Strength In Numbers

I currently work with the Alliance For Innovation.  As you have seen in previous posts, they look to solve future challenges that cities will face with new and innovative practices.  The Alliance’s goal is to be the premier organization collaboration and innovation in local government.  This drive to consistently push the envelope and improve, I believe is one of the reasons they have been so successful. 

Strength in numbers is also another important part of the Alliances strategy.  Currently, there are over 200 member cities spanning the United States and Australia.  Having a diverse list of members allows the member cities to share ideas and learn from other cities.  These new perspectives combine professional knowledge and industry resources to affect change, promote connectedness, and provide problem-solving capabilities.  The Alliance proudly displays that 82% of its member cities have an above average rating in their adoption of innovative practices.  Over half of member cities are rated as “very high”.  Former board member, and city manager of Arlington, Texas (quite a large and important city in that state) says that “everyone in public service who is tackling today’s challenges needs the type of support, research, and ideas the alliance provides”.  And from what I have seen, I agree with him. 

I specifically like the organization of the Alliance.  The alliance is made up of a board of directors, and board members rotate every two years.  This way it keeps fresh ideas and avoids complacency.  The Alliance does employ a small staff that conducts research, plans activities, coordinates webinars, recruits sponsors, and facilitates communication between member cities.  This organization has proved very effective as member cities are able to benefit from independent research tailored to their needs.  Successful fundraising has afforded the Alliance a very manageable budget to accomplish their current goals, as well as save for the future. 

To be honest, I am not sure what I would do differently if I were to be in charge of a similar organization.  In fact, if I were in charge of a similar organization, I would probably look for a way to merge with the Alliance.  Such a merger (or just the Alliances natural growth) may bring fears that too large a size would make the Alliance less effective.  However, I believe that with their current framework, the Alliance could then start breaking up into more regional groupings so that cities with the same attributes can spend more time learning from each other.  But as it stands right now, there is no such problem.  In fact, I believe having too many member cities would be a positive, rather than a negative. 

In short, I believe that the Alliance has done a great job building a structure that can accommodate numerous members and provide useful benefits to all of its member cities.  So if you are currently working for a non member city, look up the Alliance and see what they have to offer!