Co-benefits offer the potential for a single action to generate multiple positive outcomes. If your organization is beginning to explore this concept, this guide will provide a foundational understanding, address key considerations and offer practical steps to integrate co-benefits into your projects for enhanced impact.

What are co-benefits?

Co-benefits refer to the additional positive outcomes that arise from a single action or intervention. For example, planting trees not only helps combat climate change but also improves air quality, enhances biodiversity and provides recreational spaces for communities.

Multi-solving is the intentional and systematic approach to achieving co-benefits. It involves designing projects and policies to maximize multiple positive outcomes simultaneously.

Key related concepts that you may have noted as similar to the idea of co-benefits include:

Positive externalities: Unplanned benefits that arise from an action.

Community benefits: Benefits targeting a specific geographic location.

Ancillary benefits: Often used in policy work, referring to secondary benefits.

Spillover effects: Unintended positive or negative consequences that extend beyond the target audience.

Public goods: Benefits are provided without compensation and are accessible to all.

Social returns: Broad societal benefits from an investment or project beyond financial profits.

Amplified impact: Combined effects of multiple actions resulting in greater overall benefits.

Ecosystem services: Benefits derived from natural ecosystems, such as clean water, climate regulation and recreation.

Why co-benefits matter

Co-benefits can play a crucial role in the success of your projects. By identifying and integrating co-benefits, you can significantly increase the overall impact of your initiatives. This approach not only enhances the effectiveness of your work but also helps attract diverse funding sources and partners, broadening the scope and reach of your projects. Moreover, integrating co-benefits fosters stronger community support and engagement, as stakeholders are more likely to rally behind projects that offer multiple advantages.

Co-benefits also contribute to cumulative impacts by addressing multiple challenges at once. Strategically planning co-benefits creates combined outcomes that amplify the overall impact of your work. This holistic approach strengthens communities and ecosystems, ensuring your projects deliver lasting positive effects.

The best time to integrate co-benefits is early in the planning process. Doing so allows you to design projects with multiple positive outcomes in mind from the outset. Early integration also ensures that your projects align with the diverse interests of funders and partners, making it easier to secure support and resources. Additionally, incorporating co-benefits at the planning stage maximizes resource efficiency and effectiveness, allowing you to achieve more with available resources.

Establishing a co-benefits approach

Step 1: Identify co-benefits

Assess needs: Identify the primary goals of your project.

Map connections: Look for related benefits that can be achieved.

Engage stakeholders: Involve diverse groups to uncover potential co-benefits.

Step 2: Evaluate co-benefits

Develop criteria: Establish criteria for evaluating co-benefits (e.g., impact, feasibility).

Prioritize: Rank co-benefits based on their potential contribution to project success. (See this compilation of different Grant and Investment Co-Benefits Evaluation Criteria, and the City of Toronto’s Benefits of actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as examples)

Assess trade-offs: Consider any trade-offs or conflicts between different benefits.

Step 3: Manage co-benefits along with primary project goals

Set goals: Define clear objectives for achieving co-benefits.

Plan actions: Develop detailed plans to realize the identified co-benefits.

Monitor progress: Track the outcomes and adjust strategies as needed.

Collaboration and resources

Collaborate with funders and partners

Identify common goals: Align your project goals and funders' interests.

Build relationships: Establish partnerships with organizations that can help achieve co-benefits.

Leverage resources: Utilize funding, expertise and networks from partners to enhance project impact.

Identify useful resources

Alberta Ecotrust is committed to continuously updating our Co-Benefits and Multisolving Resource Centre with valuable information tailored to our initiatives and the projects implemented by organizations supported through our grant programs. We encourage you to explore these resources and also seek out additional materials that align with your specific work and goals. By staying informed and drawing on relevant insights, you can enhance the impact of your projects and fully leverage the potential of co-benefits and multisolving strategies. 

Implementing co-benefits: Practical challenges and responses

Challenges

Emerging practices: Co-benefits and multi-solving practices are still developing.

Capacity: Organizations may need to build skills and knowledge in this area.

Systemic barriers: Existing funding and institutional systems may not always support co-benefit approaches.

Responses

Support innovators: Encourage and support social innovators to test and refine new practices.

Learn by doing: Implement co-benefit strategies one initiative at a time, building capacity and experience.

Advocate for change: Work to influence funding and policy environments to support co-benefit approaches.

Conclusion

Adopting a co-benefits approach can transform your projects, creating a ripple effect of positive outcomes. By understanding and integrating co-benefits, collaborating with funders and partners, and utilizing available resources, you can supercharge the impact of your work and contribute to broader societal and environmental goals. Our advice if you’re starting to implement this approach is to start small, learn, iterate and grow—your journey towards multi-solving for co-benefits begins now!