There is an old but relatively famous set of videos by John Cleese and others called 'Meetings Bloody Meetings' in which John is brought to trial for hosting meetings that actually serve very little purpose. We have all been in those types of meetings!
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There is an old but relatively famous set of videos by John Cleese and others called 'Meetings Bloody Meetings' in which John is brought to trial for hosting meetings that actually serve very little purpose. We have all been in those types of meetings!
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Earlier this year I was approached to share my thoughts about collective impact as part of Maytree's popular lunch-and-learn program Five Good Ideas which invites subject matter experts to discuss "powerful yet practical ideas on key management issues facing non-profit organizations." I eagerly said yes, but then discovered that this is not an easy task.
Engaging unusual partners is integral to successful Collective Impact efforts. The fresh perspectives these partners bring offers an opportunity to gain a richer perspective of your community and the issue you are hoping to impact. And, their connections and endorsement of the work of a Collective Impact effort can be tremendously valuable in advancing your efforts more quickly.
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This is the second blog in a series I am writing about collaboration, collective impact and unusual partners. When communities are trying to work and shift more complex issues like poverty, homelessness, the environment, etc, they require the shared wisdom of a wide-variety of diverse partners. This means opening up the collective impact experience to both usual and unusual partners. The usual partners are those organizations and individuals that we feel most comfortable working with. If you work in the community sector, it is likely that your organization feels most comfortable with other community sector organizations, government partners and funders. But there are a wide variety of other partners and resources in many communities that can be pivotal to successful collaborative and collective impact efforts.
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One of the challenges of working collaboratively in community is that most of us move quickly to the work and spend less time scanning the community to both identify and connect with unusual partners. Recently, I had the opportunity to present to the Corporate Council of Volunteer Canada. This second presentation occurred just a couple of days after a meeting with leaders of volunteer centres in Canada.
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