Collective Impact is a framework for collaborating across sectors to advance work that no one agency can do alone. This concept was developed by John Kania and Mark Kramer and was first introduced in their 2011 article  in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. It is important to note that the five conditions the create a foundation for successful collaborative work are: a common agenda, commitment to shared measurement, support for mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, the existence of a dedicated backbone organization.

All Collective Impact work requires a backbone agency – someone who can coordinate, facilitate, and drive the work, and The Connection fills this role for initiatives related to mental health and substance use in the tri-county area. As a backbone agency, the Connection’s mission is to lead the collaboration of community stakeholders to create and continuously improve an exceptional mental health system of care for Outagamie, Winnebago and Calumet Counties.

The core functions of The Connection include:

• Guiding vision and strategy by building a common understanding of the problem
• Supporting aligned activities by facilitating communication and collaboration
• Building public will to create a sense of urgency and articulate the call to action
• Establishing shared measurement practices
• Advancing and advocate for an aligned policy agenda
• Mobilizing funding to support our goals

The Connection also strives to ensure the five pillars of Collective Impact are firmly in place for all Intitiatives we are running. We are always interested in new ideas and projects that align with our mission and vision, so please CONTACT US if you would like to discuss!