Last year, Independent Sector published research on how advocacy by the nonprofit sector has evolved over the last 25 years, and specifically, how it has severely declined, with only 31% of nonprofits reporting advocacy activities over the last 5 years. Compare that to the year 2000, where more than double that—74% of the nonprofit sector--was participating in advocacy activities.

That dip in advocacy has multiple rationales, including increased confusion about what counts as advocacy and experiencing “advocacy fatigue” from how long advocating can take to create long-term policy and systems change.

To better understand how collaboratives CAN participate in advocacy to support policy change and their collective goals, we talk with Arts for LA, an arts advocacy organization that supports creative arts and jobs in Los Angeles County, California. We learn about the Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative (CJCII), and how they have used data to strengthen their collaborative and advocacy efforts.

To learn more about how collectives can get involved in advocacy (and how to avoid or mitigate advocacy fatigue), we hear from Ricky Abilez and Gabriel Gutierrez from Arts for LA, and Adam Fowler from CVL Economics. They share what has worked, what has been challenging, and how partners with different motivations and backgrounds can still work together to achieve advocacy wins.

Resources and Footnotes

• Arts for LA
• Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative
• CVL Economics
• Resource - Arts for LA Campaign Center
• Webinar -Public Comment: A Webinar on Using Your Voice for Change
• Video -Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative (CJCII) Report about Policy Recommendation
• Report -The Retreat of Influence: Exploring the Decline of Nonprofit Advocacy and Public Engagement
• Webinar –Advocacy: What You Can and Can’t Do

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0.

The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.

Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

How can inclusive design spur community connections and build stronger partnerships in the process?

During the COVID pandemic, the Van Alen Institute and the Urban Design Forum collaborated to launch Neighborhoods Now, a program shepherding resources, both funding and people, toward pandemic recovery and strengthening community partnerships across four boroughs in New York City.

One notable community partnership was with Think!Chinatown, an intergenerational non-profit based in Manhattan’s Chinatown that fosters community through neighborhood engagement, storytelling and the arts. Manhattan’s Chinatown was severely impacted by the pandemic, not only due to the health crisis but also a rise in anti-Asian hate. Through partnering with Neighborhoods Now, Think!Chinatown sought to unite the community, spark joy and connection amongst community members, and create a warm, welcoming space where residents could once again feel safe. From this partnership, the Chinatown Night Market was born.

Launched the following summer, the Night Markets not only created a welcoming, safe, and joyful space for community members, but they also brought partners from across the City together to rebuild trust and re-focus on community needs through the implementation of inclusive design.

In this new podcast, we learn how this partnership grew, how trust was rebuilt, and how this project kept Manhattan’s Chinatown community at its core. We talk with Andrew Brown (Van Alen Institute) and Yin Kong (Think!Chinatown), as they share the key elements that made this community partnership successful, and discuss how programs like Neighborhoods Now can create lasting positive change for communities.

Resources and Footnotes

• Van Alen Institute
• Think!Chinatown
• Neighborhoods Now

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0.

The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.

Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

When building a collaborative strategy or working through your implementation plans, it might feel like what you need most is a crystal ball (or a mystically accurate Magic 8 ball) to reveal which activities will work, which won’t, and where you can pivot so you and your partners can keep making progress. Moving ahead while surfing through ambiguity and questions like, “what will happen if…” can make the process of working together even more uncertain and stressful.

The practice of futurism can be helpful when working through questions about where your collaborative work can go, and how your work may be affected by shifts in , political, financial, environmental, and other conditions.

In this new podcast episode, we explore how futurism can be used by collaboratives. We talk with Trista Harris, President of FutureGood, an organization that supports funders and nonprofits by tapping into future thinking. We discuss how these practices can support scenario-planning, risk mitigation, and imaging what an “ideal future” might be.

In the discussion, we also explore the future trends that collectives may need to consider, including the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), disaster planning, and imagining a bright future when facing daunting challenges.

Resources and Footnotes

• FutureGood
• Past FutureGood webinars

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0.

The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.

Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/