This is the final blog installment exploring Collective Impact by Dana Mortensen, co-founder/executive director, World Savvy: Think Beyond Your Borders, United Front 2011 attendee.

Nonprofit leaders constantly consider how to differentiate ourselves from our peers. How is our solution more effective? Why are we different and worthy of support?

As we scale our work and compete for limited resources, we have been encouraged to look to the for-profit- sector for examples of best practices and effective principles. Borrowing from corporate business models, we implement strategic plans that challenge us to focus on goals and outcomes with razor-sharp precision, all the while differentiating ourselves.

During the Art and Practice of Innovation breakout session that I attended, the facilitator made a compelling case for nonprofits to innovate as a way to remain competitive.  On the heels of the intense discussion about the need for collaboration towards collective impact, I began contemplating the relationship between collaboration and innovation. Many leaders, perhaps behind closed doors, would tell you when pressed that collaboration is extremely difficult to do well, and that it has often drained resources or resulted in uneven commitment, and consequently, limited impact. But the real question I pondered was does collective impact encourage or stifle collective innovation?

UNITED FRONT 2011 The Power of Collective Impact

Keynote Presentation
Internationally renowned keynote speaker Mark Kramer, co-author of “Collective Impact” in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, will address the power and importance of broad, cross-sector coordination to drive large-scale systems change.

7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.  Registration, Breakfast & Networking

8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.     General Session

Welcome
Sarah Caruso, CEO & President, Greater Twin Cities United Way
Ellen Goldberg Luger, Executive Director, General Mills Foundation

What Do We Know?
Impact of 2011 Legislative Session & Economic Forecast— Jay Kiedrowski
Senior Fellow at HHH Institute, U of M

Keynote speaker
Collective Impact – a cross-sector framework for achieving large-scale social change
Mark Kramer, Cofounder and managing director at FSG, cofounder of the Center for Effective Philanthropy & a Senior Fellow at Harvard University. Co-Author of Collective Impact article.

Panel
Cross-Sector Innovation and Redesign Efforts
Community response panel facilitated by Toni Randolph, Minnesota Public Radio

Panel Members
Collective Impact: Heading Home Hennepin – Cathy ten Broeke, City/County Coordinator
Cross-Sector/Innovative Collaborations – Community Development Model: Jonathan Sage-Martinson, Director of Central Corridor Funders Collaborative
Cross-Sector/Innovative Collaborations – Community Development Model: Les Fujitake, Superintendent Bloomington Public Schools

See Presenters’ Bios

10:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.   Breakout Sessions

Critical Questions: Reframing Nonprofit Boards’ Work
Cultural Intelligence: New Tools to Recognize & Strengthen
Strategic Financial Planning: Balancing Money and Mission
Making Tough Decisions about the Bottom Line
High-Impact Philanthropy in a World of Change
Collective Impact: Continue the Dialogue with Mark Kramer
The Art and Practice of Innovation
Partnering for Greater Impact: Strengthening Community Through a Business Perspective
Talent Search: Engaging Generational Leaders in Your Organization
Understanding the Role of Nonprofit Boards in Promoting Public Policy & Advocacy Efforts
Supporting and Engaging Constituents in Building

12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Minnesota Council of Nonprofits &
Greater Twin Cities United Way Luncheon:
Keynote Speaker Leslie Crutchfield
Following United Front 2011, we encourage you to join us at MCN’s 25th Annual Conference: Great Expectations: Our Communities, Our Future.Separate registration is required. Visit MCN Great Expectations 2011 to register and for more information.

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