Case Analysis on Pattern of For-Profit and Non-Profit Organizational Collaboration in Collective Impact Initiatives

This study analyzes several cases of Collective Impact initiatives, with a specific focus on the composition of the actors involved in their formation and the organizing process and structure of their activities. The primary aim of this paper is to identify the common elements characterizing the configuration and structure of these initiatives, including the members and their organizing patterns. Three cases are examined, namely the Cradle to Career initiative, the Closed Loop initiative, and the SAGOTO Partnership, each of which represents different types of Collective Impact initiatives. The first two cases involve collaboration among non-profit and for-profit entities in the United States, respectively, while the third case illustrates global collaboration among multi-sector actors in Africa. The paper mainly extracts common elements of the configuration of Collective Impact initiatives from the analysis of the former two cases, although a third, non-U.S., case is also considered to demonstrate the broader applicability of these elements. The common elements identified in this paper include (1) alliances between foundations with different attributes, and (2) the pattern of for-profit and non-profit organizational collaboration that includes entities in LLC and LP form. This paper focuses on the identification of these common elements and their factual presentation, with further interpretation and analysis to be explored in a separate paper. Overall, this study sheds light on the crucial factors and organizational structures underlying the formation and success of Collective Impact initiatives.