Tool
Broader Partnerships Toolkit, Ready by 21©
What this is
Ready by 21 is a set of innovative strategies developed by the Forum for Youth Investment that helps communities and states improve the odds that all children and youth will be ready for college, work and life. The Forum organized those strategies and the related tools under “the four B’s”: Broader Partnerships, Bigger Goals, Better Data and Bolder Action. This toolkit helps groups of leaders build or strengthen a partnership’s leadership infrastructure, including the backbone support function; align and strengthen existing coalitions; and engage key stakeholders in setting priorities and solving problems.
How this connects to Collective Impact
While the leadership council or “steering committee” may lead the charge in a collective impact effort, dedicated staff is critical for the “backbone support” functions, coordinating the efforts of participating organizations, networks and individuals in ways that create the conditions for collective impact success. Specifically, they help participants:
- develop a common agenda – such as a shared set of desired outcomes and a plan to achieve those outcomes;
- collect and share data – about youth outcomes, community support and leadership actions;
- align their activities and resources – so that they are mutually reinforcing, and do not unnecessarily overlap or leave gaps; and
- continuously communicate – with each other and with other stakeholders, including the public.