August 16, 2021
By: Henry Malone
When it comes to making a collective impact on a certain community or issue, it can never be done alone.
Generating a collective impact is a complex and nuanced process. No impact is ever the same as another, and effectively delivering that change requires a plan of action informed by precedent. Given how many factors that can come into play and act as roadblocks toward success, having a backbone organization that can provide structure and help mitigate some of those problems can make the ultimate difference in producing that impact.
In the case of gun control, there are several lobbying organizations that work around the clock to try to address one of the most pressing and controversial issues in the United States. For smaller organizations set on addressing a certain part of a wide-spreading issue like gun control, help from other larger programs and government entities offer the help and support needed to get that movement off the ground.
In early 2015, South Carolina resident Dylann Roof attempted to purchase a handgun from a retail store in West Columbia. Under the laws of purchasing a gun, Roof was subject to a background check to ensure that he was eligible to be given a deadly firearm. However, the immediate FBI background check proved unsuccessful after three days, and the federal government was unable to determine whether or not Roof was cleared to own the gun.
Under the same laws that necessitated the check in the first place, an inconclusive response from a background check after three days resulted in a “default proceed” sale, meaning the vendor can legally sell the firearm after that point despite the lack of thorough investigation into Roof’s legal history, which should have disqualified him without fail.
Months later, Roof engaged in what was the second most deadly mass shooting of the year, murdering nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, a church with a predominantly African American congregation. It was later revealed that Roof was a white supremacist and neo-nazi, on top of his other charges related to substance abuse that would have barred his purchase of the handgun involved in the shooting.
Roof’s purchase of the gun became known as the “Charleston loophole,” with several lobbying groups soon after pushing for the closure of what had become such a harmful loophole. One group, Ceasefire Oregon, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing gun violence by advocating for reasonable and effective gun laws, hoped to close the Charleston loophole.
Ceasefire Oregon received the help they needed to do so as well, partnering with state legislators to propose House Bill 2543 against the loophole. The bill quickly made it to the floor of Congress, where it was approved and lengthened the review period for background checks from three days to 20 days.
Ceasefire Oregon’s movement to end the Charleston loophole could not be achieved by themselves, it was only with the help of another organization like the Oregon state government to serve as their backbone to help lift them to their impact.
Backbone organization assists like these are common among successful collective impacts, emphasizing the need for collaboration on a large scale in order to achieve large scale results. Bringing in another player into the mix that has the skills and resources to take your operation to the next step is critical to implementing a results-based accountability framework.
Given the current economic climate, it is difficult for some smaller organizations to maintain the levels of success necessary to achieve their intended collective impact. When resources are at a premium, having a safety net to provide the data-driven technologies needed to inform your decision-making can make all the difference in meeting your goals and impacting change in your community.
For more information on Backbone Organizations’ importance to Collective Impact and Results-Based Accountability, visit this link!
About the Author:
Henry Malone received his B.A. in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2021. There, he served as Deputy Editor for the University newspaper, the Testudo Times. As a marketing and journalism intern for Clear Impact, Henry researches, writes, and edits website content and news articles focusing on the nonprofit and public sectors.
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