Collective Impact

Opportunities for Youth uses the collective impact model to solve challenging problems in the community. No single problem can be addressed in isolation. For large-scale social change to occur there needs to be a concerted effort of the existing players mobilized to take action.

Collective impact is a network of community members, organizations, and institutions that advance equity by learning together, aligning, and integrating their actions to achieve population and systems-level change

Since the introduction of collective impact in 2011, the concept has been widely adopted as an effective form of cross-sector collaboration to address complex social and environmental challenges.

Collective impact is organized around the following five components: 

  1. A common agenda, which is the common understand­ing of the problem and a shared vision for change.

  2. Shared measurement, which include collecting shared data and measuring results.

  3. Mutually reinforcing activities, which consist of co­ordination and joint planning to reduce duplication and maximize effectiveness.

  4. Continuous communication focused on building trust and maintaining consistent and open commu­nication.

  5. A backbone entity to coordinate and guide the collective efforts and provide support, resources and secure funding to help the initiative move forward in a collective manner.

To learn more about collective impact, visit our partners at the Collective Impact Forum.

The Backbone Organization

Opportunities for Youth is the backbone entity supporting the network of 80+ partners that share a common agenda: to reduce the number of disconnected youth in Maricopa County.

In collective impact, the backbone organization serves six essential functions:

  1. Guide vision and strategy

  2. Establish shared measurement practices

  3. Build public will

  4. Advance policy

  5. Mobilize funding

For more on this topic, see FSG’s report, Understanding the Value of Backbone Organizations in Collective Impact.

Principles of Practice

  • Design and implement the initiative with a priority placed on equity.

  • Include community members in the collaborative.

  • Recruit and co-create with cross-sector partners.

  • Use data to continuously learn, adapt, and improve.

  • Cultivate leaders with unique system leadership skills.

  • Focus on program and system strategies.

  • Build a culture that fosters relationships, trust, and respect across participants.

  • Customize for local context.

Five Strategies for Centering Equity

  1. Ground the work in data and context, and target solutions.

  2. Focus on systems change, in addition to programs and services.

  3. Shift power within the collaborative.

  4. Listen to and act with community.

  5. Build equity leadership and accountability.

Source: Kania, J., Williams, J., Schmitz, P., Brady, S., Kramer, M., & Juster, J. S. (2021). Centering Equity in Collective Impact. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 20(1), 38–45. https://doi.org/10.48558/RN5M-CA77