Both globally and locally, the world is witnessing an explosion of new forms of interorganizational partnerships and multi-organizational alliances that transcend all kinds of boundaries and diversities in pursuit of common purposes. At the vanguard of these collaborative developments has been World Vision, one of the largest private voluntary international relief and development organizations in the world. Among its many collaborative projects, this PVO convened over 125 international and local organizations to respond to the complex plight of Romania's 40,000 orphans found to be virtually imprisoned after the overthrow of Czeaucescu's regime. Their experiments with an "integrated program strategy," one that fostered long-term, self-sustaining knowledge links among the constellation of international and local actors (e.g., relief and development agencies, medical and educational institutions, governments, donors, and others) has since led World Vision managers into new ventures in cross-sectoral collaboration within America's hardest hit urban neighborhoods.
The result has been Vision Chicago: a unique collaborative approach to urban transformation that brings together over 70 organizations across boundaries of race, class, culture, sector, and geography to create formal and informal alliances committed to enhancing the health and vitality of metropolitan areas. These collaborative alliances address the needs of their communities with programs and services such as economic development, education, housing, new community based organizations, volunteer placement, and the collection and distribution of gifts-in-kind. They also act as agents of racial reconciliation by linking organizations and individuals from a variety of ethnic groups.
At the local level Vision Chicago bridges individual donors, community-based organizations, large urban and suburban churches, denominations, other PVOs businesses, city government, and foundations. At the national level, linkages are operative with universities, foundations, gifts-in-kind suppliers, the various World Vision divisions, World Vision International, businesses, denominations, other PVOs and the federal government. As a result, collaborative inter-organizational relationships have already resulted in a complex but organized structure of over 70 institutions.
Vision Chicago is marketed through a concept called the Vision Cities Strategy. Community-based partnerships and programs are introduced to a variety of resource groups in this strategy, including individuals, churches, foundations, government, and businesses. Each is brought into relationship with inner-city partners and programs through the three-step process of awareness, involvement, and investment. Through this strategy Vision Chicago has raised over $2.5 million in financial contributions, gifts-in-kind, and services-in-kind.
World Vision's access to Chicago's neighborhoods has been greatly accelerated through its collaboration with The Mid-America Leadership Foundation (MLF), a Chicago based organization that helps communities assess their needs, marshal resources, and identify opportunities and solutions. Prior to Vision Chicago, the World Vision and MLF had worked together on small community development projects in Chicago and had established a good working relationship. Their respective strengths seemed complementary: MLF was widely known and respected throughout urban Chicago as a trustworthy partner and a pioneer in effective community development approaches, and World Vision was a large organization with an international reputation and strong connections to Chicago's suburban resource base.
By forming the joint venture Vision Chicago become respected in both Chicago's urban and suburban environments, and thus could provide a link between the two to address broad urban issues. In Chicago, a large portion of the suburban residents are unaware of how to get involved with their urban neighbors, and vice versa. Vision Chicago serves as a "translator" between the two cultures and provides a comprehensive set of program tools (e.g., maintaining an advisory board, creating a volunteer bank, attracting new partners and funding) that operate as "on-ramps" through which the various constituencies can get involved in tangible ways.
Vision Chicago has given World Vision the potential to have a major effect on the city: through collaboration with stakeholders it has begun to mobilize a network of churches, organizations, and institutions to provide long-term solutions to issues such as employment, housing, education, and racial reconciliation. Many other cities have shown great interest in the successes of Vision Chicago, which has led World Vision to lay the groundwork for similar initiatives in other major urban areas, beginning with Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Return to the Table of Contents