Addressing Complex Community Problems through … · Boston | Geneva | San Francisco | Seattle | Washington FSG.ORG March 13, 2014 Presentation for: Addressing Complex Community Problems

Boston | Geneva | San Francisco | Seattle | Washington FSG.ORG

March 13, 2014

Presentation for:

Addressing Complex Community Problems

through Collective Impact

United Nations Association of

San Francisco

FSG.ORG

2 © 2014 FSG

FSG Overview

• Nonprofit consulting firm specializing in strategy,

evaluation and research with offices in Boston,

Seattle, San Francisco, DC, and Geneva

• Partner with foundations, corporations, nonprofits,

and governments to develop more effective solutions

to the world’s most challenging issues

• Recognized thought leader in social impact,

philanthropy and corporate social responsibility

• Staff of 130 full-time professionals with passion

and experience to solve social problems

• Advancing Collective Impact via publications,

conferences, speaking engagements, client projects

FSG Overview

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What is Collective Impact?

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There Are Several Types of Problems

Source: Adapted from “Getting to Maybe”

Simple Complicated

Baking a Cake

Sending a Rocket

to the Moon

Social sector treats problems as simple or

complicated

Complex

Raising a Child

Collective Impact Overview

5

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Complex Problems Require a Different Type of

Approach

• All working toward the same goal

and measuring the same things

• Cross-sector alignment with

government, nonprofit,

philanthropic and corporate

sectors as partners

• Organizations actively coordinating

their action and sharing lessons

learned

Isolated Impact Collective Impact

Collective Impact recognizes that no single organization is responsible

for a major social problem, so no single organization can cure it Source: Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work, 2012; FSG Interviews and Analysis

• Funders select individual grantees,

organizations compete

• Evaluation attempts to isolate a

particular organization’s impact

• Large scale change is assumed to

depend on scaling organizations

• Sectors are disconnected


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Five Conditions for Collective Impact

Common Agenda

Shared

Measurement

Mutually Reinforcing

Activities

Continuous

Communication

Backbone

Organization


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The Collective Impact Approach Can Apply to Solving

Many Complex Social Issues

Education Healthcare

Economic Dev. Youth Development

Homelessness

Community Dev.

*

*

*

*

* Indicates FSG Client


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Effective Collective Impact Requires a Mindset Shift

Technical Solutions

to Problems

Adaptive Solutions

to Problems

Silver Bullet Silver Buckshot

Credit Credibility

Source: Channeling Change: Making Collective

Impact Work, 2012; FSG Interviews and Analysis


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How to Organize for Collective Impact

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In Catalyzing Social Change, Collective Impact also Depends

on Essential Intangibles for its Success

• Fostering Connections between

People

• The Power of Hope

• Relationship and Trust building

• Leadership Identification and

Development

• Creating a Culture of Learning

Collective Impact’s Intangible Elements

Source: Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work, 2012; FSG Interviews

Organizing for Collective Impact

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Launching a Collective Impact Initiative Has

Three Prerequisites

Financial Resources

• Committed funding partners

• Sustained funding for at least 2-3 years

• Pays for needed infrastructure and planning



Influential Champion

• Commands respect and engages cross-sector leaders

• Focused on solving problem but allows participants to

figure out answers for themselves

Urgency for Change

• Critical problem in the community

• Frustration with existing approaches

• Multiple actors calling for change

• Engaged funders and policy makers

!


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In Setting Boundaries for a Project, the Critical Component Is

Determining Where Partners Can Have the Greatest Impact


Setting Boundaries Example: Teen Substance Abuse in Staten Island, New York*

Youth Unemployment

Domestic Violence

Parental & Youth Social Norms

Prevention Activities

Treatment Activities

School Completion

Advocacy

State Level

Local Level

Alcohol

Mental Health

Parental Neglect & Endangerment Access

Prescription Drugs

Methamphetamines



Tobacco

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CI Efforts Tend to Transpire Over Four Phases

Phase IV

Sustain Action

and Impact

Components

for Success

Identify champions

and form cross-

sector group

Create infrastructure

(backbone and

processes)

Convene community

stakeholders

Facilitate community

outreach

Engage community

and build public will

Map the landscape

and use data to

make case

Create common

agenda (common

goals and strategy)

Hold dialogue about

issue, community

context, and available

resources

Facilitate community

outreach specific to

goal

Analyze baseline

data to ID key issues

and gaps

Establish shared

metrics (indicators,

measurement, and

approach)

Facilitate and refine

Continue

engagement and

conduct advocacy

Support

implementation

(alignment to goal

and strategies)

Collect, track, and

report progress

(process to learn and

improve)

Determine if there is

consensus/urgency to

move forward

Phase III

Organize for

Impact

Phase II

Initiate Action

Phase I

Assess Readiness,

Facilitate Dialogue

Governance

and

Infrastructure

Strategic

Planning

Community

Involvement

Evaluation

And

Improvement


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Collective Impact Is Best Structured with Clearly

Defined Cascading Levels of Collaboration


Shared Measures

Backbone

Governance,

Vision and Strategy

Action Planning

Implementation

Public Will

Common Agenda

Steering

Committee

Community Members

Partners

Working Groups

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To Support Progress against the Common Agenda, Backbone

Organizations Engage in Six Important Activities

Backbones must balance the tension between coordinating and maintaining

accountability, while staying behind the scenes to establish collective ownership

Guide Vision and Strategy

Build Public Will

Support Aligned Activities

Mobilize Funding

Establish Shared Measurement Practices

Advance Policy

Source: FSG Interviews and Analysis


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16

There Are a Number of Common Misperceptions about

the Role of Backbone Organizations

• The backbone organization sets the agenda for the group

• The backbone organization drives the solutions

• The backbone organization receives all the funding

• The backbone can be self appointed rather than

selected by the community

• The backbone is “business as usual” in terms of staffing,

time, and resources

Common Misperceptions

Source: FSG Interviews and Analysis


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Thank you for your time!

Documents

Addressing Complex Community Problems through … · Boston | Geneva | San Francisco | Seattle | Washington FSG.ORG March 13, 2014 Presentation for: Addressing Complex Community Problems