Within the social impact ecosystem, there is widespread commitment to collaboration and partnership. Yet true collective impact remains challenging for many organizations and leaders. Structural silos, misaligned incentives, and resource constraints often stand in the way of catalytic, cross-sector action.
On July 24, NationSwell hosted a virtual leader roundtable designed to explore what it really takes to move from good intentions to meaningful progress. Some of the most salient insights that surfaced during that discussion appear below:
Insights:
Build with, not for — shifting from transactional partnerships to transformational relationships. Designing together and listening deeply to partners leads to more meaningful, inclusive outcomes. Be intentional about trust-building by consistently showing up and acknowledging power dynamics.
Engage your community continuously, not episodically. Building trust requires regular, structured engagement throughout the year. This goes beyond one-time listening sessions and reflects a long-haul investment in shared learning.
Avoid duplication by aligning efforts, clarifying purpose, and reducing unnecessary convenings. Streamlining meetings and mapping resources promotes more effective use of time, helps eliminate redundancy, and fosters better collaboration.
Embrace healthy tension as a part of the process. Tension between governance-building and action, between urgency and trust-building, and between funders and partners is inevitable. Recognizing and naming that tension upfront allows groups to move through it productively, rather than stalling out.
Participate in cross-pollination to unlock innovation and increase impact. Move beyond traditional silos to intentionally engage diverse actors across sectors. By designing multi-stakeholder strategies that reflect the full ecosystem, collaborations can create more resilient solutions.
Use intermediaries to accelerate timelines in ways direct funding may not. Strategic use of intermediaries allows for flexible deployment of resources while reducing burden and capacity constraints on grassroots partners. Additionally, funders should think strategically about how policy changes (like the 1% tax floor on charitable donations) affect capital flow, and how to advocate for approaches that ensure funds reach those most in need.
Ask the right questions and focus on meaningful indicators to avoid data paralysis. For example, “Ripples of Impact” is a reframe for ROI that considers how collaborations shift practices, build trust, and catalyze long-term ecosystem change. It’s not about volume of data, but whether it drives action and adaptation.
Networking doesn’t stop when you reach senior leadership—it evolves. Maintaining strong professional connections is essential for staying ahead of industry trends, fostering innovation, and building strategic partnerships that drive success.
On June 11, NationSwell hosted a virtual Leader Roundtable designed to explore why networking remains critical at the highest levels of leadership and provide actionable strategies to strengthen and utilize networks for personal and organizational success.
Some of the key takeaways from the discussion appear below:
Key Takeaways
Be grounded in who you are, and build your network with that identity in mind. Your geography, industry, and function shape your networking identity. Reframing how you position yourself depending on which of these three you emphasize can unlock new opportunities, especially when transitioning between industries or roles.
Focus on authenticity, clarity, and brevity to strengthen your outreach. When initiating new contact, be concise and clear about who you are, what you need, and why it matters. Thoughtful communication builds trust and leaves a lasting impression.
Remember that the scope of networking is broad and personalized. Networking can serve many purposes from seeking board roles and public speaking engagements to navigating a career transition. Use your network as both a sounding board and a launchpad. Additionally, networking is most effective when it’s simplified and personal.Whether you’re exploring new career options or looking for a restaurant recommendation, treat networking as a tool for mutual exchange. Even transactional requests are welcomed; most people are flattered to be asked for help or to be known as a go-to resource.
Make networking for a career transition a volume and timing game. A thorough job search may take 5–6 months and involve 120–150 conversations, each interaction building momentum. While outcomes will vary, meaningful opportunities often come from a few individuals who go the extra mile. Relationships are often the key to opening a new door.
Invest in a multigenerational, cross-sector network. Engaging with people across industries and age groups broadens your perspective, expands opportunity, and keeps you relevant. Building internal, cross-functional relationships within your organization is also essential for increasing visibility and bridging teams.
Tend to your network like a garden. It requires consistent care, outreach, and attention. Use travel, spontaneous calls, or quick notes to nurture connections even when you don’t need anything. Intentional relationship-building starts long before a need arises, and continues over time.
