Putting Community in Collective Impact (2015)
About: A nationwide study prepared by The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation for the Collective Impact Forum with research in collaboration with the Kettering Foundation.
Author: Richard C. Harwood
Publish Date: 2015
Description: Not long ago, Rich Harwood led a discussion in Battle Creek, MI, with over a hundred leaders – from across all sectors – who were there to kick off a collective impact effort focused on vulnerable children and families. In that discussion, the leaders repeatedly described the community as “jaded” and “frustrated.” They said that too little trust exists in the community for people to make progress that "sticks," that endless turf battles inevitably cripple efforts, and that there aren't enough credible leaders and organizations to help the community move forward. The community, they said, is tired of initiatives and programs that start one day only soon to fade away and further undermine people's confidence that anything significant can be accomplished.
What if there was a better way?
"Putting Community in Collective Impact" lays out five key characteristics of civic culture, explore why they matter, and how paying attention to them may be the difference between a collective impact effort getting stuck – even falling flat – or generating the kinds of results we seek. A collective impact approach holds enormous promise for bringing about meaningful change – but only if such action is taken with communities, not apart from them.
