Tools for sustaining mobilization over time

In order to lend substance to the notion sustainability, various questions need to be answered in the course of a collective process. Listed below are a few such questions for each step in the planning cycle of the collective action.

Intention

• Does a need still exist?
• What is the desired change? Who is the change for?
• What are the fundamental motivations within the community for getting involved in early childhood development?
• Is the support in the community robust and consistent?

Situation and analysis

• What are the strengths and weaknesses in the group?
• What are the opportunities in the partner environment that are ripe for the picking? What are its constraints?
• What is the relationship status with other organizations and networks that have a similar intention to that of the partners? Is there a potential to enter into new collaborations?
• Are there any currently under-utilized enabling forces in the community that could be put to better use?

Planning

• What innovative methods are there for stimulating or helping to develop the civic engagement of young families (new parents)?
• What appeals to these parents? What interests them?
• What resources are required to support activities?
• What skills and competencies does the community need to develop?
• What strategic alliances could be set up?
• Is additional money necessary to launch new initiatives and measures? If so, is it a one-off or recurring funding requirement?
• Do these new initiatives and measures
  • seek to produce an enabling effect that can guide changes in practice
    • among the target populations?
    • in the organizations?
    • among intervention workers?
  • support the target populations’ efforts to take ownership of the issues and solutions?
  • raise the potential for one or several partners to take charge?
  • have prospective funding?
  • potentially wield influence over the community’s policies and standards?

Implementation and follow-up

• To what degree are the resources in the community involved in the implementation of the initiatives and measures? How about in the promotion and prevention context to ensure that early action can be taken for the benefit of young children?
• Is an automatic process in place that commands influence by relaying success stories?
• In an effort to stimulate involvement, is the sharing of roles and support tasks between one of the committees and the project coordinator encouraged?

Evaluation and learning

• Have the methods selected been effective in attaining the shared goals?
• Have the project and collective efforts produced an impact?
• Do the outcomes warrant a continuation of the project?

Further information

• Tools for Sustainability by Tom Wolff
• Weaver, L. Turf, Trust, Co-Creation and Collective Impact, 2017.
• www.tamarackcommunity.ca/collectiveimpact