Initiatives
FSG and Collective Impact

Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work ... FSG / Fay Hanleybrown, John Kania and Mark Kramer

Burgess COMMENTARY
In the first section of the paper there is reference to this idea being introduced in 2011. I would observe that it is surprisingly similar to ideas that I was associated with in the 1970s and 1980s when I was actively engaged in international business and later in development consultancy with the World Bank, the UN and others. It was pretty clear that the single focus projects that were the norm of the major ODA institutions were getting little traction while costing a lot, and that communities would benefit if every issue that was constraining progress was addressed in parallel. I wrote a book in the late 1990s titled 'Hundreds of Issues that Impact Relief and Development Performance'. It was based on the idea that 'Half the world's population is caught in poverty and are hungry and diseased. Relief and Development has failed, and there is no single silver bullet to solve the problems.' This book identified hundreds of issues that impact relief and development performance, and could have served as a foundation for thinking about ways for relief and development to be more successful. This is background to my current commitment to the idea that there needs to be a major reform of the metrics used to measure state, progress and performance of society ... ALL the aspects economic activity that impact people, place, planet and profit.
Peter Burgess

Open PDF of 'Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work.'

ABOUT COLLECTIVE IMPACT

No single organization alone has the ability to solve the world’s most challenging problems. Collective Impact occurs when actors from different sectors commit to a common agenda for solving a specific social or environmental problem. FSG’s Collective Impact services include design and launch of initiatives, facilitation of strategic efforts, and development of shared measurement systems. Learn more at www.fsg.org.

ABOUT FSG

FSG is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit consulting firm specializing in strategy, evaluation, and research. We help organizations discover better ways to solve social problems. FSG was originally founded in 2000 as Foundation Strategy Group, and today works across all sectors in every region of the globe, partnering with corporations, foundations, nonprofits, and governments to achieve critical social change.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Fay Hanleybrown With more than 16 years of consulting experience, Fay leads FSG’s Collective Impact work. She has advised clients across a range of critical issues including education, global development, community philanthropy, and corporate social responsibility. She can be reached at fay.hanleybrown@fsg.org.

John Kania As a Managing Director at FSG, John focuses on inspiring social sector organizations — both individually and collectively — to achieve excellence in their work. John has led dozens of strategic planning and evaluation efforts for foundations, nonprofits, corporations, and governments. He can be reached at john.kania@fsg.org.

Mark Kramer As Founder and Managing Director, Mark oversees FSG’s overall vision and direction. He is widely published, speaks around the world, and has led consulting engagements across all of FSG’s areas of focus. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. He can be reached at mark.kramer@fsg.org.