Across the country, too many young people are doing everything right — working jobs, enrolling in training, and seeking advice — only to find themselves stuck. Despite their effort and ambition, the pathway to a stable, fulfilling adulthood has grown increasingly murky. New research from the Schultz Family Foundation and HarrisX puts a name to this disconnect: a broken marketplace. In this labor and education ecosystem, jobs go unfilled while talent goes underrecognized, and the traditional systems of guidance — school counselors, college degrees, even parental advice — no longer align with what the market demands. It’s a system that leaves too many behind — particularly young people from under-resourced communities, who are often navigating without a map.
To surface solutions and spark collaboration, SFF teamed up with NationSwell and LinkedIn on July 15 to convene some of the leading thinkers, practitioners, and changemakers exploring what it will take to fix this broken marketplace. The conversation spanned everything from the promise and pitfalls of AI, to the cultural overvaluation of four-year degrees, to the structural barriers facing youth who are working hard but treading water. While the dialogue surfaced powerful models and bright spots, it also revealed a shared hunger for something deeper: a reimagined system that meets young people where they are, honors their full potential, and builds pathways that are truly navigable, equitable, and aligned with the future of work.
Below are some of the most salient insights that surfaced during the discussion — and a few questions we’re still asking.
Fast Stats:
30 million young people in the U.S. are struggling, with roughly 15 million classified as underemployed or unemployed.
Only 8% of high schoolers feel confident about their post-graduation plans.
86% of high school leaders say they recognize the importance of postsecondary planning — yet workforce readiness is still not meaningfully integrated into most school systems.
While 71% of employers say there are enough opportunities for job seekers, only 43% of young adults agree
Only 24% of parents claim to leverage school resources like guidance counselors and teachers.
73% of parents see their child as having direction or purpose on their own and not needing help.
Only 35% of young adults report knowing exactly what drives them
More than half of young adults say they do not believe that college offers the guarantee of a good job.
Insights:
The labor market is experiencing a skills and credential mismatch. There’s a growing imbalance between the number of college-educated workers and the actual demand for degree-dependent roles. Simultaneously, there are increasing opportunities for non-degree workers — especially those with the right technical or vocational skills — which signals the need to reassess postsecondary education strategies.
Millions of young people — especially women — currently feel unprepared to enter the current U.S. job market. Despite performing well academically in adolescence, a growing number of young women report feeling unready for the workforce as they approach adulthood. This decline in self-confidence appears to stem from a mix of systemic and social pressures: cultural expectations around caregiving, implicit biases in hiring, and a lack of tailored support for young mothers or women from low-income households.
AI offers both promise and risk; it’s up to us to shape the outcomes. While artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionize education, guidance, and workforce development, its impacts will depend entirely on how we design and deploy it. Leaders must proactively steer AI toward equitable and beneficial uses instead of passively responding to its disruptions.
The jobs of the future will demand radically different skills. By 2030, 70% of the skills required for many jobs are projected to shift. This rapid evolution places tremendous pressure on workers, educators, and employers to anticipate change, reskill continuously, and adapt to a moving target.
We must not leave vulnerable communities behind in the AI era. Historically marginalized populations — especially those without college degrees — face the greatest risk of being left out of the AI-driven economy. It’s critical to design tools, supports, and systems that center their needs from the start.
There is a growing mismatch between college degrees and job outcomes. Despite a rise in college attainment, many recent graduates are struggling to find roles that match their education level, particularly as AI begins to automate white-collar tasks. This disconnect suggests a deeper misalignment in how we prepare people for the labor market.
A surge in bachelor’s degrees hasn’t been matched by a surge in opportunity. The number of people earning college degrees has increased substantially, yet this hasn’t translated into better job placement or upward mobility for many graduates, hinting at a broken promise in the education-to-employment pipeline.
People without degrees are outperforming expectations. Contrary to common narratives, employment rates among non-college-educated workers have improved in recent years. This trend challenges assumptions about where economic opportunity lies and signals a need to rethink credentialism.
Career navigation must be reimagined for the AI era. Many young people are navigating a job market that no longer matches traditional pathways. They need updated guidance systems that reflect today’s labor market realities and help them develop adaptable, durable skills.
Parents are desperate for modern tools and resources. Many parents feel unprepared to help their children thrive in today’s complex world. They are seeking updated, accessible resources that reflect current realities and equip them to support their kids in meaningful, future-ready ways.
