Getting Started - What is Collective Impact?

Jen, Robert, and Tracy of the Collective Impact Forum kick off the podcast with a deep-dive into what the term "collective impact" means, and what does it look like in action when partners are working in cross-sector collaboration on complex social change issues.

Episode Contents

2:00: Jen and Robert introduce themselves and the work and history of the Collective Impact Forum, an initiative co-led by FSG and the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions.

10:40: Jen and Robert define what the term "collective impact" means and how it has become a specific approach towards long-term collaboration for social change.

12:50: What are the five conditions that make up the collective impact approach? Jen and Robert explain, and kick things off with a look at the common agenda.

17:05: Next up is "Mutually Reinforcing Activities." That's quite the term! But what does it really mean? (And why are these activities so important?)

26:00: Next is the condition of Continuous Communication. That sounds pretty straight-forward, but is it really? And what does it look like when you're working in a collaborative?

29:40: Jen and Robert dive into one of the most challenging (yet vital) components when doing collaborative work- Shared Measurement.

34:42: The Backbone - one of the most vital components when working in collaboration, but what does the role of the backbone really entail? Jen and Robert explain and share the variety of ways the backbone can show up when doing the work.

39:30: The Collective Impact Principles of Practice - these principles run across all five conditions, but what do they look like, and how were they formed? Robert explains.

43:25: A lot of what's been discussed around collective impact doesn't seem very "new new," to use Tracy's phrase. Jen discusses how the collective impact approach builds on and draws from decades of collaborative and community work.

References for this episode:

What is Collective Impact? infographic

Getting Started in Collective Impact Resource Page

“Collective Impact” by John Kania and Mark Kramer in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (2011)

One article that Jen references in this episode is The Water of Systems Change.

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? You can send it to us at info@collectiveimpactforum.org.