This blog is also posted at The Collective Impact Forum with a downloadable tool. Status Quo is not an option. During the past month, many of us have had our lives and livelihoods completely upended. We have been forced to respond to emergencies in our work and for some of us, in our lives. For those of us still working,…
Read more >This blog was written for The Collective Impact Forum and is reprinted below. —- We are living in an unprecedented, unpredictable, and scary time. It is hard for all of us. After several conversations with colleagues and much reflection on how collective impact efforts respond, I hope the following thoughts and recommendations may be helpful. “It’s OK to not be…
Read more >As a companion to the case study I wrote, Funding the Long Game in Collective Impact, this webinar with Christina Ellis and Tim Meister of the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment shares their insights, lessons, and some additional resources. This grant makers has created a promising model by partnering with 10 collective impact backbones to provide large 8-year long grants,…
Read more >I was grateful and honored that Public Allies Milwaukee invited me to their 25th anniversary celebration, and to join Executive Director Ashley Lee, Shawn Vega, and Amanda Clark (current Allies) in a story telling program facilitated by Megan McGee, the Public Allies alum who founded Ex Fabula. The night was magic with a room that was filled with diversity, energy,…
Read more >Harris Wofford’s death on Martin Luther King Day was fitting, even poetic. He was a pioneering champion of civil rights and national service. He inspired thousands of people to believe in and pursue big ideas, to serve causes larger than themselves. He was also a kind, curious, warm, thoughtful, and beloved friend I will sadly miss. I first met Harris…
Read more >I’ve posted a new Community Engagement Toolkit on the Collective Impact Forum website. The toolkit is meant to be a comprehensive, step by step strategy guide for groups to engage community members – those most impacted by their work – in the design, decision-making, implementation, and evaluation of their work. The toolkit builds on my work work for years with the…
Read more >I was recently interviewed for an article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy that asked whether elitism is a problem in the nonprofit sector, especially during an era of increasing populism. For over two decades, I worked to build leadership among very diverse young people, mostly young people of color and “opportunity youth” (young people disconnected from educational and career opportunities)….
Read more >At the Collective Impact Forum and Tamarack Institute’s Champions for Change training in San Antonio, I led a dinner conversation with Michael McAfee, President of Policy Link, about how results-based leadership, racial equity, and other approaches have strengthened the Promise Neighborhoods initiative and their other work. Our 45 minute conversation is now available as a podcast at The Collective Impact Forum
Read more >I spent the evening trying to prepare the news – how to tell them, and how to help them process. This is what came to me. Hopefully it can help others make meaning out of this and keep our heads up for the work ahead. —- I love you so much and it pains me to share that Donald Trump…
Read more >I was recently the guest on the Rise2Recovery podcast, sharing my story of addiction recovery spanning the last three decades. To listen to the interview, please click here. During the interview, I referenced the article I wrote last year on Huffington post on how I learned leadership through my recovery from addiction. I’ve shared my story often to encourage others who have…
Read more >