Community-Centers in Israel during the COVID-19 Pandemic<br/>—A Collective Impact

Abstract

The COVID-19 epidemic is a natural disaster crisis on a global scale. Despite the extensive experience in emergency operations that the Israeli community-centers have accumulated during times of war, community centers were required to develop original methods in order to make their services accessible to the communities, especially in these times of social distance and qua rantines. This study examined the implementation of three collaboration models that enabled joint action whether multi or single sector, using the unique assets of each sector or organization. Three models of collaborations aimed at producing a common social impact were examined: 1) The wisdom of the crowd ; 2) Strategic cross-sectoral partnerships ; and 3) Collective impact. Qualitative data was collected from community centers in five local authorities, in an attempt to determine which model was the most influential in the community centers’ performance throughout the crisis. Interviews were conducted with ten senior managers in the community, as the performance of community centers throughout the pandemic was highly dynamic and could best be captured using this method. Results showed that the model of Collective Impact provided the most desired outcomes among the investigated models. Another important finding highlights the importance of the managers’ experience in the community centers’ performance. Based on these findings, conclusions and recommendations for future operations of third-sector organizations were drawn.