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.
Learn More
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 guide from Collaboration for Impact recommends, “Before you and your core collaborators consider starting a Collective Impact initiative, there are a few questions you should get clear in your collective minds.” The guide includes discussion of those questions: What type of social problem are…
“The Partnerships Resource Centre and The Partnering Initiative have developed a Partnering Agreement Scorecard based on insights from practice and grounded on theory. The tool will be of value to any organisation that contemplates setting up a new or reviewing an existing partnership. It offers…
“The purpose of this guide is to share lessons learned across multiple initiatives to offer organisations guidance and insight into how to collaborate successfully to create change. In particular, it is designed to support organisations in the larger process of what at Forum we call…
“There is growing recognition that preventing violence means engaging many sectors, but collaboration can be difficult. This publication outlines the benefits and challenges of multi-sector collaboration, and illustrates how the Collaboration Multiplier tool can help with an example out of Houston. It features a Collaboration…
“There is growing recognition that many sectors must be engaged to effectively prevent violence, but people always don’t know what they bring to the table or how their sector can pitch in. This publication clarifies the roles and contributions of 10 sectors and 12 departments,…
“This framework identifies the key organisational processes, systems, commitments, and capacities, crucial to an organisation’s ability to partner, and maps them against four organisational areas: Leadership & Strategy, Systems & Processes, Skills & Support, and Partnering Culture. Using this framework can support an understanding of…
“Twelve key steps to guide you through the process of building and maintaining a successful, sustainable cross-sector partnership. Starting from understanding the issue, and knowing and respecting one’s partners, and identifying clear partnership objectives, all the way through to building in ongoing review and health…
The Building an Accountability Structure Toolkit aims to help members of a cradle-to-career partnership: Understand the importance of an accountability structure. View different types of structures and their respective advantages and disadvantages. Understand and outline the roles and responsibilities that need to be accommodated in…
“In the spirit of stewarding collaborative change, Alberta Education, the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA), the Alberta School Councils’ Association (ASCA), the College of Alberta School Superintendents (CASS) and the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) formed the Collaborative Practices and Partnership Team. The team’s goal is…
“This is a practical guide to help the private and social sectors [collaborate with other sectors to address social challenges.] It should help both sectors to be more aware of their different strengths and weaknesses and of how to go about approaching, engaging, and relying…