Beyond Incrementalism: How Collective Impact Can Build the Future We Deserve
Sep 01, 2025By Lynn Debilzen, Visioning Strategist at FutureGood
Lynn helps leaders reconnect with their long-term vision to lead with clarity and purpose. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at [email protected].
A few years ago, I was brought into a cross-sector meeting, sparked by a potential funding opportunity, where everyone agreed that child care was a top community priority. Yet, no one in the room had the clear authority to pull any levers on child care directly.
Everyone there–and the institutions they represented–had some skin in the game. But none of them could move the issue forward on their own or within their own walls. Not one of them even “owned” 25% of the issue.
And the people with the most at stake–families paying more for child care every month than for their mortgage, parents leaving the workforce because care cost more than they earned, and providers barely making ends meet–they weren’t in the room at all.
I’ve been in enough of these rooms to know: even when no one is “in charge,” there is still influence. There is power—to convene, to research, to advocate, to connect. And there is a deep responsibility to shape the future we want to see—especially when the present feels volatile, fragmented, or stuck.
In place-based, collective impact work, this is the water we swim in: diffuse authority, shared goals, fuzzy timelines. We’re trying to solve challenges that no single organization, or sector, can fix alone.
It gets complicated. Everyone at the table is already accountable for their own deliverables within their organizational walls. And still, our communities are looking to us to make progress on the issues that shape their daily lives.
Too often, these conversations focus on small fixes: let’s improve this broken piece of the puzzle with a tweak or a program.
Improvement is good. But if we’re serious about building ideal futures, we can’t settle for incrementalism. We need bolder frames, longer timelines, and more transformative visions. We need tools that help communities name the future they want to create–and align around it.
In the child care space, that might look like:
- A universal Early Childhood Education and Care system, supported by robust, shared paid parental leave–as seen in Nordic countries like Sweden, where parents receive 480 days of leave and access to nearly universal child care. These policies don’t just support families; they build equality and trust at scale.
- RootED, a pop-up care model by The RISE Center for Liberation in Early Childhood Education, co-created with families and local organizers. RootED offers flexible, radically accessible child care—including bartering and trade options—rooted in a liberation framework.
- The Tri‑Share model in Michigan, where child care costs are split evenly between families, employers, and the state. It dramatically reduces family financial burden, increases workforce retention, and shows what public-private collaboration can make possible.
These are the kinds of bold, practical shifts we’ll explore in our upcoming webinar.
Child care is just one example; whether you’re focused on housing, health equity, climate, education, or anything else, this session is for you.
Let’s keep the momentum of this conversation going; join us for a webinar on October 2nd.
Future-Ready Collective Impact: Planning Long-Term Without Clear Authority
October 2, 2025 | 1-2 ET | Hosted by FutureGood
Even without full control, collective impact leaders and funders can futureproof their work—right now. We’ll share tools, case studies, and real-world inspiration to help you lead with vision, even in complex systems.
Let’s build the future—together, and with intention.
