Collective Impact

Collective impact.

Collective impact is a structured approach to solving complex social or systemic issues through collaboration between diverse stakeholders, such as governments, non-profits, businesses, and community organizations. It differs from traditional collaboration by emphasizing long-term commitment to a common goal and coordinated actions among participants. The collective impact model is based on five key conditions:

1. Common Agenda: All participants must share a unified vision for change, including a common understanding of the problem and a joint approach to solving it.
2. Shared Measurement Systems: Participants agree on the ways success will be measured and reported, ensuring that all organizations involved track progress using consistent data to ensure alignment and accountability.
3. Mutually Reinforcing Activities: Stakeholders engage in different activities in a coordinated manner, leveraging their strengths to complement one another. While each organization may perform different tasks, their efforts should support a unified strategy.
4. Continuous Communication: Regular and open communication is essential to build trust, ensure transparency, and coordinate the activities of all involved stakeholders effectively.
5. Backbone Support Organization: A dedicated organization (the backbone) is essential to guide the overall initiative, manage day-to-day activities, coordinate between partners, and maintain focus on the common agenda.

Collective impact initiatives are used to address large, complex challenges like poverty, education reform, climate change, or health disparities, where no single organization or sector can create lasting solutions on its own. By aligning efforts and resources, collective impact helps participants achieve broader and more sustainable outcomes than they could individually.

The role of a backbone organisation

A "backbone" organization is an entity that plays a central, coordinating role in collaborative efforts, particularly within collective impact initiatives. These organizations help bring together various stakeholders from different sectors to address complex social, economic, or environmental issues. Key functions of a backbone organization include:

1. Guiding Vision and Strategy: They help create a shared vision and strategy for the collaborative effort, ensuring that all partners are aligned toward common goals.
2. Supporting Aligned Activities: Backbone organizations coordinate and manage activities across different partners, ensuring that efforts are complementary and mutually reinforcing.
3. Establishing Shared Measurement Practices: They develop and maintain a framework for tracking progress and measuring outcomes, which helps in evaluating the impact of the initiative.
4. Building Public Will and Advancing Policy: By advocating for the initiative's goals, they build public awareness and support, and may also work to influence policy changes that support the collective effort.
5. Mobilizing Funding and Resources: They secure funding and resources necessary to sustain the collaborative effort and support the various partners involved.

Backbone organizations are crucial for maintaining momentum and ensuring that diverse groups work together effectively toward a shared objective.

Need help?

For assistance in shaping your project, reviewing your application draft or addressing any questions, please reach out to Ruby or Tom via the links below.