People all over the world are trying to work together in more collaborative ways in order to change things for the better – within their organizations, within their communities, and beyond. IISC builds the capacity of people to collaborate for greater social impact by modeling, practicing, and teaching the skills and tools of collaboration. We view our work through these three lenses:
Building power, pursuing equity, ensuring inclusion
Leveraging networks for social change
Harnessing love as a force for social transformation
Through our consulting practice, IISC works with organizations, communities, networks, and others to build their capacity for more effective, equitable, and inclusive social change. We also offer workshops that provide participants with the opportunity to learn and practice the skills and tools of collaboration for social change so that they can do everything from designing meetings to building and running organizations and networks with greater social impact.
Our work demonstrates the power of bringing together key stakeholders at all levels of a system or issue, including those most impacted, to create a shared vision and strategies for concerted action to achieve that vision. We are particularly committed to building the leadership and collaborative capacity of grassroots leaders to engage, speak out, and participate fully in determining the policies and decisions that affect their lives and their communities.
IISC was founded in 1993 by Interaction Associates as an expression of its commitment to social change and as a way of bringing its collaborative methodologies into the social sector. IISC adapted IA’s methodologies and created new and innovative approaches to working with and meeting the needs of social change leaders. Over time, IISC has grown from a staff of two to an organization of over twenty staff members and a cadre of affiliates who have worked with thousands of individuals, organizations, coalitions and networks to boost and amplify their impact.