In order to better understand how collective impact networks really function, Katherine Cooper and Michelle Shumate conducted an in-depth case study. Katherine attended regular meetings as an ethnographer for over 2 years. In addition, we conducted four waves of surveys with organizational members. From this research, we became interested in at least two areas of collective impact:

1. How does choosing the social issue (or changing the framing of the social issue) influence who participates in collective impact networks?
2. How does meeting participation influence the creation of new collaborations?

So far, we’ve published one paper out of this research (if you encounter a paywall, just e-mail us and we’ll get you a copy):

Cooper, K. R. (2017). Nonprofit participation in collective impact: A comparative case. Community Development, 48(4), 499-514. doi:10.1080/15575330.2017.1332654