Collective Impact is working with the Joint Commission on Sports Medicine and Science (JCSMS) to engage its membership in the Collective Impact approach. JCSMS serves as a convener and catalyst for cooperative ventures. The Collective Impact approach is a commitment of a group of individuals from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem, using a structured form of collaboration. The concept of collective impact hinges on the idea that organizations need to coordinate their efforts and work together around a clearly defined goal if they are to create lasting solutions to social problems on a large-scale. This approach was highlighted in a Stanford Social Innovation Review article titled “Collective Impact”. More recently, with financial support from the Wallace Foundation, the Teachers College of Columbia University engaged in research relating to collective engagement around education reform. Their report (Collective Impact and the New Generation of Cross-Sector Collaborations for Education) describes the development of cross-sector collaborations and presents findings from a scan of initiatives across the United States. With assistance from Collective Impact, JCSMS membership is exploring how the model might be used to address relevant issues facing their member organizations.
Collective Impact worked with the West Virginia Affordable Housing Trust Fund (WVAHTF) to conduct an analysis of the affordable housing system in West Virginia in order to identify internal and external challenges/barriers related to accessing necessary funding for affordable housing development projects in the state. A planning team was convened and primary and secondary research was conducted to inform the creation of a state-wide action plan that includes specific strategies to address capacity within local housing agencies/organizations and to work toward systemic changes in the affordable housing system at the state and federal levels. Many new state initiatives have launched from the recommended strategies identified in this plan (i.e., Volunteer Housing Program, Nonprofit Capacity Building Initiative, West Virginia Housing Policy Group, etc.). The mission of the WVAHTF is to assist West Virginia communities in meeting affordable housing needs through financial resources, partnerships, and planning.
“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.
