How do you make 2 + 2 = 10? Through the power of a network.

When KHF was designing its current strategic framework a few years ago, it quickly became apparent we wouldn’t/couldn’t make the desired impact alone. Not a big surprise, right? But, what we also realized is we wouldn’t/couldn’t make the desired impact even if KHF partnered with many organizations and had great relationships with all of them.

No, it takes more than even those great partnerships. For our dream to be realized, and for Kansas to actually lead the nation in health, it will take all the organizations, and all the partners working in concert with one another.

That’s the primary reason we reimagined our convening schedule for 2025. Previously, we made sure each of our primary cohorts—like our policy partners or those participating in the Building Power and Equity Partnership (BPEP) Initiative—each had one or two times during the year where they came together. That was great, but it only allowed for interaction with other organizations similar to them.

This year, we wanted to break down those silos of different types of KHF partners and bring everyone together to make connections and grow together.

On July 16-18 in Wichita, we hosted the first ever Kansas Health Foundation Partner Summit. More than 100 attendees represented nearly 50 different organizations working closely with KHF.

Through 2 ½ days of full group sessions and cohort learning opportunities, our partners had the ability to learn and grow from one another, in addition to just learning more about how their work is helping propel KHF’s vision.

No part of the Summit provided a greater opportunity for learning from one another than the peer-to-peer sessions each day. These sessions, borrowed from the model developed by our friends at the Kansas Leadership Center, asked each attendee to identify a pressing leadership challenge they face in their work, and seek input, questions and advice from their colleagues around the table. 

Through years of experience, I’ve found this process to be one of the most effective and impactful ways for leadership challenges to be unpacked and addressed. It’s also the most highly rated session at most convenings.

When we do something new, we know we’ll never get it 100 percent “right” the first time around. But, judging by the response of both our staff members and our partners, we think we’re on to something with this concept of bringing all the partners together each year.

Year 1 of the KHF Partner Summit was great, but we’re already excited to see how we can make this event even better next year. 

When the power of a network is unleashed, we can only guess the incredible impact made throughout Kansas in the years to come.