Moving From Thinking to Doing

Craig ChaseProgram Manager – Local Foods Program

Lynn HeussProgram Coordinator – Local Foods Program

Courtney LongProgram Coordinator – Local Foods Program + CED

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Nagging Questions When Implementing Community Change

Have you noticed that:•  Although you have put your heart

and soul into a project, yet the anticipated outcomes did not occur?

•  When you back off your level of support, the project sometimes seems to stall or die?

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Nagging Questions When Implementing Community Change

Have you noticed that:•  What once worked, no longer

works or that what works with one “community” doesn’t work in another?

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Developing Capacity/ Improving Skills to Make for Effective Change

•  Planned change takes time, numerous discussions at the

“community” level, and agreement on what is to be achieved.

•  Agreement on how change is to be achieved but also why change needs to occur. Is there a sense of urgency?

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Today we will present two tools you can use to move from thinking to doing:

1.  Collective Impact2.  Strategic Doing

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Collective Impact

Large scale system change requires collaboration from all players in the systemThis requires time, trust, communication, etc.

Gmnetwork.org

Complex, systems change requires leadership from various partners: state government leaders, funding agencies, schools, hospitals, the private sector, community organizer and more. Collective impact is built upon five interconnected components that can produce strong alignment and lead to large scale results.

Collective Impact

All slides on Collective: https://collectiveimpactforum.org/resources/collective-impact-shared-resources

Common Agenda “All participants have a shared vision for change including a common understanding of the problem and a joint approach to solving it through agreed upon actions.”

Shared Measurement “Collecting data and measuring results consistently across all participants ensures efforts remain aligned and participants hold each other accountable.”

Mutually Reinforcing Activities

“Participant activities must be differentiated while still being coordinated through a mutually reinforcing plan of action.”

Continuous Communication “Consistent and open communication is needed across the many players to build trust, assure mutual objectives, and appreciate common motivation.”

Backbone Support “Creating and managing collective impact requires a separate organization with staff and a specific set of skills to serve as the backbone for the entire initiative and coordinate participating organizations.”

Collective Impact Common agenda – Shared vision for change and common understanding of the problem

Shared measurement – Agreement on ways success will be measured and reported

Mutually reinforcing activities –Coordinated activities through a mutually reinforcing plan of action

Continuous communication – Frequent and open communication to build trust, assure mutual objectives, and create common motivation

Backbone support – Guide the initiative’s vision and strategy

Strategic Doing •  Collective Vision + Mission •  Decide Core Values•  Trustworthy Actions and Civility•  Network and Build relationships

around common theme•  Diversity and Collective Thinking

All slides on Collective: https://collectiveimpactforum.org/resources/collective-impact-shared-resources

Strategic Doing https://pcrd.purdue.edu/signature-programs/strategic-doing.php

www.Strategicdoing.net

Strategic Doing Through the collective goal- relationship building… networks can help get things done!

Spanning Boundaries and Combining Networks

Strategic Doing… a new way of doing

Trust takes time

In Practice

Trust and Coalition Development

Assessments Food and Health Assessments + Snapshots Constellation Mapping MethodNavigating Difference Mapping RFSWG Impact Snapshot

Diversity and Inclusion

Navigating Difference Workshop- Washington State University Extension

Contribution vs. Attribution

Short-term

• Awareness Campaign • Garden Workshop

Medium-term

• Public Edible Landscape: Viva East Bank • Food Box + Food Hub: Aggregation

Analysis

Long-term

• Public Market + Urban Farm

Healthy Food Stakeholder Meeting

Collective vs. Silo Public Market Partners:: Des Moines Social Club, ISU Extension and Outreach, Viva East Bank, City of Des Moines, ISU Value Added Agriculture, Lutheran Services of Iowa, Cherry Glen Learning Farm, Autumns Gardens, Eat Greater Des Moines, Greater Des Moines Partnership, Des Moines Farmers Market, Des Moines Arts, Mike Schmitt, Sandra Grossman, Jack Snell, Joe Villines, Ken Choquette, Greg Van de Berge

Systems Change Extension councils funding local food workNumber of grocery stores buying local foodNumber of farmers growing local food Sales of locally grown foodHealthy food access Organizational support for regional food developmentNew school food service policies to buy local foodJob creation related to local food commerceJob descriptions that include regional food systems work

“Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress.

Working together…IS SUCCESS”

-Henry Ford