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 report looks at results from the 2012 Globescan / SustainAbility survey of sustainability experts across corporate, government, NGO, and academic organizations in 74 countries. “We asked respondents for clues to a blueprint for the most effective forms of collaboration, how business should (and in…
“What does it take to truly collaborate? How do you take your collaboration to the next level?” asks The Collaboration Toolkit. Through discussion, checklists, and a curated collection of links to tools, templates, and case studies, the toolkit tackles these and other questions such as:…
✴︎ Available only with purchase from publisher “Cross-sector partnerships (XSPs) are an important part of today’s organizational landscape and a favored strategy for addressing complex social problems. However, a discrepancy exists between the popularity and prevalence of XSPs and evidence of their ability to produce value…
“This toolkit for stakeholder analysis and power analysis was drafted by Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation in the context of an action research on ‘Power in Multi-Stakeholder Processes’ to help local researchers select tools for their specific situations. … The toolkit enables action researchers…
“The aim of this booklet is to enhance the rationality of the early stages of the partnership formation process: (1) define the motivations of a partnership (intrinsic, extrinsic, opportunity-driven, or issue-driven), (2) specify the various steps in the formation process, and (3) list important factors…
“This teaching case presents recurrent points of tension around resident representation in a community planning process: the Santa Centro Community Change Initiative. The case is relevant to current public policy, as outside funders ranging from private foundations to the national government increasingly focus their funding…
✴︎ Available only with purchase from publisher In this MIT Sloan Management Review article, Markus Perkmann and Ammon Salter discuss research partnerships comprising companies and universities: “Companies increasingly recognize that to successfully innovate they cannot exclusively rely on their internal R&D. Working with external partners allows…
“In Birmingham, Alabama, advocates see tremendous potential for local business initiatives aimed at strengthening the food system. But the region’s history, culture, and politics present some particular challenges, from the culinary tradition of rich, deep-fried foods to segregation’s legacy of political fragmentation and distrust of…
✴︎ Available only with purchase from publisher “Food is fundamental to human wellbeing and development. Increased food production remains a cornerstone strategy in the effort to alleviate global food insecurity. But despite the fact that global food production over the past half century has kept…
“Food Policy Councils (FPCs) are committees of food system actors that propose policy and programming changes to strengthen a region’s economy, environment, and community as they relate to the food system. As of January 2014, over 270 Food Policy Councils (FPCs) are operating at various…