What are the skills and mindsets necessary to be a backbone leader for a collaborative?

In this new podcast discussion, we talk with Paul Schmitz and Dominique Samari, authors of the recent report, “Backbone Leadership Is Different.” We explore how backbone leadership is unique and why It differs from traditional, more hierarchical leadership styles. In the discussion, we dive into:

• The specific mindset shifts required in backbone leadership;
• The skill sets that are crucial for effective backbone leadership;
• The importance of building relationships as a vital aspect of backbone leadership(and why it’s necessary that relationship-building be specified as part of the backbone’s work, and not considered an add-on or “on the side”.)
• Advice and insights on how backbone leaders can effective support collaboratives.

Resources and Footnotes

• Report: Backbone Leadership Is Different
• Webinar: The Skills and Mindset Shifts Backbones Need for Collective Impact
• Resource: Racial Equity Toolkit
• Online Platform: Kin Universe
• Article: Centering Equity in Collective Impact
• Blog: Making Meetings Work
• Podcast: What Makes an Effective Backbone Leader

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

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? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

Companies can be a critical partner in collective impact work. However, working with companies can pose unique challenges, from understanding how to initiate these partnerships to understanding how to best partner to sustain these relationships over time.

To learn more about how collaboratives can engage and partner with the private sector to advance social change work, we talk with Nikhil Bumb, Managing Director at the social change consulting firm FSG.

In this conversation, we discuss the multiple ways that nonprofits and companies can collaborate, from reaching out through corporate philanthropy to building deep, cross-sector partnerships. We also explore some of the unique advantages and challenges associated with partnering with companies, including the importance of:

• Challenging preconceived notions about what it means to work in the nonprofit or private sector;
• Understanding each partner’s strengths, resources, and limitations;
• Strengthening relationships by fostering a culture of mutual understanding, shared learning, and transparency;
• Moving beyond transactional relationships to establish a shared mission and values alignment.

Resources and Footnotes

• FSG
• Report: The Promise of Partnerships
• Blog: Partnering for Change, Committing to Learning
• Blog: What Business Leaders Wish NGOs Knew about Transformative Partnerships
• Podcast: Shifting from Competition to Partnership in Private Sector Collaboration

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

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? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

Achieving long-term change requires having government—whether local, state, or federal—at the collaborative table as a key partner. However, many collaboratives share that building these partnerships can be challenging, intimidating, or confusing.

To better understand how to build and sustain effective relationships with public sector partners, we talk with Caroline Whistler, CEO and co-founder of Third Sector, a nonprofit technical assistance provider that advises U.S. government agencies on effective ways to reshape policies, systems, and services toward better outcomes for all people no matter their race, background, and circumstances.

This discussion explores the opportunities and challenges collaboratives may face when partnering with government agencies. The conversation highlights:

• Shifting mindsets from a compliance-driven approach to an outcomes-focused approach, where government agencies work alongside their collaborative partners to define and measure progress towards shared goals.
• Why relationship and trust-building are necessary when collaborating with government partners.
• Why sustaining partnerships with government can help collectives reach better outcomes for everyone, but also needs to be recognized as an “ongoing process,” requiring commitment, patience, continuous learning, and a willingness to adapt.

Resources and Footnotes

• Third Sector
• Caroline Whistler on LinkedIn

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

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? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

Later this fall, Tamarack Institute’s Co-CEO Liz Weaver will retire, closing a chapter that includes many decades supporting community change, collective impact, and poverty-reduction work across Canada and beyond.

Liz is a long-time collaborator and dear friend of the Collective Impact Forum, and it has been a true honor to work alongside her as she has served so graciously and thoughtfully as a change leader, mentor, catalyst, partner, and a lifelong learner.

In this special podcast episode, Liz reflects on her career navigating the many complexities within collective change work, including:

• The importance of balancing "people and process" in collaborative initiatives
• What to consider when working within complex systems
• The critical importance of storytelling to help illustrate how change is possible
• Why it is necessary to work in collaboration if your goal is to achieve long-term population-level change

Resources and Footnotes

• Tamarack Institute
• The Water of Systems Change
• The Innovation Ambition Continuum by Mark Cabaj
• The Cynefin Framework: Defining a Collaborative Problem or Opportunity
• Building a Plan on a Page

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

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? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

Last year, Independent Sector published research on how advocacy by the nonprofit sector has evolved over the last 25 years, and specifically, how it has severely declined, with only 31% of nonprofits reporting advocacy activities over the last 5 years. Compare that to the year 2000, where more than double that—74% of the nonprofit sector--was participating in advocacy activities.

That dip in advocacy has multiple rationales, including increased confusion about what counts as advocacy and experiencing “advocacy fatigue” from how long advocating can take to create long-term policy and systems change.

