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 of Third Sector, a nonprofit technical assistance provider that advises U.S. government agencies on effective ways to reshape policies, systems, and services toward better outcomes for all people no matter their race, background, and circumstances.

This discussion explores the opportunities and challenges collaboratives may face when partnering with government agencies. The conversation highlights:

• Shifting mindsets from a compliance-driven approach to an outcomes-focused approach, where government agencies work alongside their collaborative partners to define and measure progress towards shared goals.
• Why relationship and trust-building are necessary when collaborating with government partners.
• Why sustaining partnerships with government can help collectives reach better outcomes for everyone, but also needs to be recognized as an “ongoing process,” requiring commitment, patience, continuous learning, and a willingness to adapt.

Resources and Footnotes

• Third Sector
• Caroline Whistler on LinkedIn

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0.

The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.

Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

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 change leader, mentor, catalyst, partner, and a lifelong learner.

In this special podcast episode, Liz reflects on her career navigating the many complexities within collective change work, including:

• The importance of balancing "people and process" in collaborative initiatives
• What to consider when working within complex systems
• The critical importance of storytelling to help illustrate how change is possible
• Why it is necessary to work in collaboration if your goal is to achieve long-term population-level change

Resources and Footnotes

• Tamarack Institute
• The Water of Systems Change
• The Innovation Ambition Continuum by Mark Cabaj
• The Cynefin Framework: Defining a Collaborative Problem or Opportunity
• Building a Plan on a Page

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0.

The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.

Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

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 advocacy has multiple rationales, including increased confusion about what counts as advocacy and experiencing “advocacy fatigue” from how long advocating can take to create long-term policy and systems change.

To better understand how collaboratives CAN participate in advocacy to support policy change and their collective goals, we talk with Arts for LA, an arts advocacy organization that supports creative arts and jobs in Los Angeles County, California. We learn about the Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative (CJCII), and how they have used data to strengthen their collaborative and advocacy efforts.

To learn more about how collectives can get involved in advocacy (and how to avoid or mitigate advocacy fatigue), we hear from Ricky Abilez and Gabriel Gutierrez from Arts for LA, and Adam Fowler from CVL Economics. They share what has worked, what has been challenging, and how partners with different motivations and backgrounds can still work together to achieve advocacy wins.

Resources and Footnotes

• Arts for LA
• Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative
• CVL Economics
• Resource - Arts for LA Campaign Center
• Webinar -Public Comment: A Webinar on Using Your Voice for Change
• Video -Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative (CJCII) Report about Policy Recommendation
• Report -The Retreat of Influence: Exploring the Decline of Nonprofit Advocacy and Public Engagement
• Webinar –Advocacy: What You Can and Can’t Do

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0.

The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.

Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

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 community partnership was with Think!Chinatown, an intergenerational non-profit based in Manhattan’s Chinatown that fosters community through neighborhood engagement, storytelling and the arts. Manhattan’s Chinatown was severely impacted by the pandemic, not only due to the health crisis but also a rise in anti-Asian hate. Through partnering with Neighborhoods Now, Think!Chinatown sought to unite the community, spark joy and connection amongst community members, and create a warm, welcoming space where residents could once again feel safe. From this partnership, the Chinatown Night Market was born.

Launched the following summer, the Night Markets not only created a welcoming, safe, and joyful space for community members, but they also brought partners from across the City together to rebuild trust and re-focus on community needs through the implementation of inclusive design.

In this new podcast, we learn how this partnership grew, how trust was rebuilt, and how this project kept Manhattan’s Chinatown community at its core. We talk with Andrew Brown (Van Alen Institute) and Yin Kong (Think!Chinatown), as they share the key elements that made this community partnership successful, and discuss how programs like Neighborhoods Now can create lasting positive change for communities.

Resources and Footnotes

• Van Alen Institute
• Think!Chinatown
• Neighborhoods Now

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0.

The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.

Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

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 make the process of working together even more uncertain and stressful.

The practice of futurism can be helpful when working through questions about where your collaborative work can go, and how your work may be affected by shifts in , political, financial, environmental, and other conditions.

In this new podcast episode, we explore how futurism can be used by collaboratives. We talk with Trista Harris, President of FutureGood, an organization that supports funders and nonprofits by tapping into future thinking. We discuss how these practices can support scenario-planning, risk mitigation, and imaging what an “ideal future” might be.

In the discussion, we also explore the future trends that collectives may need to consider, including the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), disaster planning, and imagining a bright future when facing daunting challenges.

Resources and Footnotes

• FutureGood
• Past FutureGood webinars

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0.

The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.

Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

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 their equity work.

To explore this topic, we share an audio recording from the Day 3 opening panel discussion at the 2024 Collective Impact Action Summit. The panel discusses the challenges collaboratives are facing in their work to advance equity and how collaboratives can navigate through this adversity to continue making progress towards their collective goals. This session was originally held on May 2, 2024.

Featuring:

• Jennifer Splansky Juster, Executive Director, Collective Impact Forum
• Monique Miles, Managing Director, Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions
• Paul Schmitz, Senior Advisor, Collective Impact Forum
• Junious Williams, Senior Advisor, Collective Impact Forum

Resources and Footnotes

• Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions
• Leading Inside Out
• Junious Williams Consulting, Inc.
• Targeted Universalism
• Centering Equity in Collective Impact
• Racial Equity Toolkit
• CIAS 2024 Keynote 2: Power Building, Trust, and Relationships: Supporting Movement Beyond Moments of Reckoning'

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0.

The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.

Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

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 and navigate through these varying responses to change? In this new podcast episode, we explore this question and more with Dr. Nicole Caridad Ralston and Ileana Ortiz from the racial equity consulting firm Beloved Community.

