This readiness assessment is designed for a group considering using the collective impact approach to determine if collective impact is the right approach for the social issue, and the extent to which the conditions for success are in place for the initiative to succeed.
This tool is most valuable when completed by a group of stakeholders committed to addressing a specific social or environmental issue, and the results and implications are discussed together.
This assessment is comprised of three sections, intended to be discussed in sequence.
1. Is Collective Impact the appropriate approach for pursuing your goals?
There are many forms of collaboration, each suited to address different types of social and environmental issues. Collective impact as an approach is appropriate for addressing complex, large-scale social and environmental issues at scale. And, because collective impact requires significant investment of time and resources, it is important to determine if the approach makes sense for your work before embarking on the journey.
2. Do the pre-conditions for Collective Impact success exist?
In studying and working with organizations interested in doing collective impact work, much of initiatives’ success is dependent on having the right conditions and context for the work. Three key elements have emerged as critical pre-conditions: the presence of influential champions, sufficient resources to support the planning process and collective impact infrastructure, and the urgency to address the issue in new and different ways. For practitioners that do not have these pre-conditions in place, we strongly suggest focusing on cultivating these elements before beginning a robust collective impact planning process.
3. Are the nuts and bolts for collective impact already in place?
If your group has determined that collective impact is the right collaborative approach to use, and the pre-conditions are in place, we suggest taking stock of the extent to which the following elements are in place to begin your work.
Download the Collective Impact Readiness Assessment Tool
