Need Support of the CCWC?

Download the Application for Support

The Community Collaborative will provide leadership and support to community actions that deal with Community Priorities, along with critical service needs that enhance our existing safety net. Three types of operations groups may be involved with actions. They are:

Community Initiative – A long-term collaborative project that seeks a specific outcome related to identified service gap or community indicator. To be successful, the initiative will require the long-term support and the leadership of the Community Collaborative.

Community Workgroup – A short-term collaborative project targeted at a specific outcome or community barrier. To be successful, the workgroup will require the support of the Community Collaborative and will make specific recommendations for action to the Executive Committee in a timely fashion.

Community Roundtable – A one-time community event designed to gather information and highlight a specific issue related to a specific community priority or gap in services. To be successful, the Roundtable requires limited administrative support and leadership of the Community Collaborative.

Each of the operations groups is required to have a plan and budget to include consumer members. To receive support from the Community Collaborative, any Operations Group will submit a “Request for Support” (Attachment A) to the Community Collaborative Coordinator for inclusion on the agenda of the Coordinating Group.

Official endorsements are provided for grant applications to the State of Michigan which require support from the Community Collaborative of Washtenaw County (as the County’s Multi-purpose Collaborative Body) and those that advance the goals of the CCWC.

The Community Collaborative will use operations groups to accomplish its work. This provides the opportunity for all levels of staff, consumers, and community representatives to:

Plan or implement a system of care, develop a community plan or action plan for a target population.
Plan to meet a specific need in the community (substance abuse prevention, infant mortality, etc.), and/or develop community-wide initiatives (positive youth development/asset development, etc.).
Maintain the current quality and availability of critical services.

Any Operations Group may focus on a variety of issues, for example:

State Sponsored Collaborative Initiatives (Early On, Strong Families/Safe Children, Community Partners/Child Protection, Housing/Homeless Continuum of Care Groups)
Categorical (Substance Abuse Prevention, Transportation, Violence Prevention, Domestic Violence, Juvenile Delinquency Prevention, and Asset Development)
Age-Based Groups (0-5, Youth Initiatives including teen health and teen pregnancy, Senior Issues, Children’s Services, Parents)
Collaborative Service Delivery (Wraparound Services, Community/ Neighborhood Resource Centers, Family Support/Human Resource Teams, Interagency Family Plan of Service/Assessment Process, Services Coordination)
Functions to Support the Collaborative (Finance, Training/Communication, Evaluation, Membership, Steering/Executive)

Items related to a “Request for Support” from the Community Collaborative include:

Completed requests must be submitted to the Community Collaborative Coordinator for inclusion on the agenda of the Coordinating Group.
A “Request for Support” (see Attachment A) must be submitted to the Community Collaborative Coordinator a minimum of two weeks prior to a meeting of the Coordinating Group.
The Coordinating Group will make recommendations about the requests to the Executive Committee.
The Community Collaborative Coordinator will ensure that the request for support will be reviewed and decided on in a timely fashion.

Community Initiative:

Community Initiatives are the collaborations that focus on specific community issues that lead to real system change. A Community Initiative may be chartered by the Funder's Committee to address a specific Community Priority, may emerge by request of the state to promote a specific policy initiative, or may be developed independently in the community to address a specific service gap.

A Community Initiative can seek recognition and support of the Community Collaborative by submitting the “Request for Support” (Attachment A) to the Community Collaborative Coordinator. The Community Initiative will be required to outline clear timelines, leadership requests, funding support, administrative support and initiative outcomes.

The Community Collaborative Coordinator is responsible for receiving and forwarding requests to the Funder's Committee and the Coordinating Council. Support will be provided based on the request for support submitted by the Community Initiative.

The Community Collaborative Coordinator will also ensure that the requirements are being met, and request annual reports to be included on the Executive Committee Agenda. The Community Collaborative Coordinator will provide notice to the liaison of any Community Initiative at least one month prior to being put on the agenda.

Community Initiative Status

Community Initiative status allows for the representation of the support of the Community Collaborative in all printed materials that may be distributed by an agency or organization. A Community Initiative may request time on the agenda of the Stewards and Executive Committee to discuss issues of interest.

Community Initiatives may seek funding and funding prioritization from members of the collaborative as a supported project of the Community Collaborative.
In printed materials, Community Initiatives may reference the support of the Community Collaborative for existing programs and activities.

Responsibilities of Community Initiatives

The project manager or senior level staff of a Community Initiative will serve on the Coordinating Group for the term of the project’s existence.
Community Initiatives will articulate clear outcomes related to Community Priorities, community indicators or an identified service gap.
Community Initiatives will report to the Funder's Committee and report to the Stewards as requested by the Funder's Committee.

Community Workgroup:

Community Workgroups are the short-term initiatives aimed at dealing with a specific problem that relates to a specific service gap or barrier. Workgroups differ from Community Initiatives in that they generally do not require extensive funding or long-term support, and there are specific actions that can resolve the specific problem.

As an example, an onerous bureaucratic requirement that precludes effective action may lead to a community workgroup. Generally, community workgroups are in operation for less than six months and end with specific recommendations for action to the Coordinating Council or Funder's Committee.

Community Workgroups may seek leadership support and/or funding and administrative support from the Funder's Committee. Depending on the level of need, a Workgroup may request status as a Community Initiative. This would require resubmission of the”Request for Support.”

Community Workgroup Status

Workgroup status indicates that the Funder's Committee and/or Coordinating Council will receive and act on specific recommendations for change. As part of the application process, the Workgroup will provide a specific timeline for completion of the charter and request time on the agenda for full discussion of the actions and recommendations.

The Funder's Committee may provide administrative and possible funding support for the actions of the workgroup.

Responsibilities of the Community Workgroups

A Community Workgroup will identify a convener to support their work.
A Community Workgroup will provide a clear timeline and plan to report to the Funder's Committee and/or Coordinating Council based on an agreed upon timeline.
Community Workgroups may request a Community Roundtable to support their work.

Community Roundtable:

Community Roundtables are intended to be a one-time meeting of local professionals to obtain information on specific issue(s). Generally, the roundtable is intended to be a freeform discussion of specific issues with a report that may include recommendations for future actions. It is not anticipated that a Community Roundtable would require more than a single meeting.

Community Roundtable Status

Community Roundtable status will allow the Funder's Committee to provide specific administrative support that may include promotion, meeting space, refreshments and other support as needed. The Community Collaborative can also provide a small budget to encourage participation by social service consumers.

Responsibilities of Community Roundtables

Community Roundtables will identify a convener or convening agency.
Community Roundtables will be made available to all members of the public with an interest in the issue.
Community Roundtables will have a plan to include consumer input.