A place-based, community-driven parenting curriculum could be transformative. There’s an opportunity to create parenting supports that are deeply rooted in local needs, shaped by cross-sector collaboration, and tailored to the real conditions families face on the ground.
Young people need proximity to possibility. Exposure to mentorship, networks, and real examples of success is critical. Youth are better able to envision and pursue meaningful futures when they can see what’s possible through trusted relationships and intergenerational support.
Today’s guidance systems are woefully outdated. School counselors and other advisors are often overwhelmed, under-resourced, or operating from outdated assumptions. Young people need future-facing guidance tools that reflect the fast-changing world of work.
AI could play a role in personalizing and scaling guidance. With the right design and data, AI has the potential to provide tailored, real-time guidance that meets each learner where they are — offering suggestions, pathways, and encouragement in a scalable way.
The current job market is brutal for Gen Z. Some young people are submitting hundreds of AI-generated cover letters with little success, reflecting both the hyper-competitive nature of today’s labor market and a growing sense of disillusionment about career readiness. Simultaneously, AI-laden recruiting software imposes strict parameters on even the most qualified of candidates, filtering them out of the hiring pipeline unnecessarily.
Employers are caught in a Catch-22 of their own making: they demand experience yet offer few pathways to get it. Many employers list “prior experience” as a prerequisite for entry-level roles, even as they shrink internship programs, reduce on-the-job training, and fail to create clear earn-and-learn pathways. This paradox disproportionately affects young people — especially those without access to well-networked mentors or unpaid work experience—who find themselves locked out of opportunity before they’ve even begun. The result is a self-perpetuating loop: a talent pool deemed “unprepared” not because of lack of potential, but because the system never gave them a chance to prove it.
We need more bilingual talent fluent in both tech and impact. There’s a critical shortage of people who understand both advanced AI systems and the complex realities of the social sector. Building cross-functional, technically capable teams will be essential to making AI work for good.
The most effective nonprofits will couple tech with deep human expertise. Organizations that integrate AI into their strategy while staying grounded in pedagogy, community trust, and lived experience will be best positioned to deliver meaningful outcomes.
We need faster feedback loops between experience and evidence. Too often, it takes years to understand whether a policy or program has worked. Investing in data infrastructure and short-term proxies for long-term outcomes will help systems learn and improve more quickly.
A better future requires both urgency and imagination. It’s not enough to simply react to AI; leaders must act urgently to reshape the system — and also imagine radically different, more inclusive possibilities. Otherwise, we risk reinforcing the same inequities under new technological wrappers.
Questions we’re still asking:
1. How can we build career navigation systems that truly reflect today’s labor market realities?
There’s a clear consensus that existing guidance systems (from high school counselors to college pathways) are outdated and disconnected from the fast-moving job market. But what would a truly modernized system look like? How can it be both data-informed and deeply human, scalable and personalized, responsive to local labor conditions but aligned with broader trends like AI disruption?
2. What’s the right role for AI in supporting young people’s transitions into adulthood?
AI came up repeatedly as both a tool of promise and a source of unease. How do we ensure it amplifies human insight rather than replacing it? Can it truly offer equitable guidance without deep community input in its design? And how do we build trust in AI tools among young people who already feel the system is stacked against them?
3. How do we rebalance the perceived value of college versus non-college pathways?
The traditional “college or bust” mindset is breaking down, but what comes next is still murky. What should replace the old hierarchy of credentials? How do we create a labor market and cultural narrative that values skilled trades, apprenticeships, and alternative pathways just as much as a bachelor’s degree?
4. What does it look like to design truly place-based solutions in a national context?
Participants voiced strong belief in localized, community-rooted solutions. But questions remain: How do we balance the nuance of place with the efficiency of national models? Can we scale what’s working locally without flattening what makes it powerful? And what infrastructure is needed to make place-based innovation replicable and sustainable?
5. How do we support young people who are “doing everything right” but still stuck?
A deeply felt tension emerged around the young people who are working hard, following guidance, and still not progressing. Why aren’t their efforts yielding returns? Is it a failure of systems, expectations, or opportunity design? What does justice look like for this group — and what kinds of interventions (navigational, relational, structural) will actually help them move forward?
