Giving Compass' Take:

• Sam Larson, James W. Dearing, and Thomas E. Backer examine 45 social programs and how they scale up by extending partnerships and choosing the best approaches or pathways. 

• How does this research illuminate the importance of partnerships in scaling up social programs? 

• Read about what SSIR calls the 'collaborative mindset' for scaling social change. 

While nonprofits see growing interest among private foundations and government agencies in scaling up successful social programs, there has been little empirical literature on how to pull off these expansions. This study of 45 social programs that work takes perhaps the broadest look yet at efforts that were able to extend their reach through partnerships, and it finds some common patterns among them.

Researchers also focused on nonprofits that chose to work with partners, so the goal was not a representative sample of all social programs that have sought to scale up.

Those behind the 45 scale-ups—the “lead partners”—shared three fundamental decisions: which expansion approach (or, pathway) to take, what partners to choose, and how much fidelity to the program model to demand.

  • Branching pathways, which are similar to businesses opening branch sites as extensions of the central office.
  • Affiliate pathways, which are more like franchises, with basic controls remaining with the lead partner; affiliate partners are independent organizations, often operating under contracts.
  • Distribution network pathways, similar to supply chain business arrangements, where the lead partner provides the content (the “product”) and the network partners handle the distribution.

Read the full article about how to scale up social programs by Sam Larson, James W. Dearing, and Thomas E. Backer at The Wallace Foundation. 

The selected programs came with evidence of effectiveness and could demonstrate success in scaling up. Researchers also focused on nonprofits that chose to work with partners, so the goal was not a representative sample of all social programs that have sought to scale up. The areas the efforts worked in spanned education, youth development and health, and projects were as varied as safe playgrounds, food kitchens, and job placement for former prisoners.

Those behind the 45 scale-ups—the “lead partners”—shared three fundamental decisions: which expansion approach (or, pathway) to take, what partners to choose, and how much fidelity to the program model to demand.

 

Read the full article by R. Sam Larson, James W. Dearing and Thomas E. Backer published by The Wallace Foundation.