Stakeholder Training in Collective Impact
Stakeholder Training in Collective Impact
May 19, 2017
Collective impact is a nationally-recognized approach to cross-sector, systems change work. For the 34th Roundtable, we took a deep dive into collective impact. Because Shared Prosperity tackles such a complex issue as poverty where diverse partners are needed to envision and enact change, collective impact has been part of the DNA of Shared Prosperity Philadelphia since the plan’s inception in 2013. As we enter the 4th year of implementation, it’s important to not only reflect on how to make collective impact work better but to take an opportunity to share core concepts of collective impact out to our partners and stakeholders.
This Roundtable attempted to do just that. Scott Wheeler and Elizabeth Guman, consultants from Strategy Arts, led us through an interactive training on how to bring a collective impact approach to cross-sector initiatives and how to make existing collective impact initiatives more engaging, relevant and effective. Outside of defining and exploring the nuances of collective impact, Wheeler and Guman emphasized that collective impact requires that people step into new roles not traditionally defined in our organizations.
Wheeler and Guman outlined the guidelines for implementing collective impact. For collective impact to work, organizations and individuals have to: be willing, stay committed, be part of making it work, and build connections.
After the training session, attendees broke into small groups to discuss the barriers and supports to organizations fully engaging in collective impact working groups, as well as ideas for how participation in a collective impact working group could lead to a change that has a significant impact.
In regards to this session, 94% of participants felt that they had learned something new about collective impact.
Here are some actions people planned to engage in after this roundtable:
“I need to re-engage with my group work.”
“Developing a shared accountability system.”
“I will try to create a logic model based on group conversations to help groups see both their success and organize their thinking.”
Thank you to everyone who participated and those who provided feedback!