Episodes

  • How Practicing Futurism Can Strengthen Your Collaborative Strategy

    How Practicing Futurism Can Strengthen Your Collaborative Strategy
    Aug 28 2024

    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/
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    58 mins
  • Advancing Equity in Times of Polarization and Division

    Advancing Equity in Times of Polarization and Division
    Aug 22 2024

    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/
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • The Necessary Skills to Navigate Change

    The Necessary Skills to Navigate Change
    Aug 7 2024
    Navigating and managing change is key to a collaborative’s journey, but it’s also one of the most challenging as each partner’s relationship, personal history, and ability to participate in change can vary. Differences in how partners navigate change, if not recognized and explored, can make it difficult for the collaborative to achieve meaningful progress towards shared goals.How does one lead and navigate through these varying responses to change? In this new podcast episode, we explore this question and more with Dr. Nicole Caridad Ralston and Ileana Ortiz from the racial equity consulting firm Beloved Community.They have created a curriculum on navigating change, and we discuss the variety of skills needed to both lead and support change efforts, including:Why self-awareness is a critical part of working through change, including understanding one’s own history with and gut reaction to changeHow to work through change while centering anti-racism and anti-oppressionWhy it’s important to understand that change is both “head work” and “heart work”Why capacity building can be necessary to support your team or collaborative to work through changeResources and FootnotesFull transcript for this episode available at collectiveimpactforum.orgBeloved CommunityBarbara Trautlein – Change IntelligenceWhite Supremacy CultureAnother CIF episode featuring Beloved Community: How Community Leads the Way with Participatory Action Research (PAR)From Dr. Nicole Caridad Ralston, here are some reflection questions for a change management process:How will you free up time and energy to focus on the change process? Where can you delegate projects or shift/share power?Who are the key people who can work with you to facilitate the change process?Who are the key influencers who need to embrace the vision and/or be included in the discussion and planning process?What permissions need to be secured? From whom?Who are the people/groups most affected by the proposed changes? What impact will each face?What can you do to help people embrace the change?How will you strengthen relationships during the change process?From Dr. Nicole Caridad Ralston, here are more commonly used change management frameworks:Lewin's Change Management Model:Main Principles: Lewin's model, based on the Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze stages, emphasizes the importance of addressing psychological resistance to change. The unfreeze stage aims to create awareness and challenge existing mindsets. The change stage introduces new behaviors, and the refreeze stage solidifies the new norm.McKinsey 7-S Model:Main Principles: The 7-S Model focuses on the interconnection of seven elements: Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared Values, Skills, Style, and Staff. Alignment across these elements is essential for successful change.ADKAR:Main Principles: ADKAR focuses on individual change adoption through stages: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement. It recognizes the psychological journey individuals undergo during change.Bridges Transition Model:Main Principles: The Bridges Model emphasizes managing emotional transitions during change through stages: Endings, Neutral Zone, and New Beginnings.Kotter's 8-Step Model:Main Principles: Kotter's model outlines eight steps for successful change, emphasizing leadership's role in setting direction, creating urgency, and anchoring changes.More on Collective ImpactInfographic: What is Collective Impact?Resource List: Getting Started in Collective ImpactThe 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/
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    47 mins
  • For Philanthropy to Succeed, All Strategies Must Address Disability

    For Philanthropy to Succeed, All Strategies Must Address Disability
    Jul 17 2024

    Addressing issues related to disability and access are often cordoned off within the social sector and philanthropy. Disability is often deemed as “separate” from issue-specific systems change work, such as education, climate, economic mobility, or health equity. Funders supporting causes like these may think that their focus does not require including disability, or that addressing disability may make things “too complex” and “out of scope” for their issue-focused grantmaking efforts.

    This exclusion of disability from the wide spectrum of grantmaking has its own reverse multiplier effect. Instead of scaling change to reduce inequity and create the conditions for more people to thrive, excluding disability means that change only addresses a subset of people while overlooking communities deeply affected by systemic inequity.

    In this episode, we talk with a group of philanthropic leaders who are each dedicated to advancing disability justice. We discuss why addressing disability is imperative for all grantmaking to be successful, and how funders can embed disability across all of their philanthropic work.

    Featuring:-

    • Miya Cain, Associate Director, FSG (Moderator)
    • Rebecca Cokley, Program Officer of U.S. Disability Rights, Ford Foundation
    • Ryan Easterly, Executive Director, WITH Foundation
    • Sandy Ho, formerly Program Director, Disability Inclusion Fund, Borealis Philanthropy, and currently Executive Director, Disability and Philanthropy Forum

    Resources and Footnotes

    • Disability Rights at Ford Foundation
    • Disability Inclusion Fund at Borealis Philanthropy
    • WITH Foundation
    • Disability and Philanthropy Forum
    • Sins Invalid
    • Disability Visibility Project
    • Ramp Your Voice
    • The Curb-Cut Effect
    • Imani Barbarin: Creating Accessible Spaces for Belonging

    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/
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Why Understanding Local Context Is Critical for Collective Impact

    Why Understanding Local Context Is Critical for Collective Impact
    Jul 2 2024

    Understanding a community’s “context” and its readiness for complex change work is a critical factor for launching and advancing collective impact work.

    Knowing the local context is necessary to support work with and within a community--who is part of the community, what are they experiencing, and what are their challenges, needs, assets, and opportunities? Where do relationships exist, and is there enough trust among participants to support a foundation for long-term work? Without a basic understanding of community context, supporting change within a community is difficult and runs the risk of causing more harm than good.

