The morning of September 17th, thirty leaders from community businesses, churches, and non-profits gathered at Brenau University’s North Atlanta Campus in Norcross to discuss how a Collective Impact effort could transform the landscape of social-service delivery in the Norcross and Peachtree-Corners communities.
Those at work in this space, quickly recognized the gap between an Isolated Impact approach – or as one meeting participant called it, “Every man for himself” approach – and the Collective Impact model, which focuses on a segmented pathway, where each organization and program serves a key role in getting the “client” to a desired end.
While this meeting was the first step in the process of filling the gaps between a shared community vision and measurable indicators, it marks a definitive transition point. A foundation was laid that recognizes the great value that each autonomous organization or program represents, yet establishes that each one of them is only capable of it’s most significant impact when working in harmony with those before and after them on the Cradle to Career pathway to success.
