Collective impact is a framework created to address complex social issues, and create deep, sustainable change. Unlike a ‘collaborative’, a ‘collective’ focuses on high impact opportunities for change (i.e., populations vs. individuals). A key aspect of a ‘collective’ is infrastructure – also referred to as a backbone organization. Sagesse serves in this capacity by stewarding IMPACT’s vision and strategy, mobilizing funding and advancing policy.

Backbone support is a precondition for collective impact as creating and managing collective impact requires a separate organization with staff and skills to serve as a backbone for the entire initiative and to coordinate our membership. Backbone organizations must maintain a delicate balance between the strong leadership needed to keep all parties together and the invisible ‘behind the scenes’ role that lets other stakeholders own the initiative’s success.

Sagesse is an organization that support individuals who have experienced abuse while also challenging societal norms and advocating for large-scale societal changes that will eradicate abuse in Alberta. Sagesse works closely with many associations, collaborations and collectives across Calgary, provincially, nationally and internationally to expand discussions of domestic violence, its impacts and how we can work collaboratively to end violence.

As the backbone organization, Sagesse and the Sagesse Board of Directors is fiscally accountable for IMPACT, providing infrastructure and oversight of collective resources including supervision and financial accountability for all staff and contractors.