6. How do we square the inherent tension between the power of industry and the power of the American education system?
Calling on employers and educators to rectify a broken system exposes an uncomfortable truth — businesses have the capital; educators do not. While both employers and the education system will need to make changes in order to better serve young job seekers, the pace of change is unlikely to be equal.
NationSwell’s Workforce Innovation Collaborative:
As SFF’s research reveals, the workforce landscape is shifting rapidly — shaped by AI, automation, shifting demographics, and economic uncertainty. The labor market in the next decade will face urgent challenges and opportunities across every sector and industry. Impact leaders need a trusted space to align on what’s next.
Launching in Fall 2025, NationSwell’s Workforce Innovation Collaborative is where cross-sector leaders come together to explore trends, surface bold practices, and co-design scalable solutions. Collaborative members join a peer-driven learning and action journey — building cross-sector relationships, surfacing bold solutions, and advancing shared impact through strategy, storytelling, and collective action.
Join the collaborative to access curated research, insights, and expert-led workshops that will help you to stay ahead of workforce trends and technologies. Alongside a trusted cohort of senior leaders across sectors, participants will move from insight to action through targeted workstreams and strategic planning designed to unlock aligned, real-world progress.
If you are interested in learning more, please get in touch.
Across the country, employee ownership models are quietly transforming what’s possible for workers — delivering increased wealth, stronger employee retention, and better business outcomes for investors. In this session, we spotlight models that shift power and equity to the people who help create value every day. From ESOPs to worker co-ops to hybrid models, we’ll examine what’s actually working, what it takes to transition, and how capital and policy can play a catalytic role in expanding these approaches.
On July 15, NationSwell hosted a virtual Leader Roundtable designed to give leaders a space to talk about the models that are working the best approaches for continuing to expand pipelines to economic opportunity.
Some of the most salient takeaways from the conversation appear below:
Insights:
Promote employee ownership as a scalable wealth-building strategy. Integrate employee ownership into your organization’s wealth-building, economic mobility, or shared value strategies. Emphasize not only the wealth-building and business performance benefits, but also the proven outcomes like increased retention and engagement.
Implement employee ownership models that correspond to your business type and readiness. Identify the best-fit ownership model and tailor it to company size, financing, and exit plans. Encourage other ecosystem actors to build pipelines and decision-making tools to help assess and prepare for transitions.
Design ownership programs for transformational impact. Prioritize models that meaningfully shift power and wealth, not just offer symbolic shares. Aim for payout structures that exceed typical bonuses, while advocating for equity to be additive for wages or benefits.
Build cultures of ownership, not just equity plans. Equity alone isn’t enough. Build cultures of ownership where employees have voice, trust, and the tools to engage—such as financial education, leadership pathways, and inclusive governance practices.
Act on the silver tsunami of business transitions. With many baby boomer-owned businesses approaching retirement, create conversion campaigns or community ownership pipelines. Collaborate with local partners to convert these businesses to employee-owned and avoid closures or exploitative sales.
Adopt a “big tent” strategy to champion multiple models. “Big tent” doesn’t result in diluting impact, moreover, it recognizes that different ownership models serve different sectors and capital contexts. Encourage coordination across ESOPs, co-ops, trusts, and equity participation efforts to avoid fragmentation and build a more unified field identity.
Support field-building through shared messaging, tools, and policy advocacy. Alignment across funders, intermediaries, and advocates is critical to unlocking capital and legitimacy at scale. Use shared language, frameworks, and tools to help mainstream employee ownership across the range of models. Highlight its bipartisan value and its ability to create civic, economic, and business benefits.
On a warm July afternoon in Atlanta, a group of corporate, philanthropic, and community leaders gathered to experience what place-based impact looks like when it’s rooted in history, shaped by community voice, and powered by a shared vision. As part of NationSwell’s Place-Based Impact Collaborative, and in partnership with The Annie E. Casey Foundation, this immersive, two-day experience offered a firsthand look at Atlanta as a “tale of two cities.” Throughout the experience, participants learned how bold, collaborative investment is helping communities reclaim land, preserve and celebrate identity, and build a more just economic future.
