Services
Collective action is a community-led process for advancing equity and achieving social change, and a key lever in systems change work.
Collective Action
Root Cause helps nonprofit service providers, public agencies, grantmakers, and other stakeholders who share a common purpose (e.g., diversifying STEM pipelines or improving college and career readiness for high school seniors) come together to design, implement, and then measure the performance of collective action initiatives. Root Cause uses a Collective Action framework that is grounded in the best practices and ideas in the sector to build partnerships, foster teamwork, coordinate service delivery and and drive continuous learning and improvement towards collective goals. We do work with partners who are anywhere along the spectrum of collaboration: information exchange → coordinated effort → cooperative effort → collective action.
For Grantmakers
Root Cause helps grantmakers at every stage of the collective action process. We work with you to envision, study, plan, implement, and evaluate initiatives that involve grantees and community partners. We function as or support a backbone organization in order to provide ongoing strategic and operational support that ensures philanthropic investments translate into meaningful improvements in people’s lives.
For Backbone Organizations
For intermediaries that function as a backbone organization for collective action initiatives in their community, Root Cause provides support in strategic planning, monitoring and implementation, and performance measurement. We help build capacity for implementing collective action initiatives and put data to use for learning and improvement.
For Nonprofit Direct Service Providers
We help nonprofit direct service providers build capacity to participate in collective action initiatives. We work with organization and program leaders to assess readiness, allocate resources, and make the case to funders for supporting network-based approaches to improving people’s lives.
Collective Action Services
DESIGN
- Theory of Change development
- Network model design
- Focus groups & community listening sessions
- Identifying potential partners and bringing them to the table
- Landscape research
- Determine structure for network activities
STRATEGIC PLANNING
- Sustainability planning
- Refining or strengthening existing models
- Facilitation of funder-based convenings and research about additional funders
DATA COLLECTION & REPORTING
Performance measurement design and management including:
- Development of shared outcomes/milestones
- Design of shared data collection system
- Tracking shared milestones
- Facilitating network wide analysis and reporting
IMPLEMENTATION & CAPACITY BUILDING
Coaching and supporting existing backbone organizations
- Strengthen/build an organization’s capacity to lead and coordinate network activities and growth
Serve as backbone organization including:
- Facilitating regular network meetings
- Supporting data reporting processes
- Planning and supporting marketing & communications functions
- Supporting communications and shared decision-making protocols across the network
COACHING & FACILITATION OF STAKEHOLDERS
Create environments that support building strong relationships across the partner ecosystem, ensuring the network is inclusive of many voices and perspectives
Support the initiative (this might include funders or established organizations) in stewarding strong relationships with participants
Project Examples
Spectrum of Collaboration
In the past year, we’ve shifted how we think about and approach collective action work, recognizing that collaboration exists along a spectrum. While collaborative work can greatly impact achieving shared goals, it can also be complex, long-term, and require significant resources. Collaboration ranges from casual networking to collective efforts addressing systemic issues, depending on the goals and purpose of the collaboration. Understanding the function and objectives of collaborations helps us choose the most effective approach—from information exchanges focused on resource- and knowledge-sharing, to collective action efforts focused on changing the systems that sustain inequitable outcomes in a community.
Information Exchange
Definition: Focuses on sharing knowledge and networking among teams.
Usefulness:
- Building a resource and knowledge- -sharing network
- Fostering a sense of community
Coordinated Effort
Definition: Strengthening relationships & referrals among partners serving the same community.
Usefulness:
- Building partnerships
- Locating service gaps
- Reducing inefficiencies
- Optimizing processes in a specific area
Cooperative Effort
Definition: Closing service gaps through coordinated planning and execution.
Usefulness:
- Bridging service gaps
- Improving service quality through collaboration with partners serving the same community (access, cultural resonance, data, etc.)
Collective Action
Definition: An approach to systems change that involves those most impacted by and impacting a challenge (working down-, mid-, and upstream) sharing power, trust, and resources.
Usefulness:
- Essential for addressing root causes that sustain inequitable outcomes in a community
Learn more
With Us
