LegacyWorks Collaborative Impact Model
How do we help communities thrive?
We believe thriving communities are built upon three keystones:
- Healthy Natural Systems - land, water, air, wildlife and ecosystem services
- Local Capacity - engaged, collaborative and effective leaders, organizations and residents
- Resilient Economy - sustained and sustaining business and infrastructure
Our work strengthens and supports all three keystones by:
- Cultivating collaboration
- Mobilizing resources and
- Advancing initiatives
We seek collaborative opportunities (kernel projects) where these three keystones overlap. Over time, these projects create shifts in the community, revealing more alignment and overlap – driven by collaboration amongst the partners – until everything is in alignment and wholeness.
This whole story could start with our mistaken cultural belief that these are separate and distinct - not one and the same.
Cultivate Collaboration
Many nonprofits, businesses and community leaders do great work but there is so much potential to increase collaboration across sectors and pursue our most pressing needs.
We help communities work together to take on their biggest challenges and opportunities. We identify key projects, build trust, craft strategy and facilitate a shift from competition to collaboration.
Some steps we use to cultivate collaboration include:
- Communicate with and engage the public
- Articulate community goals and vision
- Identify stakeholders
- Define desired impact
- Assess baseline conditions
- Build and facilitate innovative multi-party partnerships
- Train and mentor community leaders
Mobilize Resources
Creating change requires capital and expertise. Traditional philanthropy and government funding are just not enough to address our critical needs or affect the systems change we need.
Our nonprofit and for profit affiliates are structured to draw from a variety of philanthropic and public funding sources as well as private investment capital.
While the bulk of our work is still funded through philanthropy, government grants and private impact investment capital, we can deploy an array of financing mechanisms including creative approaches that fall between traditional philanthropy (give it away) and traditional investing (make a buck), including:
- Venture Philanthropy
- Hybrid Enterprises
- Program-Related Investments (PRIs)
- Loan Guarantees
- Credit Enhancements
- Pay For Performance Contracts (aka Social Impact Bonds)
- Environmental Markets
- Ecosystem Service Payments
Advance Initiatives
Success builds momentum. We help our clients and partners get big things done, which in turn enables them to take on even more ambitious collaborative projects. We restore rivers and streams; protect farms, water and wildlife; and promote local economic, arts and culture alliances.
We seek collaborative opportunities (kernel projects) where the three keystones overlap and, with our committed funders and partners, we get the work done. Over time, these projects create shifts in the community, revealing, more alignment and overlap. The key driver is collaboration amongst the partners. The end goal is for the three keystones to be in alignment rather than in conflict and competition, resulting in a thriving community of interconnected, collaborative partners.
