Collective Impact Forum

This episode is the first of a two-part discussion that explores what practices can help a collaborative be more sustainable and resilient. For this conversation, we welcome our colleagues from the Tamarack Institute, Liz Weaver and Mike Des Jardins, who recently authored a new, free-to-access resource called “10: A Guide for Building a Sustainable and Resilient Collaboration.” In this first part, we discuss tips, stories, and resources that support sustainability practices for collective impact efforts. Interviewing Liz and Mike for this conversation is Collective Impact Forum executive director Jennifer Splansky Juster.

Resources and Footnotes

10: A Guide for Building a Sustainable and Resilient Collaboration

Sustainability Self-Assessment

Webinar: How to Support a Sustainable and Resilient Collaboration

How Field Catalysts Accelerate Collective Impact

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/

In this episode, we talk about “trusting the messiness,” and how one can balance navigating partnerships and managing expectations while participating in a long-term complex collaboration. 

To explore those questions and more, we learn about the collective impact work supported by Sagesse Domestic Violence Prevention Society which is based in Calgary, Canada. Joining us from Sagesse are Carrie McManus and Andrea Silverstone who share how organizational values help them navigate through complex work, conversations, and decision-making. They also explore what to consider when expectations and experiences may differ between partners, and how to work through these situations.

References and Footnotes

• Sagesse
• Open Space Technology
• Fierce Conversations

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/

We have a deep dive discussion about a new resource called the Racial Equity Toolkit that’s free to download and available now in the Collective Impact Forum library. The Racial Equity Toolkit is designed to support backbone staff and partners to operationalize racial equity throughout their collective impact work. We talk with toolkit authors Dominique Samari and Paul Schmitz about what’s in the toolkit and the ways that teams can explore it to advance their own equity work.

References and Footnotes

• Racial Equity Toolkit
• Targeted Universalism
• Community Engagement Toolkit
• Kin Universe

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/

In this episode, we share a discussion from this spring’s 2022 Collective Impact Action Summit. This discussion explored ways to better collaborate across differences, including different experiences and ideologies, and specifically, how funders could support grantees and partners when bridging across divides, especially in times of deep polarization and turmoil. 

Joining this discussion is Kristen Cambell (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement - PACE), Wendy Feliz (American Immigration Council), Andrew Hanauer (One America Movement), and Ted Johnson (Brennan Center for Justice). Introducing this discussion is Cindy Santos, (Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions.)

Resources and Footnotes

• Video and Transcript of this discussion
• Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement - PACE
• American Immigration Council
• One America Movement
• Brennan Center for Justice
• Bridging Civic Divides essay series by Decker Ngongang for PACE
• Complicating the Narrative, a discussion series from CEP and PACE
• Philanthropy Needs to Own Up to its Role in Fueling Polarization, Suzette Brooks Masters, The Chronicle of Philanthropy
• Ted Johnson’s book When the Stars Begin to Fall and this interview he did with Daniel Stid
• Ukrainian Leaders Show the Power of a Story to Move Policy. Immigration Advocates Should Take Note, Wendy Feliz in the Chronicle of Philanthropy
• New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World–and How to Make It Work for You by Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms
• Amanda Ripley’s book: High Conflict and this conversation she did with PACE
• The Other Divide by Yanna Krupnikov and John Barry Ryan
• The works of Danielle S. Allen
• Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity by Lilliana Mason

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/

In this episode, we hear from Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, who serves as President and CEO of the Children’s Defense Fund. Dr. Wilson reflects on the challenging times that many of us are experiencing, and the ways we can reground ourselves and move forward, so that we can shift from states of languishing, disconnection, and numbness to a place where we can better connect to ourselves, our purpose, and our communities.

Introducing this keynote are  Jennifer Splansky Juster, executive director of the Collective Impact Forum, and Sheri Brady, who is Vice President of Strategy and Programs at the Children’s Defense Fund. Longtime Forum fans wlll also know Sheri, since prior to CDF, she was our colleague at the Forum, and we were excited to have her back. This talk was the closing keynote at the 2022 Collective Impact Action Summit and was held on April 28, 2022.

