Container for Change

hands in the shape of a heart with a sun by mayur gala

The Collective Impact (CI) model for solving entrenched social issues, developed by John Kania and Mark Kramer from US social impact consultants FSG, is attracting increasing attention. Recognition that large-scale social/environmental change requires coordinated and broad cross-sector collaboration means that we need to think and behave differently.

CI is not just a fancy name for collaboration; it represents a fundamentally different, more disciplined and higher-performing approach to achieving large-scale impact.

The CI approach is premised on believing that no single policy, government department, organisation, initiative, or program can tackle or solve our increasingly complex social and environmental problems.  Unlike collaboration or partnership, CI initiatives have centralised infrastructure – known as a backbone organisation (CI 2.0) or container for change (CI 3.0) – with dedicated staff whose role is to help other service providers shift from acting alone to acting in concert.

Container for Change

The role of the container for change in the CI model is new and poorly understood.  According to FSG, the expectation that collaboration can occur without a supporting infrastructure is one of the most frequent reasons it fails. One of the key responsibilities is to foster a sense of shared ownership in the community, strengthening partners’ commitment and investment in achieving collective impact. It brings together diverse stakeholders, facilitates communication and ensures that collective impact stays on track.

The container for change organisation requires dedicated staff separate from the participating organisations that can plan, manage and support initiatives through ongoing facilitation, technology, learning and communications support while handling the logistical and administrative details needed for the initiative to function smoothly.

The container for change is also described as having six common activities to support and facilitate the CI, differentiating it from other collaborative projects.

Principles of Practice

  • Clarity of Purpose – provide a constant direction, ensuring all participants maintain a clear and consistent connection to the overarching purpose.
  • Driving Long-Term Momentum and Growth – provide individual and collective growth and development.  Provide opportunities for experimentation, learning, collaboration and innovation.
  • Strong Partnership Identity – A shared name, symbols, and language bind people together.  Provide a unique culture and identity and fulfil the role of steward.
  • Connected and Aligned People and Activities – coordinate across multiple tasks, teams, organisations and initiatives to maximise impact and eliminate duplication of effort.
  • Involve the Target Population – develop an agile, inclusive structure involving all stakeholders.
  • Clear Measures of Success Connected to Learning – Convey data and learning in a way that resonates with all stakeholders.  Use narrative and storytelling along with data to convey deeper learning and collaboration.

At its core, individual organisations and initiatives could not do the work of collective impact with a supporting organisation, a container for change.

Yarn & Yield – A Container for Change or Regenerative Intermediary

The Yarn and Yield cooperative will be a container for change/regenerative intermediary, supporting other cooperative and social enterprises that provide products and services for their communities.  As a container of change we will provide the administrative and operational support other cooperatives need, leveraging existing systems, partnerships, processes and resources.  These dedicated resources will hold the emergent outcomes that come from the many diverse community businesses that will operate on the land in the Community Land Trust.  We will hold the space for these community benefit businesses to grow and increase their impact.