    In this episode, we learn about the state-wide initiative Community Organizing for Prevention (COFP), which is working with 30 communities across Colorado to support youth and prevent substance misuse. By coaching and supporting community mobilizers who train local partners to advance collective impact work, COFP strived to create a collaborative infrastructure of support across the state, but early feedback indicated that each community had their own circumstances and needs, and there wasn’t one strategy that would address them all.

    We talk with Kit Jones (Colorado School of Public Health) and Marc Morgan (Community Organizing for Prevention, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment) about how COFP moved forward with humility and deep listening, evaluating and evolving their strategies to support what their communities needed to equitably move forward. We also discuss how COFP, as a state funder, is working with other funders to sustain the work and create a stronger infrastructure for collective change across Colorado.

    Resources and Footnotes

    • Community Organizing for Prevention
    • Community Organizing for Prevention Evaluation
    • Training the Trainer on Policy and Systems Change at the Local Level Full Report and Executive Summary
    • Systems Change and Deep Equity by Sheryl Petty and Mark Leach
    • The Water of Systems Change

    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/
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    51 mins
  • Why a Policy Agenda is an Important Part of Collective Impact Work

    Why a Policy Agenda is an Important Part of Collective Impact Work
    Jun 20 2024

    A core element of collective impact is changing systems in the pursuit of equity. Pursuing policy change and advocacy efforts are some of the key levers to effectively change how systems operate. But how can cross-sector partners within a collective impact initiative work together to co-create a policy agenda that addresses inequities and closes disparities?

    In this discussion we learn how a policy agenda can drive collaborative action and strategy to support collective impact work, how it can communicate where a collaborative stands on issues, what are the challenges in building a collaborative policy agenda (including bringing partners onboard), and how to approach shifts in the political environment.

    Joining for this discussion to share about their policy agenda work are Maegan Frierson and Dr. Shayla Young from KConnect, a backbone organization that supports a network of public, private, and independent organizations in Grand Rapids, Michigan. KConnect aims to facilitate and advance a common agenda to ensure all children in Kent County have a clear path to economic prosperity through quality education, family, and community support.

    Resources and Footnotes

    • KConnect
    • KConnect Shared Policy Agenda and PACE Toolkit
    • KConnect Community Engagement Compensation Frameworks
    • KConnect 2023 Impact Report
    • The Water of Systems Change

    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/
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Mental Health is Important for Every Collaborative

    Mental Health is Important for Every Collaborative
    May 16 2024

    May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we wanted to highlight the importance of recognizing and supporting mental health as a critical and necessary element of a robust and sustainable collective impact effort.

    We frequently receive questions from a wide variety of collaboratives that are experiencing challenges related to the mental health of their team and partners, and the impact that this has on the collaborative’s work. For this episode, we invited the national nonprofit Mind Share Partners to address some of those questions. Mind Share Partners focuses on changing the culture of workplace mental health so that both employees and organizations can thrive.

    In this discussion, we discuss four key topics that we often hear from collaboratives:

    • How to deal with burnout
    • How to manage conflict within the collaborative
    • What to do if the collaborative doesn’t have a culture that supports the mental health of its participants
    • How mental health can affect a collaborative’s sustainability and ability to make progress on its long-term goals

    In this discussion, we dive into these four topics with Mind Share Partners’ Bernie Wong and Carrie Grogan. They provide guidance and examples of what a collective impact effort can consider if its goal is to build a strong and sustainable culture that prioritizes the mental health of participants in the work.

    Resources and Footnotes

    • Mind Share Partners and their Resource Hub
    • Creating Mentally Healthy Cultures: How To Get Started
    • Imani Barbarin: Creating Accessible Spaces for Belonging

    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/
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    45 mins
  • How Belonging, Meaning, Wellbeing, and Purpose (BMWP) Can Empower Youth and Their Communities

    How Belonging, Meaning, Wellbeing, and Purpose (BMWP) Can Empower Youth and Their Communities
    May 9 2024

    For more than a decade, The Opportunity Youth Forum at the Aspen Institute’s Forum for Community Solutions has been working with a growing network of urban, rural, and tribal communities across the U.S. to build and scale reconnection pathways that achieve better outcomes in education, employment and overall well-being for opportunity youth. (Opportunity Youth are young adults, age 16-24, who are not engaged in work or education.)

    Based on their work with a network of 40 communities, along with thought leaders and funders across the field, OYF is advancing four key principles that, when brought together, help empower youth to lead thriving and healthy lives. These principles are: Belonging, Meaning, Wellbeing, and Purpose (BMWP).

    OYF has brought together what they are learning from their communities on these core concepts, along with academic research and thought leadership. Out of this collaboration, they are developing a BMWP framework as well as a series of examples that demonstrate that when young adults are supported in an environment where they feel they can have a thriving future, the outcomes for both them and their greater community are more successful.

    In this podcast conversation, we talk with OYF Director Geneva Wiki about this developing BMWP framework, what the concepts of Belonging, Meaning, Wellbeing, and Purpose mean, and how to operationalize these practices into your own work.

    Full transcripts of our podcasts are available at collectiveimpactforum.org

    Resources and Footnotes

    • Opportunity Youth Forum
    • Targeted Universalism at the Othering and Belonging Institute
    • Youth & Young Adult Wellbeing report
    • Centering Youth in Well-Being Research and Programming: A Guide for Adult Allies
    • Podcast: john a. powell – Operationalizing Equity in Collective Impact
    • Life Course framework
    • Purpose and Identity Processes Lab

    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/
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    43 mins