Copyright © 2014 by The University of Kansas Collective Impact 1 1 Kania, J. & Kramer, M. (2011)....

Copyright © 2014 by The University of Kansas

Collective Impact1

1Kania, J. & Kramer, M. (2011). Collective impact.Stanford Social Innovations Review, 9(1):36-41.


Why Use a Collective Impact Approach?

• A single service program may be quite appropriate to addressing problems that are simple or only somewhat complicated. Collective impact, however, is an approach to solving complex social problems.

• Taking a collective impact approach requires moving away from the traditional, more isolated ways that service organizations attempt to solve problems.


What is Collective Impact?

• Collective impact refers to the commitment of a group of important actors from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem at scale.


Five Conditions for Collective Impact:

• Common Agenda• Shared Measurement• Mutually Reinforcing Activities• Continuous Communication• Backbone Support


When Is a Collective Impact Approach

Appropriate?• You can use the following readiness assessment to

determine if a collective impact approach is appropriate for your situation:• Is a collective impact approach appropriate for pursuing

your goals?• Do the pre-conditions exist for the potential success of a

collective impact approach?• Are the nuts and bolts for a collective impact approach

already in place?


How Do You Implement a Collective Impact

Approach?• Before implementation of this approach can begin,

the organizations and individuals involved must embrace the logic of collaborative, adaptive and servant leadership.• Pay attention to adaptive work, not just technical

solutions.• Look for silver buckshot instead of the silver bullet.• Sharing credit is as important as taking credit.


Phases of a Collective Impact Approach

• Phase 1: Assess Readiness• Phase 2: Initiate Action• Phase 3: Organize for Impact• Phase 4: Begin Implementation• Phase 5: Sustain Action and Impact


Who Should Be Engaged By Your Collective Impact

Effort?• Complex problems can be solved only by cross-

sector coalitions that engage those outside the nonprofit sector (or any other single sector).

• The main key structural components of a collective impact approach are the steering committee, working groups, backbone support, and community engagement.


Steering Committee• Collaborative action almost always begins with the

establishment of an oversight group, often called a steering committee or executive committee.

• The composition of the steering committee is vital to the success of the initiative, as they will set the initiative’s strategic direction.


Working Groups• Once the strategic action framework is agreed

upon, different working groups—also known as action committees—are formed around each of its primary leverage points or strategies.


Backbone Support• Backbone support is provided by an independent

funded staff and dedicated to the collective impact initiative.

• It is vitally important that a backbone is viewed as neutral by the stakeholders on the steering committee and in the wider community.


Community Engagement• When considering community engagement, it is

important to do both broad based community engagement and targeted community engagement.

• How the community is engaged depends upon the goals of the initiative and how the community can best plug into those goals.


Shared Measurement

• Creating and using shared measures is a key component of a rigorous collaborative effort.

• Shared measurement means identifying a targeted set of indicators that everyone signs onto and pursues and then using that data both to track progress and also to improve efforts over time.


Evaluating Collective Impact

• Typically involves three stages of development, each of which requires a different approach to performance measurement and evaluation:• Early Years: understanding context and designing and

implementing the initiative.• Middle Years: partners should expect to achieve some

significant changes in patterns of behavior.• Later Years: partners should expect to achieve meaningful,

measurable change with regard to the initiative’s ultimate goal(s).


In Summary

• Collective offers a promising approach to addressing complex social problems at scale.

Copyright © 2014 by The University of Kansas Collective Impact 1 1 Kania, J. & Kramer, M. (2011)....

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