Day One: Grounded in history, connected by movement
Our time together began with something deceptively simple: a walk. Led by a close partner of NationSwell, GirlTrek, the walk to Centennial Park focused on presence and intentionality. “We walk, talk, and solve problems,” our leader shared, describing GirlTrek’s model of wellness and connection. It was a chance to move through the city, feel its energy, and open space for reflection.
Later that evening, we headed to a welcome reception, setting the tone for what would be a day of honesty, inspiration, and exchange. In a circle, we heard from visitors and locals alike about their personal and professional motivation for joining the immersive. Participants were welcomed to Atlanta as a city of neighborhoods, of legacy, of resilience.
Day Two: A tale of two cities
Breakfast opened with a powerful panel, “Atlanta’s Path in Perspective,” laying bare the complexity of the city’s narrative. As Courtney English, Interim Chief of Staff to Mayor Andre Dickens noted, “Atlanta is a tale of two cities and two stories.” On one hand, it is the cradle of civil rights, home to Black leadership and cultural innovation. On the other, it is among the lowest in economic mobility for Black families, shaped by redlining, disinvestment, and policy decisions that still echo today.
Site visits followed, including a deep dive into the Atlanta Beltline’s evolution – a project that has generated both opportunity for entrepreneurs and concern for displaced residents. Led by the Atlanta Beltline team, we saw examples of responsive solutions: affordable housing built to combat gentrification pressures; shipping containers repurposed into microbusiness spaces; and ongoing work to address basic infrastructure, like stormwater and sewage management. We also heard from a small business owner, Sarah Pierre, owner of 3 Parks Wine Shop, about her partnership with the Beltline.
We then made our way to Pittsburgh Yards, standing out as a living example of what it looks like when development is done collaboratively with a community. Built on land acquired by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the space has grown into a hub for locally-owned businesses, creatives, and entrepreneurs – including some that have transitioned to brick-and-mortar storefronts in retrofitted shipping containers (check out Carrot Dog and PinkPothos). Individual co-workers, businesses, and events hosted at Pittsburgh Yards bring in revenue, helping sustain the space without compromising its mission. “We would like to think that the Annie E. Casey Foundation is a collaborative partner and listener,” Tomi Hiers, vice president of the Center for Civic Sites and Community Change at the Annie E. Casey Foundation said, reflecting on the ongoing effort to ensure that the people closest to the challenges are closest to the decisions. As we stood outside Pittsburgh Yards, a child played on his bike, calling out “Hey, neighbors!.” As one participant noted, “The fact that a little boy came up and called us ‘neighbor’ — that’s what success looks like.”
Our visit included a Partnerships for Collective Action roundtable, held in the heart of Pittsburgh Yards’ Nia Building. Amanda Jaquez, Senior Associate, Annie E. Casey Foundation opened by naming the legacy of the neighborhood — founded by formerly enslaved people and long a center for Black self-determination — and reminded the room that development must build on, not erase, that foundation.
The panel explored what makes cross-sector collaboration work, with Mindy Binderman, Executive Director of GEEARS, emphasizing that shared purpose and trust must come before action. Natallie Keiser, Executive Director of HouseATL, added that structure, sustained engagement, and clarity of roles are important, especially when tackling entrenched challenges like affordable housing and displacement. The cost of inaction was made clear: unchecked infrastructure investments can rapidly raise property values and inadvertently displace the very communities they intend to serve.
Jay Bailey, President and CEO of the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE), offered a powerful charge: “Collaboration beats competition every day of the week.” But he cautioned against “collaborative theater” — partnerships formed for optics rather than outcomes. He urged leaders to confront uncomfortable truths, including the stark contrast between Atlanta’s image as a Black mecca and the reality of its low Black economic mobility. “Let us have the courage to say no…because we are worth investing in.”
The day ended at The Third Space, where a happy hour and signature dinner prompted deeper conversation and laughter. Over shared plates, attendees unpacked the day’s learnings: how land becomes leverage, how rest becomes resistance, and how institutions can be built to last.
Day Three: Collaboration and continuity
Our time together concluded with a tour of RICE. The impressive center, which supports Black entrepreneurs with space, mentorship, and capital access, sparked conversations about ecosystem thinking. During the tour, participants saw how the organization is cultivating Black entrepreneurial success at scale. The 54,000 square foot space was built with intentionality: every wall, quote, and photo was curated to inspire ownership, legacy, and possibility. As Bailey summed it up: “We don’t need another symbol of hope. We need institutions that manufacture hope.”
