As Governor, Gillespie Will Utilize Collective Impact Framework
At the Virginia Union University Forum this evening, 2017 Republican gubernatorial nominee Ed Gillespie announced his “Striving for Impact” plan to address complex and interrelated social challenges. As governor, Gillespie will work to fully engage the faith-based community and private sector to address addiction and recovery, prisoner reentry, adoption and foster care systems, and the education achievement gap. This is Gillespie’s sixteenth major policy announcement in his campaign, and twelfth since becoming his party’s nominee.
Speaking about the plan, Ed Gillespie said, “Virginians are compassionate and thoughtful. I will lead a government with head and heart to solve complicated problems. We can improve lives and save limited government resources at the same time.”
“When I served as Virginia’s governor faith-based organizations were valuable, effective partners in our welfare reform success in moving people into independent lives and in other beneficial efforts turning people’s lives around,” said Honorary Policy Chair and former governor George Allen. “I’m glad to hear that Ed Gillespie wisely wants to invite the faith-based, business, and non-profit community to the table to address public policy challenges. Ed is uniquely skilled at building partnerships to solve complicated problems. And Virginians are caring, thoughtful people who want to make life better for others.”
“Ed Gillespie is focused on solving complicated problems from addiction and recovery to adoption and foster care,” added Speaker-designee Kirk Cox. “We need Ed’s leadership and thoughtful approach to convening the government, the faith-based community, education, and non-profits to solve seemingly intractable problems.”
STRIVING FOR IMPACT
THE PROBLEM
Complex and often interrelated social challenges exist in every state: addiction, homelessness, truancy, foster care and adoption, prisoner reentry, poverty and many others. State and local governments are best suited to innovate and solve problems. Most states take a siloed-sector approach to these challenges, meaning they only involve the government sphere to address these challenges. When other sectors (for example, the faith and business communities) are involved, it is typically in a contractor relationship, which changes the dynamics from partner-lateral to vendor-vertical.
Most states then add another layer of silos within the government sphere, assigning state agencies sole responsibility for addressing complex problems. This siloed approach means that these agencies bear the sole responsibility, but they lack what they need to actually solve the problem. These additional needs, ranging from vision to data, to resources to social capital come from other spheres. The business, faith, non-profit, health care, education, and creative spheres can be huge assets when addressing complex social problems. It’s time for government to include them in the solutions.
COLLECTIVE IMPACT
The Collective Impact Model, first pioneered by Stanford University, recognizes that large-scale change means engaging significant cross-sector coordination including the faith-based community, private sector, non-profit education and government.
The Five Conditions of Collective Success, according to the model, include:
- Common Agenda
- Shared Measurement Systems
- Mutually Reinforcing Activities
- Backbone Support Organizations
- Continuous Communication .
At its core, the model requires an agreed upon problem, an agreed upon solution, a sense of urgency and adequate resources.
ED’S APPROACH
In order to fully and properly engage the faith-based community and private sector, Ed will task the Commonwealth Solutions Center with utilizing the Collective Impact Model.
Ed announced his plan to form the “Commonwealth Solutions Center” in May 2017. The Office will be a program within the Executive Office of the Governor. The Commonwealth Solutions Center will be charged with promoting innovation and modernizing government operations to reduce costs and improve outcomes. The Center will bring together top talent and remove barriers to developing innovative approaches to cross-agency challenges. This is important given government’s growing need to respond quickly to an increasingly challenging fiscal and economic environment.
As governor, Ed will direct the Commonwealth Solutions Center to identify projects to deploy the Collective Impact Model to address four key project areas: addiction and recovery, prisoner reentry, adoption and foster care systems, and closing the education achievement gap.
The Center will use the model as a framework as it works to find efficiencies in government and develop solutions to solve intractable problems consuming limited government resources.
The full plan can be found HERE. Gillespie has released fifteen other major policy proposals including:
- The “Cutting Taxes for ALL Virginians” Plan cuts individual income tax rates by ten percent across-the-board, putting nearly $1,300 more in the pocket of a family of four and creating more than 50,000 new full-time private sector jobs.
- The “FAITH In Our Government for ALL Virginians” Plan will close loopholes and give Virginians a better opportunity to hold elected leaders accountable for their actions.
- The “Efficiency + Effectiveness: A Government that Works for ALL Virginians” Plan will reorient government to more successfully address Virginia’s problems, demand evidence-based solutions, right-size our government to better steward taxpayer dollars, and incentivize our state government workforce to be more responsive to the needs of all Virginians.
- The “Removing Barriers to Job Creation for ALL Virginians” Plan will bring meaningful reform to remove barriers to job creation, making it easier for businesses to grow and thrive in the Commonwealth. It focuses on standing up for Virginia’s job creators, reforming Virginia’s regulatory climate, reforming occupational licensing and streamlining business formation.
- The Mental Health, Addiction, and Recovery Agenda will improve Virginia’s behavioral health system and address all facets of the opioid and heroin addiction crisis, including prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery.
- The Veterans and Military Affairs Agenda will improve career opportunities for veterans, give veterans a greater voice in our government, support our military and their families, and care for our veterans and their families.
- The “Job One: Keeping Virginia Safe” Plan will improve public safety in Virginia by eradicating gangs, reforming the system, and rewarding those who serve and protect.
- The Agriculture and Forestry Agenda shows exactly how Gillespie will champion Virginia’s agriculture and forestry industries, prioritizing efforts to expand exports and open new markets for Virginia products.
- “An Excellent Education for ALL Virginians” Plan will strengthen Virginia’s education system, ensure that every child, in every community, has access to a high quality, safe and student-focused public education, and better align our workforce development system with the demands of the marketplace of today and the future.
- The Six Point Sea Level Rise Action Plan will take proactive steps to enhance infrastructure, empower cities and regions to lead, flood proof our military installations and fight for more affordable flood insurance for Virginia families and businesses.
- The Plan to Expand Access to High Speed Internet will remove regulatory barriers and finance broadband deployment to provide more reliable internet access to Virginians in every corner of the Commonwealth.
- The “Outdoor Dominion” Initiative to make Virginia the outdoor recreation leader of the East Coast.
- “The Energy to Power Families, Jobs and Investment” Plan to secure abundant energy resources and competitive energy prices that protect citizens from high energy costs, and attract the businesses that provide new jobs.
- Higher Education Plan for ALL Virginians to forge three types of strategic partnerships related to higher education: a major new business-education partnership, a new spirit of partnership between the Commonwealth and our colleges, and a consumer-focused partnership between higher education institutions and the students and families they serve.
- Criminal Justice Plan to to bring tough, fair, and smart reforms to Virginia’s criminal justice system.