Relationships. Trust. Synergy.
Relationships, trust, synergy: three words that immediately come to mind when thinking about the Foundation for a Healthy High Point’s 2024 Funded Partner Convening. My impression leaving the convening was that High Point has all of the right ingredients to do systems shifting work. With more than 80 funded grantee partners gathered for a day focused on collaboration, I was invited to share about a collaborative approach known as collective impact which centers cross-sector collaboration (including those with lived/living experience), racial equity, and a focus on population and systems level change.
I was blown away by the number of funded partners in attendance who genuinely wanted to be there and were deeply introspective and transparent about their collaborative wins and woes. As I reflect on the convening, I am encouraged by the endless possibilities in High Point and want to highlight the strengths and opportunities to strengthen the collaborative work:
Relationships and Trust
It was immediately clear that folks are in trusting relationships in the High Point community, and that should not be taken for granted (no pun intended). Establishing deep, evolving relationships and maintaining trust is critical in collaborative work. The Foundation bringing funded partners together regularly is a demonstration of the trust it has built with its partners and community over time. The ability to gather and share in a vulnerable and transparent manner about the challenges in the work, then move forward together is both exciting and risky – embrace it and use it to strengthen existing relationships and build new ones along the way.
Existing Collaboration and Partnerships
There are a number of existing collaborative efforts setting a strong precedent for the collective impact approach to be leveraged locally. In the afternoon workshop, participants assessed and reflected on their current collaborative efforts and one participant stated that despite the many collaborations and partnerships happening, there is opportunity for them to be better aligned. The challenge and opportunity is to determine not only how all of these efforts are better aligned, but how they are aligned in a way that achieves population and systems level change.
The Synergy Is There
There is magic in High Point, and I encourage you all to capitalize on it: a funding partner that is willing to both invest in and be champions of your work, existing collaboratives with a willingness and drive to do things better and differently, and individuals with the hearts and minds to engage in this work long term. The stars are aligned – help them shine brighter.
I am inspired by the Foundation’s steadfast commitment to collaboration, specifically collective impact, as a mechanism for driving change and the willingness to invest in the infrastructure and capacity necessary to meaningfully collaborate. It is truly a rarity in place-based work. As you continue to process learnings from the convening, follow up on connections made, and do the heart work, remember that this is a long game and you can win it together.