Collective Impact Approach

The Atlanta Women's Foundation's goal is to support organizations that improve the lives of economically vulnerable women and girls in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties. One of the ways we accomplish this is through grantmaking. In order to achieve the greatest impact with the funds AWF invests in the community, we have incorporated a Collective Impact Approach into our grantmaking.

Through this approach AWF brings together our grantees in order to do the most good for the largest number of women and girls. As the backbone organization, AWF guides the vision and strategy of the project, maintains communication, ensures all data is collected and measured in the same way, and provides supportive activities like annual convenings.

Program components include cohort multi-year funding; facilitated discussions to foster a safe environment for peer to peer sharing; program evaluation assistance; individualized one-on-one consultation; workshops and trainings; and interactive convenings that allow nonprofits an opportunity to share their work and explore collaboration.

More than simply a new way of collaborating, collective impact is a structured approach to problem solving that includes five core conditions: Common Agenda, Continuous Communication, Shared Measurement System, Shared Reinforcing Activities, and Backbone Function.