. This project included an extensive literature review, interviews and a survey of current practices with participating communities, development of recommended best practice and evaluation frameworks, onsite convening of participating communities, and the development of a final report with key findings and recommendations.

“I landed my current position by making connections through the internship program with Collective Impact. This is an amazing program and was exactly what I needed to progress into the working world. Not only was I able to grow in professional development, I was also able to grow personally through my experiences in this internship. Every single person I met was supportive, enthusiastic and really expressed their want in me to succeed. I would recommend this program to anyone who has graduated college and or is graduating in order to provide their next step into a career. Thank you Bruce Decker and your Collective Impact team for providing this wonderful opportunity!”  ~ Ryan Jefferson-Director, Lincoln County Green Wastewater Project and Former Affordable Housing Intern, Hamlin, WV

Large-scale social change requires broad cross-sector coordination. Collective Impact is not only the name of our consulting firm, but is also our guiding principle and approach that has directed how we interact, perform, and succeed with our partners over the past almost two decades.  The "Collective Impact" approach is highlighted in the article titled "Collective Impact" in the Winter 2011 Stanford Social Innovation Review.