They have created a curriculum on navigating change, and we discuss the variety of skills needed to both lead and support change efforts, including:

• Why self-awareness is a critical part of working through change, including understanding one’s own history with and gut reaction to change
• How to work through change while centering anti-racism and anti-oppression
• Why it’s important to understand that change is both “head work” and “heart work”
• Why capacity building can be necessary to support your team or collaborative to work through change

Resources and Footnotes

• Full transcript for this episode available at collectiveimpactforum.org
• Beloved Community
• Barbara Trautlein – Change Intelligence
• White Supremacy Culture
• Another CIF episode featuring Beloved Community: How Community Leads the Way with Participatory Action Research (PAR)

From Dr. Nicole Caridad Ralston, here are some reflection questions for a change management process:

• How will you free up time and energy to focus on the change process? Where can you delegate projects or shift/share power?
• Who are the key people who can work with you to facilitate the change process?
• Who are the key influencers who need to embrace the vision and/or be included in the discussion and planning process?
• What permissions need to be secured? From whom?
• Who are the people/groups most affected by the proposed changes? What impact will each face?
• What can you do to help people embrace the change?
• How will you strengthen relationships during the change process?

From Dr. Nicole Caridad Ralston, here are more commonly used change management frameworks:

Lewin's Change Management Model:
Main Principles: Lewin's model, based on the Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze stages, emphasizes the importance of addressing psychological resistance to change. The unfreeze stage aims to create awareness and challenge existing mindsets. The change stage introduces new behaviors, and the refreeze stage solidifies the new norm.

McKinsey 7-S Model:
Main Principles: The 7-S Model focuses on the interconnection of seven elements: Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared Values, Skills, Style, and Staff. Alignment across these elements is essential for successful change.

ADKAR:
Main Principles: ADKAR focuses on individual change adoption through stages: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement. It recognizes the psychological journey individuals undergo during change.

Bridges Transition Model:
Main Principles: The Bridges Model emphasizes managing emotional transitions during change through stages: Endings, Neutral Zone, and New Beginnings.

Kotter's 8-Step Model:
Main Principles: Kotter's model outlines eight steps for successful change, emphasizing leadership's role in setting direction, creating urgency, and anchoring changes.

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0.

The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.

Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

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 make things “too complex” and “out of scope” for their issue-focused grantmaking efforts.

This exclusion of disability from the wide spectrum of grantmaking has its own reverse multiplier effect. Instead of scaling change to reduce inequity and create the conditions for more people to thrive, excluding disability means that change only addresses a subset of people while overlooking communities deeply affected by systemic inequity. 

In this episode, we talk with a group of philanthropic leaders who are each dedicated to advancing disability justice. We discuss why addressing disability is imperative for all grantmaking to be successful, and how funders can embed disability across all of their philanthropic work.

Featuring:- 

• Miya Cain, Associate Director, FSG (Moderator)
• Rebecca Cokley, Program Officer of U.S. Disability Rights, Ford Foundation
• Ryan Easterly, Executive Director, WITH Foundation
• Sandy Ho, formerly Program Director, Disability Inclusion Fund, Borealis Philanthropy, and currently Executive Director, Disability and Philanthropy Forum

Resources and Footnotes

• Disability Rights at Ford Foundation
• Disability Inclusion Fund at Borealis Philanthropy
• WITH Foundation
• Disability and Philanthropy Forum
• Sins Invalid
• Disability Visibility Project
• Ramp Your Voice
• The Curb-Cut Effect
• Imani Barbarin: Creating Accessible Spaces for Belonging

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0.

The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.

Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

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 there enough trust among participants to support a foundation for long-term work? Without a basic understanding of  community context, supporting change within a community is difficult and runs the risk of causing more harm than good.

In this episode, we learn about the state-wide initiative Community Organizing for Prevention (COFP), which is working with 30 communities across Colorado to support youth and prevent substance misuse. By coaching and supporting community mobilizers who train local partners to advance collective impact work, COFP strived to create a collaborative infrastructure of support across the state, but early feedback indicated that each community had their own circumstances and needs, and there wasn’t one strategy that would address them all.

We talk with Kit Jones (Colorado School of Public Health) and Marc Morgan (Community Organizing for Prevention, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment) about how COFP moved forward with humility and deep listening, evaluating and evolving their strategies to support what their communities needed to equitably move forward. We also discuss how COFP, as a state funder, is working with other funders to sustain the work and create a stronger infrastructure for collective change across Colorado.

Resources and Footnotes

• Community Organizing for Prevention
• Community Organizing for Prevention Evaluation
• Training the Trainer on Policy and Systems Change at the Local Level Full Report and Executive Summary
• Systems Change and Deep Equity by Sheryl Petty and Mark Leach
• The Water of Systems Change

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0.

The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.

Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

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 policy agenda can drive collaborative action and strategy to support collective impact work, how it can communicate where a collaborative stands on issues, what are the challenges in building a collaborative policy agenda (including bringing partners onboard), and how to approach shifts in the political environment.

Joining for this discussion to share about their policy agenda work are Maegan Frierson and Dr. Shayla Young from KConnect, a backbone organization that supports a network of public, private, and independent organizations in Grand Rapids, Michigan. KConnect aims to facilitate and advance a common agenda to ensure all children in Kent County have a clear path to economic prosperity through quality education, family, and community support.

Resources and Footnotes

• KConnect
• KConnect Shared Policy Agenda and PACE Toolkit 
• KConnect Community Engagement Compensation Frameworks
• KConnect 2023 Impact Report
• The Water of Systems Change

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0.

The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.

Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/