Meet the Innovator: Jamye Wooten of CLLCTIVLY
Jamye is a member of the Social Innovation Lab’s 2019–20 Cohort. To learn more about SIL and the cohort, click here. Join him at our virtual SIL Impact Forum, available here! Stay tuned: Jamye’s pitch will be released at 3:45 on Wednesday, May 27th!
SIL: Tell us about CLLCTIVLY. What are you trying to do?
JW: Community organizations often work in silos, these silos lead to fragmentation, fragmentation leads to duplication, and duplication leads to wasted resources — time, talent and treasure. Our mission is to end the fragmentation and duplication of programs, to learn from and about each other, and to be a resource for the Greater Baltimore community that seeks to find, fund and partner with Black social change organizations.
SIL: Why did you decide to start this? Where did the idea come from?
JW: I grew up in the church and watched how we pooled our resources every Sunday to meet the needs of our local communities. As a young professional I found my dream job, serving as program director for the Collective Banking Group, a faith-based community economic development corporation serving over 200 churches in Greater Washington, D.C. Then in 2015 after the death of Freddie Gray, I, along with a coalition of grassroots activists and concerned citizens came together to form Baltimore United for Change. In the days following the Uprising we launched a skills bank to create an “on ramp” for concern community members that wanted to serve. Over 260 individuals and organizations answered the call. CLLCTIVLY builds off my work with the Collective Banking Group and Baltimore United for Change, as well as a long history of cooperative movements within the African American community.
SIL: What would you consider success for CLLCTIVLY and how will the world be different when you’re successful?
JW: Success looks like a greater sense of confidence in community, increase collaboration among organizations, greater visibility of Black-led organizations with increased funding, and greater impact. A stronger community and a stronger Baltimore.
SIL: What have you accomplished so far?
JW: CLLCTIVLY launched in 2019 and had mapped over 100 organizations in our asset map/directory, we have invested over $50,000 in Black-led organizations and most recently in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic we launched the Baltimore Black-led Solidarity Fund to support Black-led and Black-owned business who have lost revenue due to slowdown in business, cancellations, or closures.
SIL: What about you? What got you interested in this issue?
JW: My past work is a combination of international human rights, grassroots organizing, digital communications and social impact strategy; I believe CLLCTIVLY brings all these together. I also developed #MLK2BAKER, a framework for decentralize organizing rooted in the work of Civil rights leader Ella Baker, social network work theory, and African centered principles. I am looking forward to testing this framework out through CLLCTIVLY.
SIL: What advice do you have for would-be social entrepreneurs thinking about starting a venture?
JW: Just do it. Take the leap and find mentors, read, attend conferences, but do it. You do not have to figure it all out in the beginning.
SIL: What’s your favorite place or thing to do in Baltimore?
JW: Everyone’s Place Bookstore and African Culture Center. It was central to my development as a young man trying to find my way.
SIL: What can we do to help you? How can we get involved?
JW: On August 7th we will host our 2nd Annual CLLCTIV GIVE, a 24-hour day of Giving for Black-led organizations serving in greater Baltimore. We are also accepting memberships to our Black Futures 360 Giving Circle.
Join Jamye and CLLCTIVLY on the web at www.cllctivly.org and through social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. You can connect with Jamye at SIL’s Impact Forum online, starting May 18th! Details available at this link.
