Maximizing Impact
Brewing Creative Energy Together
Is the impact your organization is making a drop in the bucket or a swelling wave? Given the magnitude of social problems and the increasing inclination of funders to support organizations that have clear plans for scaling their impact (up, out, or deep), the question of how to maximize impact should be a vital part of an organization’s journey. Answering that question requires brewing creative energy together with other organizations, to create a dense weave of imaginative solutions.
Learn more about power tools for maximizing impact here.
"My stars are tucked in my pocket, ready for battle. If we flood the streets with salt water, we can flood the sky with wings."
—Tamiko Beyer, "Equinox"
How Can We Help?
Network Mapping, Analysis, and Workshops
Network mapping makes visible the riches of social capital and collaboration that create strength in numbers. When stakeholders can see the often invisible threads that connect people and institutions and that mediate the flow of resources, information and trust, they can better target their network-strengthening investments. In addition to conducting network mapping research, evaluation, and workshops, we also offer network weaving advice, based on insights from social network analysis. Check out our growing Atlanta food system map, below.
New Horizon Proposition
Time and again, we see organizations fail to attract funding,
partnership, and support for their work, in part because they have not
presented a bold and enthralling proposition that differs from other offerings
on the market. It takes imagination to come up with a unique, yet feasible,
proposition that opens up a new horizon of impact. We help you with this vital ideation and design stage, so that you can attract the resourced needed to innovate.
Research for the Big and Thorny
If you feel as though your team or organization is flying blind, or continually pushing up against large, unforeseen forces, research can dramatically help turn that around. We tackle big, thorny questions through research – questions that, if answered, could reveal the scale, trends, root causes, and high- leverage intervention points of problems you are addressing. See our Learning and Research work for more information.
Food Systems
Some topical areas intersect with so many social ills and areas of promise that they warrant extra attention. We work in the area of food systems with an intent to strengthen the human capabilities within it, working outside of the paradigm of mechanistic solutions. See our Joyful Food Futures work for more information.
How We Supported Network Mapping for Atlanta's Food System
This map was created by the Resilient Food Futures Co-Lab, led by Dr. Nicole Kennard through the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems at Georgia Tech, with technical assistance from Ignited Word and prior datasets from their Food Systems Actors in Metro Atlanta Map. It is intended to serve as an open public resource. Please contact Dr. Nicole Kennard for questions, feedback, or to add data: nicole.kennard@gatech.edu
The map showcases organizations involved in Atlanta’s local food system and their connections to each other. From producers, to retail, to the public sector and other supporting resources, this map shows how dedicated organizations are working together towards a sustainable local food system.
Before you get started, View Our Tutorial on How to Use the Map!
Click for a direct link to the map.