Collective Impact

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City of Prince George, Social Planning

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Phone: (250) 561-7600

Social Planning
1100 Patricia Blvd
Prince George, BC
V2L 3V9

Mayor Hall addresses community members at a session to Collective Impact at the Prince George Native Friendship Centre June 2016

Mayor Lyn Hall addresses community members at an introductory session to Collective Impact at the Prince George Native Friendship Centre in June, 2016.

Collective Impact is a disciplined, cross-sector approach to solving complex issues on a large scale.

The Five Conditions of Collective Impact

Common Agenda

All participants share a vision for change that includes a common understanding of the problem, and a joint approach to solving the problem through agreed-upon actions.

Shared Measurement

All participating organizations agree on the ways success will be measured and reported, with a short list of common indicators, identified and used for learning and improvement.

Mutually Reinforcing Activities

A diverse set of stakeholders, typically across sectors, coordinate a set of differentiated activities through a mutually reinforcing plan of action.

Continuous Communication

All players engage in frequent, structured and open communication, to build trust, assure mutual objectives, and create common motivation.

Backbone Support

A separate organization is dedicated to coordinating the various dimensions and collaborators involved in the initiative. Supporting backbone infrastructure is essential to ensuring the collective impact effort maintains momentum and facilitates impact.

The City of Prince George is providing backbone support as the community implements its first collective impact initiative. This support, enabled through dedicated resources, will focus on six key functions:

Guiding Vision and Strategy

The City will organize and facilitate community opportunities to select a complex issue to be addressed using a collective impact approach (the common agenda). Working with key leaders, the City will provide strategic guidance as organizations align their efforts with the common agenda.

Supporting Aligned Activities

The City will facilitate partner support for, and participation in, the initiative. This will be achieved by ensuring relevant stakeholders are engaged, communication channels are established and maintained, and partners feel supported in their efforts to align activities with the initiative.

Establishing Shared Measurement Practices

The City will facilitate the development of a shared data system that is valued and supported by partners because it contributes to informed decision making and improved outcomes.

Building Public Will

The City will utilize its networks and communication channels to generate public awareness of the issue so that community members are motivated to take action and have opportunities to engage.

You can assist with the Community Collective Impact Initiative in various ways:

Core: Get actively involved in the functioning and development of a Collective Impact effort. Examples include Working Group Member, Advocate, Data Manager

Involved: Provide frequent, in-depth feedback and/or assistance with a Collective Impact effort. Examples include Community Workshop Participant, Sponsor/Contributor, Volunteer

Supportive: Provide some form of support and input to further a Collective Impact effort. Examples include Survey Respondent, Event Promoter, Communicator

Interested: Be regularly informed of progress in Collective Impact effort without being directly involved. Examples include e-News Recipient

Advancing Policy

The City will target influencers and policymakers to ensure they are aware of the initiative, and actively advocate for necessary systemic changes.

Mobilizing Funding

The City will work with funders to identify opportunities to contribute to the community's collective impact initiative, through the multi-sectoral alignment of funding criteria, redirection of funding in support of collaborative efforts, and the development of new public and private sources.

As the backbone organization, the City will NOT:

Set the agenda for the community
Drive the solutions
Receive all associated funding

Prince George's Collective Impact Vision

All children, youth and their families have the opportunity to participate and achieve optimal health, development, and well-being in a child-friendly community.

We will achieve this vision by:

Improving physical health, as well and social and emotional development
Improving food security
Reducing poverty
Reducing teen pregnancy rates

Our strategies will focus on:

Advocating for policy change to improve systems
Enhancing and improving access to services
Learning through the implementation of a prototype to test a new approach
Increasing coordination through re-alignment of existing programs

Community Action to Date

Launching a collective impact initiative has four prerequisites including:

a local champion
urgency
trust
resources for collaboration

The City of Prince George formed a Collective Impact Backbone Leadership Working Group to guide the City's actions as a local champion.

Its work began in April of 2016 when several members participated in a conference to learn about collective impact and the role of a backbone organization. The working group met many times from April – December, 2016. Its stewardship of the collective impact process is captured in meeting notes which can be accessed below. To gauge urgency and build trust the City resourced and, with the assistance of the Tamarack Institute, facilitated several community workshops and consultation sessions.

The September 20, 2016 community workshop culminated in the selection of a collective impact initiative; the improvement of children's health. Presentations made at these sessions as well as notes detailing community feedback and direction can also be accessed below.

To ensure all sectors are kept informed of the community's progress with the collective impact process, the City of Prince George initiated e-updates. To date, two updates have been distributed to more than 150 subscribers. Regular updates will continue throughout 2017 and will be available on this webpage.

Community Leadership

Collective Impact Backbone Leadership Working Group Membership

Terms of Reference

Strategy Development Team Membership