Resources and Footnotes

Video and Transcript of this talk

Children's Defense Fund

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/

Parents can be powerful advocates in supporting the wellbeing of children and families in their community. But sometimes collaboratives and organizations that focus on supporting children struggle with building and maintaining parent engagement and authentic power shifting and sharing with parents. 

In this podcast conversation, we learn about the parent engagement work of Child Safety Forward in Hartford, CT - one of five demonstration sites for the federal demonstration initiative Child Safety Forward. In the discussion, we learn about how the Hartford project has worked with parents to become more comfortable owning and exercising their power – all in service of building a Child and Family Wellbeing System where child protection agencies, community partners, neighbors, and families share a responsibility to ensure children thrive. Joining this discussion to share what they’ve learned are Chavon Campbell and Regina Dyton (Child Safety Forward) and parent advocates Georgina Fuentes and Kayla Waters.

Resources and Footnotes

Child Safety Forward

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/

What is “community authority,” and what are ways to authentically build it within place-based collaborative work? In this new podcast discussion, we learn how one group in Northeast Oklahoma City changed course and reset their collective work so that they could better partner with community members and embed community authority as a part of the collaborative process. 

In this discussion, we hear from Matt Biggar (Connected to Place), Vanessa Morrison (Open Design Collective), and naturalist Sean Washington as they share what they’ve learned while working with the Edwards Property Collaborative, a group working together on the future of large tract of land in Northeast Oklahoma City. We learn what happened when the original project process changed directions to better address the community’s history and desires, and how design tools like the BlackSpace Manifesto have served the group in rebuilding community trust.

Resources and Footnotes

• BlackSpace Manifesto
• Sean's Wild World
• Open Design Collective
• Connected to Place
• South of 8th: A Community Vision
• You can connect with Matt 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/

How can community anchor institutions, like hospitals, help launch and strengthen community investment initiatives? 

In this episode, we learn about how Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the nonprofit housing organization Healthy Homes worked to support affordable housing and home repair in Columbus, Ohio. Through their work building deeper community connections and accountability, they saw real progress and real community outcomes in their Columbus neighborhoods.

Sharing their experiences and what they learned through this partnership are Nora Bloch of Center for Community Investment, and Patrice Allen Brady and Gretchen West of Healthy Homes. 

If you’ve been wondering how community anchor institutions can be supportive partners in building stronger communities or how to harness new, untapped forms of community investment capital, we recommend listening in.

Resources and Footnotes:

Healthy Homes

Center for Community Investment

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/

What kinds of dedicated skill-building can help prepare system leaders for the monumental job of coordinating complex collaborations? 

In this episode, we learn about Advance Together, a cohort of collective impact initiatives in Texas that focus on education and workforce development. Organized by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, with support from funders including the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Advance Together cohort members participated in a capacity-building program dedicated to expanding their system leadership skills. 

Listen in as we explore how the program got started, the impact of the program, and the specific system leadership skills that surfaced as most critical for backbone leaders. 

Joining us today to share their experiences as part of Advance Together are Rumeli Banik of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Kseniya Benderskaya of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Chris Thompson of Civic Collaboration Consultants, LLC, and Adrian Vega of Education Partnership for the Permian Basin. Moderating this discussion is Collective Impact Forum executive director Jennifer Splansky Juster.

Resources and Footnotes

• Advance Together
• Education Partnership of the Permian Basin
• Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
• Civic Collaboration Consultants LLC

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 a backbone build structures and processes that can better support and retain its staff?

In this new podcast episode, we’re doing a deep dive discussion to learn about the work of United Way of Salt Lake and the Promise Partnership, a cradle-to-career initiative to support Utah youth. In this talk, we learn about the Promise Partnership’s goals and what the team has learned so far from adjusting their staffing models to build in more peer support and mentorship.

To share their experiences with this new staffing model, we hear from Marisol Pérez González, Stephanie Rokich, and Alexis Bucknam from United Way of Salt Lake. They share what they have learned so far trying out this staffing model, and what they recommend to other organizations considering new ways to support backbone staff. 

Resources and Footnotes

• Promise Partnership
• United Way of Salt Lake
• Resource: Results-Based Accountability Framework
• Article: Embracing Collective Impact at United Way
• Podcast: Embracing Collective Impact at United Way

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/