To better understand how collaboratives CAN participate in advocacy to support policy change and their collective goals, we talk with Arts for LA, an arts advocacy organization that supports creative arts and jobs in Los Angeles County, California. We learn about the Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative (CJCII), and how they have used data to strengthen their collaborative and advocacy efforts.

To learn more about how collectives can get involved in advocacy (and how to avoid or mitigate advocacy fatigue), we hear from Ricky Abilez and Gabriel Gutierrez from Arts for LA, and Adam Fowler from CVL Economics. They share what has worked, what has been challenging, and how partners with different motivations and backgrounds can still work together to achieve advocacy wins.

Resources and Footnotes

• Arts for LA
• Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative
• CVL Economics
• Resource - Arts for LA Campaign Center
• Webinar -Public Comment: A Webinar on Using Your Voice for Change
• Video -Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative (CJCII) Report about Policy Recommendation
• Report -The Retreat of Influence: Exploring the Decline of Nonprofit Advocacy and Public Engagement
• Webinar –Advocacy: What You Can and Can’t Do

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

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? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

How can inclusive design spur community connections and build stronger partnerships in the process?

During the COVID pandemic, the Van Alen Institute and the Urban Design Forum collaborated to launch Neighborhoods Now, a program shepherding resources, both funding and people, toward pandemic recovery and strengthening community partnerships across four boroughs in New York City.

One notable community partnership was with Think!Chinatown, an intergenerational non-profit based in Manhattan’s Chinatown that fosters community through neighborhood engagement, storytelling and the arts. Manhattan’s Chinatown was severely impacted by the pandemic, not only due to the health crisis but also a rise in anti-Asian hate. Through partnering with Neighborhoods Now, Think!Chinatown sought to unite the community, spark joy and connection amongst community members, and create a warm, welcoming space where residents could once again feel safe. From this partnership, the Chinatown Night Market was born.

Launched the following summer, the Night Markets not only created a welcoming, safe, and joyful space for community members, but they also brought partners from across the City together to rebuild trust and re-focus on community needs through the implementation of inclusive design.

In this new podcast, we learn how this partnership grew, how trust was rebuilt, and how this project kept Manhattan’s Chinatown community at its core. We talk with Andrew Brown (Van Alen Institute) and Yin Kong (Think!Chinatown), as they share the key elements that made this community partnership successful, and discuss how programs like Neighborhoods Now can create lasting positive change for communities.

Resources and Footnotes

• Van Alen Institute
• Think!Chinatown
• Neighborhoods Now

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

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? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

When building a collaborative strategy or working through your implementation plans, it might feel like what you need most is a crystal ball (or a mystically accurate Magic 8 ball) to reveal which activities will work, which won’t, and where you can pivot so you and your partners can keep making progress. Moving ahead while surfing through ambiguity and questions like, “what will happen if…” can make the process of working together even more uncertain and stressful.

The practice of futurism can be helpful when working through questions about where your collaborative work can go, and how your work may be affected by shifts in , political, financial, environmental, and other conditions.

In this new podcast episode, we explore how futurism can be used by collaboratives. We talk with Trista Harris, President of FutureGood, an organization that supports funders and nonprofits by tapping into future thinking. We discuss how these practices can support scenario-planning, risk mitigation, and imaging what an “ideal future” might be.

In the discussion, we also explore the future trends that collectives may need to consider, including the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), disaster planning, and imagining a bright future when facing daunting challenges.

Resources and Footnotes

• FutureGood
• Past FutureGood webinars

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

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? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

Without proactively removing the structures and systems that have contributed to inequity, place-based collaboratives can not make a meaningful impact on the lives of those most excluded and underestimated in communities. However, given the increasing anti-DEI political and cultural headwinds unfolding in the US and several other countries, communities are facing increased challenges pursuing their equity work.

To explore this topic, we share an audio recording from the Day 3 opening panel discussion at the 2024 Collective Impact Action Summit. The panel discusses the challenges collaboratives are facing in their work to advance equity and how collaboratives can navigate through this adversity to continue making progress towards their collective goals. This session was originally held on May 2, 2024.

Featuring:

• Jennifer Splansky Juster, Executive Director, Collective Impact Forum
• Monique Miles, Managing Director, Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions
• Paul Schmitz, Senior Advisor, Collective Impact Forum
• Junious Williams, Senior Advisor, Collective Impact Forum

Resources and Footnotes

• Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions
• Leading Inside Out
• Junious Williams Consulting, Inc.
• Targeted Universalism
• Centering Equity in Collective Impact
• Racial Equity Toolkit
• CIAS 2024 Keynote 2: Power Building, Trust, and Relationships: Supporting Movement Beyond Moments of Reckoning'

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

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? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/