By Kimberly Thornbury, Vice President of Programs & Partnerships
At the turn of the 19th century, a small group of friends in the London suburb of Clapham began gathering around shared meals, a shared purpose, and a conviction to address the challenges they saw around them. Nearly two centuries later, in 1997, Alaska's tribal regional health organizations came together with a belief that together they could address the healthcare challenges in their vast state. And in 2010, leaders across King County, WA, recognized that no single organization could address persistent educational disparities in South Seattle and South King County, but that together, maybe they could.
These three efforts — separated by time, geography, and context — share something essential: they were networks dense enough to create lasting change and committed enough to carry it out. The Clapham Circle's William Wilberforce, Hannah More, and Henry Thornton leveraged their relationships, imagination, and courage to help end the British slave trade, foster economic opportunity, expand education, and renew the moral imagination of a nation. Alaska's tribal health organizations built the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTCH) to serve 158,000 Alaska Natives, eventually creating Healthy Alaskans, the only state health improvement plan in the nation co-sponsored by both state and Tribal governments. And the Road Map Project in the Seattle area brought together seven school districts, higher education institutions, community organizations, businesses, and government agencies, leading to significant investments including $318 million allocated in 2019 after years of coordinated action.
What made these networks powerful wasn't position or resources alone, but the depth of relationships. They had trust thick enough to hold conviction and collaboration through the long work of addressing complex challenges.
Why Dense Networks Work
The power of these networks isn't accidental. Research consistently shows that meaningful change emerges from relationships characterized by trust, frequent interaction, and mutual obligation. While many connections help spread information widely, strong connections enable the kind of sustained collaboration that tackles complex problems. Amongst scientists in research collaboratives, data shows that infrequent, surface-level gatherings yielded weak ties and high turnover rates, but “indispensable super ties,” relationships marked by similar goals and frequent gatherings, yielded above-average productivity and long-term impact.
Robert Putnam's landmark work on civic engagement further illuminates why these networks matter. In Bowling Alone, he documents the decline of dense social connections in American life and the corresponding erosion of civic capacity. His research shows that communities with robust networks of trust are better equipped to solve collective problems.
More recently, researchers have found that dense networks are particularly effective because they facilitate what psychologists call "collaborative problem-solving." When people work within trusted circles, they're more willing to share half-formed ideas, challenge assumptions constructively, and iterate toward better solutions. The safety created by strong relationships allows for the kind of honest discourse that superficial connections cannot support. When resources and ideas are shared, so are successes and losses, creating resilience that can withstand setbacks and momentum that can find solutions.
What We’re Learning About Networks
Today, many networks are wide but thin. We are connected to thousands yet known by few. The stories of the Clapham Circle, the Road Map Project, and Alaska's tribal health partnerships suggest that influence often flows through depth, not breadth. Progress happens when thoughtful people sit at the same table, wrestle with complex questions, and commit to the long work of addressing shared challenges.
For five decades, the Murdock Trust has partnered with leaders and organizations across the Pacific Northwest, people who carry the imagination and commitment to strengthen the common good. Through that work, one truth has remained constant: meaningful change happens through relationships that are deep, diverse, and sustained over time.
Proximity remains the rich soil where change grows. We continue to learn from leaders across the Pacific Northwest who model this kind of sustained collaboration, believing that when people share their wisdom and build genuine relationships, new possibilities can take root. It is not always flashy, and very rarely fast, but over time it yields fruit that results in more flourishing for all.
Note: This is Part 1 of a three-part series on dense networks and collaboration. In Part 2, we'll consider nonprofits making impact through dense networks, and in Part 3 we will explore specific examples of how the Murdock Trust supports these relationships in practice.