SCALE+ methodology

Advance collective action

During the whole-system-in-the-room (WSR) retreat, participants identify the most pressing issues they face, their common goals and the major barriers to overcome. To advance collective action to overcome barriers and in service of shared goals, SCALE+ helps projects lead stakeholders to coordinate and collaborate, apply social-change methodologies, provide demand-driven technical assistance, and improve information flow. 

Coordinate and collaborate  

The Systems Integration (SI) Team supports stakeholders in collaborative action circles and task forces to move forward with agreed-upon activities by creating space for continued dialogue, organizing topical meetings, and continuously reminding the participants of their commitments to action while encouraging new actions and inviting new players. In view of stakeholder commitments and in consultation with the Cross-Sector Advisory Committee (CSAC), the project considers the best use of its resources to provide technical assistance where most needed to stimulate further collaboration, address gaps in collective capacity, and achieve results. 

Apply social change methodologies 

SCALE+ offers a project team the opportunity to apply a combination of social-change methodologies and behavior-change tools, including advocacy, public policy reform, social- marketing campaigns, conflict mediation, awareness-raising through mass media, education, and organizational capacity strengthening. Specific intervention options are discussed by project leadership and the SI Team in consultation with the CSAC and funder to decide the most effective and essential interventions.  

Provide demand-driven technical assistance 

SCALE+ identifies resources, energy and support previously undiscovered among the system’s actors. Once agreed upon with the funder, specific examples of targeted, demand-driven technical assistance can be integrated into the overall project work plan. Ideally, project work plans should: (1) support the collective goals and priorities of the cross-sector stakeholders and the stakeholder commitments to collective action; (2) strengthen horizontal communication, relationships and networks; and (3) leverage funder financing and private-sector investments to achieve results. 

Improve information flow 

With SCALE+, technical interventions are designed according to common objectives and where stakeholders are willing to collaborate most. The project applies its own limited resources to achieve its goals by aligning them, when possible, to the collective goals of cross-sector stakeholders. By continuously improving the flow of information among stakeholders and coalition partners, the project will be able to keep everyone focused on collaborating to achieve their common purpose.