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September 2017 Newsletter

Collective Impact vs. Collaboration

REGIONAL HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENDA PROFILE

The Regional Health and Human Services Agenda aims to transform our region through cross-sector collaboration and collective impact. While collaboration is a common strategy employed on everything from implementing a workplace project to setting the dinner table, the idea of collective impact – “aligning diverse stakeholders around shared outcomes” may be less familiar.

In a recent article by Exponent Philanthropy, Jess Edmondson, founder and executive director of Strive Together, draws four major distinctions between between collective impact and collaboration:

1. Programs vs. outcomes – Rather than organizing around programs or initatives, collective impact organizes stakeholders around shared outcomes.

2. Prove vs. improve – Collaborators often use data to support claims, but collective impact is focused on using data to make improvements in real time, identifying what works best for different communities and cultures.

3.  Do more vs. work better – Collaborators may be asked to assume additional projects, but collective impact uses data to leverage existing assets and build a culture of continual improvement.

4. Importing ideas vs. engaging community – Rather than importing a successful idea from another community, collective impact involves identifying and advocating for what works in your community.

Click here to read the full article and learn how collective impact can yield the type of comprehensive systems change that can transform a community.

“Collective Impact vs. Collaboration: Do You Know the Differences ….” 22 May. 2017, 

https://philanthrofiles.org/2017/05/22/collective-impact-vs-collaboration-do-you-know-the-differences/.


More than 2,100 Community Members Trained in Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health First Aid Training continues to grow throughout the Western Suburbs. To date, 2,131 community members in the CMF Service Area have been trained in the 8 hour course, which teaches how to assess and provide initial assistance to individuals experiencing a mental health issue. Through a grant from Community Memorial Foundation, the program is co-coordinated locally by NAMI Metro Suburban and NAMI DuPage.

Mental Health First Aid was developed by the National Council for Behavioral Health, who recently met its goal of training 1 million people throughout the United States. If you would like to host a free training at your church, school, or community organization, please contact Sara Hynes at NAMI DuPage, or visit namidupage.org to register for an upcoming training.


Upcoming Grant Application Deadline

Applications for Community Memorial Foundation’s fall grant cycle are due September 15 at 5:00pm.

Click here for further information on the responsive grants program or to access the online application.

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