Collective Impact: A Game Changing Model for the Social Sector

By Marty Jacobs

One of the key distinctions between a for profit organization and a not-for-profit one is that the former is focused on increasing shareholder value while the latter is focused on creating community value or impact. Creating lasting impact in the social sector, let alone measuring that impact, is one of the biggest challenges facing nonprofits these days. Past practices often focused on measuring outputs as opposed to measuring outcomes. A new model called Collective Impact is rapidly changing how nonprofits consider their work.

The idea of Collective Impact (CI) made waves when the Stanford Social Innovation Reviewpublished the article "Collective Impact" in its Winter 2011 edition. It was then followed up with a more in depth article, "Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work," in 2012. In the first article, the authors suggest that the social sector, funders in particular, need to shift their focus from one of isolated impact to that of collaborative impact. In order for CI to be successful, the following five conditions must be present:

1. Collaborating organizations must create a common agenda.
2. These organizations must also share a measurement system that tracks indicators of success.
3. Stakeholders must work together in mutually reinforcing activities.
4. They must also engage in continuous communication.
5. There must be a backbone support organization that coordinates, supports, and facilitates the collective process.

The second article outlines more specifics about implementation of the CI model. In particular, it outlines the following three phases:

1. Phase I: Initiate Action
2. Phase II: Organize for Impact
3. Phase III: Sustain Action and Impact

Within those three phases, the follow components for success need to be continually assessed:

• Governance and Infrastructure
• Strategic Planning
• Community Involvement
• Evaluation and Improvement

While the social sector has been buzzing about CI, it's important to note that it is not the answer to every nonprofit's dream. Here are some questions to ask to determine whether or not CI is the right approach for your particular situation:

• Is this a complex problem, that is, one that can only be solved by involving multiple stakeholders?
• Do we have the capacity to create the five conditions of Collective Impact?
• Do we have community support on this issue? Will we be able to engage stakeholders successfully in this effort?
• Can we find backing for the backbone support organization?

If you're convinced that CI is the right approach, then here are some questions to ask about your group's readiness for each of the three phases listed above:

Phase I:

• Governance and Infrastructure: Who would be willing partners and do they agree that Collective Impact would be effective?
• Strategic Planning: What data do we currently have and what more do we need in order to assess current reality? Is this feasible?
• Community Involvement: Are stakeholders receptive to this idea? How well networked are they?
• Evaluation and Improvement: What currently exists for measuring impact? Do we have the capacity and the systems to track progress?

Phase II:

• Governance and Infrastructure: What do we need in place for infrastructure and governance in order to keep this effort moving forward? What are we all willing to let go of with respect to control, turf, etc. and what is non-negotiable?
• Strategic Planning: What have we identified as potential common goals? Is that supported by the data? Does that align with all the partner organizations' missions?
• Community Involvement: Who are all the stakeholders and how can we fully engage them in this process?
• Evaluation and Improvement: Do we all agree on what the best measures for impact are? How will we track it and communicate progress?

Phase III:

• Governance and Infrastructure: What is working well? What more do we need to do to improve governance and infrastructure?
• Strategic Planning: How do we stay on track with implementation? How do we deal with setbacks or unanticipated problems? How do we communicate progress?
• Community Involvement: How do we continue to engage stakeholders? What does meaningful engagement look like over time?
• Evaluation and Improvement: What are our measurement systems telling us? How do we know when we need to course correct?

While these questions only touch the surface of implementing a CI effort, they will help create the thinking needed to dig deeper as the process evolves. Collective Impact is a practice - something that will deepen over time as you become more skilled, and with that, you will see greater impact.

Marty Jacobs, president of Systems In Sync, has been teaching and consulting for twenty years, applying a systems thinking approach to organizations. She currently provides strategic planning and policy governance expertise for the Vermont School Boards Association and has worked with several school districts to engage them in community conversations. In the nonprofit sector, Marty provides strategic planning, board leadership training, Policy Governance implementation, community engagement facilitation, and staff development. Additionally, Marty has served on a variety of nonprofit, professional, and school boards over the past twenty years. Marty has also written articles for Vermont Business Magazine and the American School Board Journal on topics related to organizational learning, systems thinking, and community engagement. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Marty received her M.S. in Organization and Management from Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, NH. http://www.systemsinsync.com/

8 Ways Your Nonprofit Could Raise At Least One Million Dollars in 2013

By Dan Maxwell, Jr

Well, just ask Katie Meyler of the More Than Me Foundation. Her foundation was just awarded ONE MILLION DOLLARS as the winner of the Chase American Giving Awards. And it all happened online.

As a nonprofit, you exist because there is a cause you're passionate about. But how far can you go promoting that cause if people don't know you're there? What good is championing that cause if you are not connecting with your present and potential donors? How do your target beneficiaries know that you care?

Put quite simply, in this day and age, every nonprofit organization needs a solid web presence. With over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations registered in the United States alone, how does your stand out? By having a dynamic web presence that is supported by quality content and social media marketing, your organization can immediately standout of the crowd to attract the attention and funding it needs.

Why do you think all the major international agencies of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund etc. have strong online presences with interactive websites filled of articles, tweets, blogs, special reports etc? Because as big as they are, they understand that they need to stay active with the trends.

So if well known and well established organizations like the ones mentioned above see the importance of maintaining an active web presence, and invest in getting the right persons to manage their online presence, don't you think it's time to rethink your strategy and bring web presence up your priority list?

