This article is about evolving frameworks for collective impact. CI is now a permanent – even dominant – part of the landscape of community change. We believe that it’s time for an evolution in the revolution. First, there has been enough experimentation with CI, by diverse communities working on diverse issues in diverse settings, to shed light on its limitations. These include: insufficient attention to the role of community in the change effort; an excessive focus on short-term data; an understatement of the role of policy and systems change; and an over-investment in backbone support. Secondly, in the rush to embrace CI, many in the field have ignored the less well-packaged and promoted frameworks of community change developed by other organizations and practitioners.
Our Community Can Change When We Work Together Well