As attendees began to head home, there was a palpable sense of momentum. Participants reflected on what they had seen and learned, and how they can apply it to their own communities and work.
What Atlanta taught us
Atlanta is not a monolith. It is a microcosm of the broader American story — a city where systemic harm and radical possibility coexist. Place is not neutral here, it is contested, storied, and powerful. From listening sessions designed with dignity to equitable housing strategies and entrepreneurship ecosystems, the visit to Atlanta reminded us that place-based work requires honesty, trust, and collaboration.
As one participant shared, “The system isn’t broken. It’s working how it was designed to work.” But in Atlanta, people are redesigning it — together.
This immersive experience was offered to NationSwell through the NationSwell Collaboratives. To learn more or get involved, visit nationswell.com/nationswell-collaboratives/
Nonprofit organizations today are facing a range of significant challenges related to federal funding cuts, adoption of and adaptation to emerging technologies, workforce strain, and more.
On July 8, NationSwell convened nonprofit leaders and funders for an open, solutions-oriented dialogue on how to strengthen organizational resilience across the sector and explore the most promising strategies for building nonprofit capacity, increasing organizational durability, supporting team members, and ensuring mission-driven organizations are able to thrive in 2025 and beyond.
Some of the most salient takeaways from the discussion appear below:
Key takeaways:
Resilience in the nonprofit sector must evolve its orientation from survival to impact. Many organizations are operating reactively, focused on enduring budget cuts, staffing strains, and shifting demands. Building resilience should not just mean staying afloat, but developing the internal capacity and adaptive systems needed for long-term mission delivery.
Nonprofits must embrace their role as businesses with a mission — not just tax-exempt entities. While driven by social outcomes, nonprofits function in dynamic, competitive markets and must adopt mindsets and practices that reflect this. Financial discipline, strategic agility, and resource efficiency are as vital here as in any other sector.
Capacity-building is not a luxury, it’s the structural foundation of organizational health. Investments in leadership development, systems, infrastructure, and collaborative learning are essential to sustainable impact. Rather than being deprioritized in lean times, capacity building should be viewed as non-negotiable.
Intermediary organizations must be better equipped to defend and represent the sector. As political headwinds intensify, many nonprofits are finding themselves underprotected at the federal level. There’s a growing need for advocacy networks to modernize their tactics, elevate member voices, and build political literacy across the sector.
Strategic partnerships and nonprofit mergers are underutilized tools for sustainability and scale. Unlike in the private sector, where mergers signal strength, consolidation among nonprofits is rare and often stigmatized. Encouraging more open exploration of mergers, acquisitions, and shared services could improve outcomes and reduce inefficiencies.
Continuous learning and intentional unlearning are prerequisites for innovation. To be truly innovative, organizations must embed learning practices into their culture — not just as a response to funder evaluation, but as a tool for reflection, iteration, and growth. This includes letting go of legacy practices that no longer serve mission or community.
Building comfort with ambiguity is essential to adaptive leadership. Social impact work exists in complex, evolving ecosystems. Strengthening a team or organization’s capacity to navigate the unknown, rather than seek false certainty, can improve decision-making, creativity, and long-term resilience.
On June 25, NationSwell hosted a virtual Leader Roundtable designed to offer social impact leaders a chance to dig into some of the most important aspects of developing and implementing a successful skills-based employee engagement program.
Some of the key takeaways from that discussion appear below:
Key takeaways:
Embed skills-based volunteering into talent development strategy. Volunteering is a structured learning experience for employees. Employees that participate in skills-based volunteerism report increased pride and engagement, with the opportunity to share expertise and develop soft skills like communication and mentorship.
Secure cross-functional leadership buy-in early. Senior leaders can be not only sponsors but active contributors to program design and refinement. Their involvement should send a strong internal signal that the skills-based volunteerism initiative is strategic, not just philanthropic.
Align initiatives with business strategy to deepen impact. Skills-based initiatives should be designed with a dual purpose: supporting community workforce development while helping address internal skills gaps in key markets. This alignment helps secure both funding and sustained engagement.
