Cross-sector strategies require a common framework and shared standards for achieving maximum impact. Jeff Edmonson of StriveTogether and Nancy Zimpher of the State University of New York discuss the importance of setting standards for collective impact and getting a better social return on investment in our most challenging issues.
“In the “new normal” where resource limitations are a fact of life, it is more necessary than ever to ensure we are investing our time, talent, and treasure as efficiently and effectively as possible. The concept of collective impact gives us the conceptual underpinnings for how to make this change. But in order for us to prevent a powerful idea from becoming a watered-down version of what it was meant to be, we need a common set of standards for what it means to make this work happen. The new civic infrastructure, informed by practical experience on the ground, is a way to not only make this concept a reality and develop common standards, but completely rethink how we get a better social return on investment when tackling some of our most challenging issues.”