Having a web presence is not just a matter of looking good online with fancy web graphics etc. For a nonprofit, well-crafted web content means the difference between survival and failure. A targeted online presence helps even the smallest charity get heard above the noise of all the other causes. Plus, good content extends a nonprofit's reach to millions of Internet users worldwide.

So, below are 8 reasons why every nonprofit MUST jump at the opportunity to hire a web writer. It is an investment you cannot afford not to make. ­­­

Publicity

The single most effective way for a nonprofit to get attention is by having an impressive online presence filled with valuable content and information. The best part is that it works out to be cheaper than constantly printing and mailing informational letters.

A professional web writer will build a clear message across your nonprofit's entire website. These messages which could come in the form of blog posts, tweets, emailed articles, videos and special reports must be written in a clear, concise and consistent voice.

Using nothing but online publicity, the More Than Me Foundation recently won a $1,000,000.00 prize from the Chase American Giving Awards.

Public Education

All nonprofits face the huge challenge of communicating their message to the public. Potential supporters want to know why you exist. What's your Mission? What are your founding principles? How are your beneficiaries selected? What are your plans for sustainability?

A well-written website helps your nonprofit efficiently educate the public when it comes to goals. It also allows you to speak directly to different groups of followers, from donors to volunteers to other nonprofits. This kind of intentional writing you can only get from a Professional Web writer who has taken the time to learn the art of online writing.

To properly educate the public, the ability to write to different audiences is vital. A professional web writer will research the different needs and questions of each group, and then dedicate a full website to each one.

Fundraising

I do not need to remind you that fundraising is the lifeblood of any nonprofit. It is also easier to raise funds over the internet. But with that ease comes the challenge of having a credible website that explains to your donors exactly what you intend to do with the money and when and where it will be done. For donors to continue to give year after year, they need to see reports of how they money they've given have been used. In addition to a full financial report, they need to see well documented success stories, they need pictures, and they need to be updated regularly on how their money is making an impact. Again, this is where a professional web writer comes in.

You need a writer who can write web content that convinces a prospective donor both that a nonprofit is respectable and that all online transactions are secure. This kind of writer, a professional web writer can play an integral role in donation collection.

Volunteer Recruitment

The best volunteers at any nonprofit cause are those who follow the nonprofit's activities very closely. Usually these are the same people who donate. Building email lists has become the single most effective way for nonprofits to communicate with donors and reach out in times of need.

A professional web writer will employ services such as lead generation, auto responders, and e-newsletters. A nonprofit that's in it for the long haul must make sure that they have a team of people on whom they can call with just one email. Change Agents Network is one nonprofit that is really good at calling on volunteers.

Timely Information Delivery

The ability to give live updates brings a boost in attention, especially if a nonprofit is participating in any kind of deadline-driven contest or live event. The trick is that you must have been in the business of giving live updated information long before the contest came up. Remember the More Than Me Foundation, this was their chief strategy. They utilized the power of strategic social media.

You need a well-crafted social media strategy. A professional web writer can set up a social media profile for your nonprofit and help you build a loyal community following. Trust me; you will reap huge rewards from dedicated supporters.

Advocacy

When recent Super storm Sandy hit, there was little time to waste. Many charities stepped up to volunteer support and services, while at the same time needing help from their own donors to reach their goals. Thanks to well craft messages vial social media apps, supporters were mobilized in record time.

A professional web writer will craft posts for an organization that prompt action and mobilize supporters, s/he will provide a key skill in getting word out quickly when necessary. Timely action alerts can also be sent out over email with a well written and clear call-to-action.

Research

As a Nonprofit operating in the US especially, you want to keep up with legal, political, scientific, or other related developments, especially in terms of showing donors how they incorporate new findings into your Mission. You will need to be able to generate specific reports, white papers, and case studies etc which require the best research skills possible.

Sometime foundations change their funding guidelines, or have quietly associated with other types of programs which has not really been known to the general public; but by having the services of a professional who knows how to dig and find any information, you can be sure not to miss out on any possible opportunity from which you could benefit.

Cause Marketing

Cause marketing is quickly becoming the single most effective way for a nonprofit to not only survive but thrive in the marketplace. It's a way for nonprofits to join forces with the marketing muscle (and budget) of for-profit companies, and it often means more exposure and larger gains for the nonprofit.

Competition for attention from consumers and potential donors is intense. As a result, nonprofits are constantly in need of a way to stand out. Partnering with a company is a unique and very public way to do this.

Through a cause marketing partnership between Home Depot a major US building Material store and Habitat for Humanity a nonprofit that builds homes for the disadvantaged, home depot donate thousands of volunteer hours, money and materials, and continue to do so.

How would you like your nonprofit to establish a partnership with a major corporation?

If your cause is about promoting Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) how much benefit would a partnership with a Silicon Valley tech company bring to you?

If your cause is about protecting the environment, how would you like to be sponsored by a major energy or mining company?

The opportunities are limitless with cause marketing and it's only a professional writer who has taken the time to understand how it works who can promote such relationships and bring you millions of untapped dollars.

By now, you've seen the importance of working with a professional web writer. I encourage you to take the next step and contact me, Dan Maxwell, Jr.

As a professional writer, I helped the Monrovia City Corporation get $5,000,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. A small nonprofit I started partnered with the National Oil Company of Liberia to promote non violence during the period leading up the 2011 Liberian Elections.

I can help you too.

Get in touch with me today via LinkedIn. Simply click the following link

http://www.linkedin.com/in/danmaxwelljr

Dan Maxwell Jr, is a copywriter who among other things, specializes in helping nonprofit organizations maintain active and solid web presence. He is considered as a Cause Marketing Expert.