Co-create curriculum that reflects real-world demands. In skills-based programs, training content can be directly informed by operational experts and frontline managers. This ensures emphasis on skills like systems thinking, logistics processes, and real-time decision-making – elements not typically covered in standard curricula. Additionally, curriculum should be reviewed periodically to include new trends like AI, digital skills, and climate consciousness. Feedback loops with operations and HR help ensure the content remains market-relevant.
Measure what matters: outcomes, not just outputs. Programs should move beyond basic metrics to track employment outcomes, increased income, and career progression of learners. Data can be shared with internal stakeholders to demonstrate ROI and inform future investment decisions.
Prioritize inclusive workforce pipelines through program design. Curriculum can be deliberately designed to include students from traditionally lower-paid administrative tracks, such as young women, helping them transition into higher-paying roles and contributing to equity in the sector where you work.
Leverage internal data to guide geographic targeting. While being cautious of self-dealing, consider talent development efforts focused on regions with the greatest talent shortages for your market. Internal HR leaders can map workforce needs to help prioritize cities and states where the program would have the most strategic impact.
Guaranteed income is quickly evolving from bold idea to proven strategy—offering direct support to individuals and families with powerful results. In parallel, new models for delivering benefits, improving financial health, and reducing administrative burdens are helping to build a more resilient, inclusive economy.
On June 24, NationSwell convened a virtual Leader Roundtable dedicated to elevating the most promising innovations — what’s working, why it’s working, and what leaders across sectors need to know as they design or support efforts to scale economic dignity.
Below are some of the most salient takeaways from that event:
Insights:
Scale comes from not just new programs but also shifting existing systems. Explore how to “cashify” more parts of the social systems in place, and make them more equitable e.g. pushing to make large scale programs like TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) in California to be aligned to guaranteed income principles of ease, no strings, and trust in communities.
Deploy strategic pilots to generate momentum. From Boston to Appalachia, targeted pilots are building political will, seeding narrative change, and giving form to a more just economy. They galvanize support, build coalition muscle, and serve as “proof of concept” for broader policy momentum. With preemptive bills threatening local pilots and federal budget cuts looming, initial wins must be protected while pushing for more humane, equitable public systems.
Every voice needs to sing the same song, but not the same note. Not every actor needs the same approach, but alignment on principles like dignity, agency, and equity is critical. From child tax credits to baby bonds to safety net reforms, harmony across efforts amplifies impact and drives scalable change.
Evolve with the movement. There is a tried and tested rubric for movement building: Provoke the big idea (e.g. instigate pilots, argue the case in public), Legitimize the idea (e.g. Legal changes, policy shifts, narrative change), and then Win. You may need new team members and new ways of talking about the big idea as you move through these phases. It’s ok if we need to move away from certain phrases over time — e.g. If “guaranteed income” feels politicized in corporate circles; the movement still moves forward.
Use language as leverage. “Every baby deserves a shot at the American dream” may resonate in rooms where “guaranteed income” doesn’t. In polarized environments, accessible, emotionally grounded framing builds bipartisan buy-in and unlocks doors policy can walk through. Policy that respects people’s agency leads to better outcomes and challenges long-standing assumptions about who is deserving.
Lead by scaffolding the movement. Corporate and private funders can play a critical role by supporting data harmonization across pilots, investing in messaging, and acting as connective tissue without wading into policy advocacy directly. They can amplify what’s working and help knit together a fragmented landscape.
Center proximity to those experiencing the challenge to build sustainable and scalable solutions. Conduct listening tours and establish a shared frame of reference among diverse stakeholders. When solutions come from those closest to the challenge, they resonate more deeply and work more effectively. The most resonant stories preserve the relational, community-rooted spirit that birthed them and avoid diluting the dignity at the heart of this work.
Empower fresh voices to drive narrative change. Guaranteed income is making progress but lacks broader understanding and support among the public. To fill this void, The Economic Security Project has recently launched the Economic Futures Cohort to empower a new generation of content creators to put it into their own words.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly redefining what’s possible across industries. That brings challenges, but also huge potential to drive positive change if its power can be harnessed by social impact organizations. With AI, nonprofits can unlock new ways to streamline operations, expand their reach and capacity, and devote more energy to their core purpose. As part of the AI Opportunity Fund, Google.org is supporting these organizations by delivering innovative AI solutions and guidance, empowering them to maximize their impact and achieve stronger outcomes for the people and causes at the heart of their mission.
