Whether you’re working on a local collective impact initiative or a national public-private partnership; whether you’re a practitioner or a researcher; whether you’re looking for basics or a detailed look at a particular topic, our Resource Library can help you find the information and tools you need for your cross-sector thinking and practice. The Library — which includes resources from research organizations, advisory groups, training organizations, academic centers and journals, and other sources — spans issue areas, sectors, and partnership types.
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There are a number of academic courses, programs, and certificates offered in the United States in which cross-sector collaboration is a major theme. We hope this list will be useful for educators who are interested in how this topic is being taught at universities across the country…
In this paper, Living Cities offers “a strategic framework for cross-sector partnerships including describing and defining the traits that make up a strong foundation, factors that influence success, and behaviors of high-impact efforts. In addition to the theory, the paper steeps these ideas in four…
This landmark SSIR article introduced the concept of collective impact and its five conditions of collective success. “Collaboration is nothing new. The social sector is filled with examples of partnerships, networks, and other types of joint efforts. But collective impact initiatives are distinctly different. Unlike…
✴︎ Available only with purchase from publisher “Theoretical and empirical work on collaboration has proliferated in the last decade. The authors’ 2006 article on designing and implementing cross-sector collaborations was a part of, and helped stimulate, this growth. This article reviews the authors’ and others’…
“This report focuses specifically on a cross-sector collaborative effort to significantly reduce traffic congestion in the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minnesota. The organizers of the program concluded that a collaborative, multi-modal approach was crucial to making real headway on a longstanding, costly, nearly intractable…
This tool from The National Council of Nonprofits is “designed for use by nonprofits, governments, foundations, and for-profit entities when considering launching pay-for-success initiatives, social impact bonds, or other new funding mechanisms.” The Principles “will help parties contemplating alternative funding arrangements set expectations and avoid…
“Since its introduction, the concept of pay for success (PFS) financing has attracted attention from leaders interested in innovative social financing approaches. The model — which establishes outcomes-driven contracts between government and service providers, with up-front capital from private funders — shines a spotlight on…
These principles from the National Council of Nonprofits are “designed for use by nonprofits, governments, foundations, and for-profit entities when considering launching pay-for-success initiatives, social impact bonds, or other new funding mechanisms. … [These principles aim to] help parties contemplating alternative funding arrangements set expectations…
“This Toolkit is for government officials, urban planners, citizen groups, and others who want to implement successful smart cities projects. Drawing from lessons learned, it provides a framework for getting the most out of public-private partnerships, including what to look for in a partner, assessing…
The Wicked Problems Plaza (WPP) … “is a novel and structured way of facilitating dialogue between stakeholders from different backgrounds. In order to come up with creative — but nevertheless realistic — ideas, approaches to wicked problems need to address their complexity and preferably also…
“The Partnering Agreement Checklist provides a framework and tips for designing your partnering agreement — a key factor in the creation of successful partnership. Time invested in designing and negotiating a detailed agreement between partners will not only create a more effective framework within which…
“Often, the large scale collaborative work needed to meaningfully address a complex problem depends on one or more organizations to provide ongoing support such as facilitation, convening, research, evaluation, and fundraising. Although the term ‘backbone’ comes from collective impact literature, the concept of a backbone…
“Most communities understand the need to work on sharing and using information with schools, but many misunderstand the nature of this work. Crucially, this work has very little to do with technology or technical negotiations over privacy law. It has more to do with navigating…
“This ‘Roadmap’ sets out a systematic approach to engaging with business as a partner in development. It recommends five essential areas for action within which government, development agencies, business organisations, and civil society each have their roles to play. Taken together and tailored to a…
“Accountability can present a major barrier to achieving a cross-sector partnership’s intended impact. However, accountability is crucial to ensure work is moving forward and progressing in a way that contributes to a partnership’s shared result. Imagine a meeting or convening of partners where no one…