Collective Impact

Drops in the bucket

Have you ever had a leaky roof, announcing itself via the steady “drip, drip, drip” on the kitchen floor? Naturally, apart from the dread of larger actions that undoubtedly lay in your future, you will rush to the utility closet, grab a bucket, and slide it underneath as a temporary stop measure. You’ve just bought yourself a few days at most before said “larger actions” (is it a burst pipe? Rain collecting in the ceiling?) need to occur. 

Regardless of the rate, and if said “larger actions” do not occur, that steady drip will fill the bucket. It could take a few days, or perhaps a week or two; either way, it will fill. It may even overflow. Each drop may be minute, but every additional drop threatens to breach the surface of water tension spilling slowly over the side and onto your new hardwood floor.

The phrase “a drop in the bucket” is most often used to describe something insignificant or extremely small. However, this idiom doesn’t take into consideration the overall volume as every drop accumulates steadily over time. 

The same goes with community tree planting projects. Each of those drops is incredibly impactful despite their localized nature. Even though other pressures ensue at larger scales, these projects signify more than the measurable metrics of carbon stored, floodwater retained, or biodiversity replenished. Planting projects mobilize community togetherness, strengthening networks for strategic and collective action, while inspiring neighbouring communities. One community planting project may inspire 50 others, multiplying exponentially as more projects take off nationwide. Not only that, but we build a knowledge base to improve and build upon lessons learned. Much like mycorrhizal fungi, the connectedness of our networks is vastly underestimated. It is a foundation upon which significant change can and will continue to occur both strategically and cooperatively.

In this new segment, Trees for Life will highlight one community partner or project each month, demonstrating this true Collective Impact. What began as one project almost 10 years ago is now spilling over the edge of the bucket, and we have no interest in stopping the leak. We are simply going to need more buckets!