Philanthropic Landscape 2011: The Pursuit of a Collective Impact

On July 14, The Rome Group will be holding their annual Philanthropic Landscape event which will share the results of their surveys on local charitable giving trends. In addition, a panel of local experts will address how their work relates to the concept of Collective Impact, an approach to large-scale social change requiring broad cross-sector coordination, a common agenda/shared vision among all participants, shared measurement systems, mutually reinforcing systems, continuous communication, and the support of a “backbone organization”.

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The panelists are all currently engaged in activities that embrace these concepts to a greater or lesser degree, so they can share lessons learned and discus how our community might build on these approaches and/or consider other ways to achieve “collective impact” on our most pressing problems. The panelists include:



Jillian Callanan, Chief Community-building Officer, Beyond Housing
For 35 years, the mission of Beyond Housing has been to strengthen neighborhoods, one family at a time. One way they reach this mission is through an innovative, place-based, community driven collaborative called the 24:1 Initiative. 24:1 is 24 municipalities with 1 vision – to create strong communities, engaged families and successful children – within the geographic boundaries of the Normandy School District. The Initiative is a catalyst in creating an environment where diverse groups of people can work together to achieve a collective impact and sustainable community transformation.



Stacy Clay, Executive Director, College Summit-St. Louis
Stacy is a member of the steering committee of the College Access Pipeline project. Its goal is a community-wide strategy to improve college access and success. The project has already gathered data on educational outcomes of low-income students in the area and issued a comprehensive inventory of existing programs and services aimed at increasing college enrollment and ensuring college success among low-income students.



Betsy Cohen, St. Louis PetLover Coalition Leader and Vice President at Nestlé Purina PetCare Company
Betsy leads the St. Louis PetLover Coalition, a collaborative effort among pet enthusiasts, pet welfare organizations and community leaders to promote responsible pet ownership and increase the save rate of dogs and cats in the St. Louis community. By 2014, the Coalition seeks a reduction of 50% in the euthanasia of homeless dogs and cats, a 20% increase in the number of pet adoptions, and broader community based education around animal welfare. The Coalition is launching a new initiative, No Unwanted Litters, to raise awareness of and promote solutions to pet overpopulation through low-cost spaying and neutering services. Nestle Purina and other community members are supporting the initiative through funding and outreach activities.



Kendra Copanas, Executive Director, Maternal Child & Family Health Coalition
The vision of the MCFHC is that all women and children in the St. Louis community are healthy. The Coalition was founded in 1999 with the belief that members could accomplish far more collectively than alone. Today, MCFHC includes more than 600 individuals representing 200 agencies and consumer groups, St. Louis City, County and State Departments of Health, and health care systems, private, public and religious organizations and other coalitions concerned with maternal and child health. Together, they play a meaningful role in setting the region’s maternal, child and family health agenda. They set the region’s maternal, child and family health agenda for improving birth outcomes, promoting healthy families and building healthy communities.



Bridget McDermott Flood, Executive Director, Incarnate Word Foundation
The Foundation's Marketplace of Ideas is a community funding program that spurs collaboration between community members and agencies, promotes solutions to community problems, and publicizes the richness of community activity in North St. Louis. The program features a competition in which community stakeholders can propose a solution to a community need. The solution must involve a collaboration of different agencies, religious institutions, businesses, or government entities.

Robert Fruend, CEO, St. Louis Regional Health Commission
The RHC is a joint effort of St. Louis City, St. Louis County, the state of Missouri, health providers, and community members to improve access to health care and reduce health disparities in the St. Louis region. In its 10 year history, RHC and its partners have preserved and invested over $250 million in funding otherwise not available for community health services in St. Louis, have increased access to physician care for low-income citizens by more than 100,000 visits (20%) at community health centers, and recently led efforts to reopen vital crisis mental health services in St. Louis’ urban core. Recently, the Commonwealth Fund and George Washington University selected St. Louis as one of six national models for collaboratively improving health care services in the country.



Susan Trautman, Executive Director, Great Rivers Greenway District
Great Rivers Greenway was established in November 2000 or as a result of the successful passage of the Clean Water, Safe Parks and Community Trails Initiative. It is funded by a 1/10th of 1-cent sales tax. The District works for a clean, green and connected St. Louis region and is developing an interconnected system of greenways, parks and trails that will encircle the St. Louis region, enhancing the quality of life for residents and visitors.