As part of its year-long capacity-building initiative, the AI Opportunity Accelerator, Project Evident has been hosting Discovery Days across the U.S. to bring the tremendous possibilities AI offers to the nonprofit sector. To further open up the dialogue around this opportunity and the goal of upskilling nonprofits with AI, NationSwell — in partnership with Project Evident and with support from Google.org — hosted a series of dinners across the U.S. this spring in parallel with the Discovery Days. The dinners brought together a range of cross-sector leaders in each city to exchange ideas, challenge conventional thinking, and explore how to accelerate the adoption of AI in the nonprofit sector — and lay the groundwork for future collaboration for transformation and impact.
It is not often we have the opportunity to bring leaders from every sector together to discuss AI. In the spirit of supporting inclusive innovation, we have shared below some of the most productive insights that emerged from the dinners.
Big picture
AI possesses enormous impact potential. As AI continues to transform our daily lives — at home, work, or school — we must make space to explore questions and ethical concerns while also maintaining a sense of optimism and excitement for the technology’s many benefits. By balancing caution with curiosity, we can ensure the advancement of AI to support humanity.
AI can be a great equalizer. It offers individuals, practitioners, and organizations access to insights and capabilities that were previously only available to a narrow few. AI-enhanced workflows can help overcome barriers to education access, language divides, and learning abilities to level the playing field and unlock opportunities in new ways.
AI isn’t just a tech solution — it’s a tool for real-world outcomes. Examples included using AI to increase access to free health screenings, engage voters with limited English proficiency, and address food deserts by empowering local small business owners with data on opportunities to sell more fresh groceries. When AI is paired with community insight, the impact is tangible.
The quality of AI’s output depends on the quality of its input. Local data integrity—including census information, community feedback, and lived experience—is essential. Everyone must be included, especially now. That includes disabled communities, LGBTQ+ people, and other often-excluded groups.
Current imbalances in AI must be addressed. It’s important not to lose sight of the disparities in AI usage: Women and marginalized groups are using AI less frequently and adopting it more slowly, and many nonprofits have their hands full dealing with the changes happening at a federal level and are at risk of being left behind.
Practical guidance
Delegate the responsibility of championing widespread adoption. Successful AI adoption requires support: Empowering 2-3 people to act as ambassadors in championing the use and testing of new tools can help other employees understand how new technology can be applied to their roles and facilitate broader AI use across an organization.
Explore ways to integrate AI into existing institutions and systems for maximum reach. Running AI programs in high schools, for example, creates space for youth to learn and have conversations around AI, promoting accessibility, skills building, and widespread adoption.
Co-design and capture learnings to ensure AI tools are human-centered. It’s essential to consider the needs of all stakeholders from the beginning stages of technology design and throughout implementation. Help nonprofits develop and implement learning cycles to understand what works, for whom, and how it can continuously be improved.
You don’t have to create new technology — existing tools can be used for innovation. For instance, one nonprofit supporting immigrants launched a WhatsApp chat bot that distributed “know your rights” information.
Educate decision makers at all levels — including Boards — on AI. Bring trusted voices to tell stories about what’s happening and challenge senior leaders not to fall behind (but do not expect folks to absorb it all in one day).
Invest in “unsexy tech” (i.e., data infrastructure for nonprofits). This is a critical gap, but many organizations don’t have the bandwidth or comfort to ask for a data infrastructure grant right now given tremendous fluctuations in the broader nonprofit funding landscape.
On June 11, NationSwell convened a braintrust for members to dig into some of the most important currents shaping team and role structure and some of the organizational models that can help to support and sustain impact work.
Some of the key insights from the event appear below:
Key takeaways
Structure and reporting lines vary widely based on organizational strategy and maturity. Where impact teams report can depend on the maturity and strategic goals of the program, and reporting lines may need to evolve over time. Social impact and sustainability are often separate functions, reporting into different parts of the company (e.g., COO, operations, HR, or marketing). Placement of the function (e.g., under CLO, HR, or comms) often depends on program maturity and whether the organization is people-first, compliance-driven, or brand-focused. Several leaders reflected that reporting into HR, for example, enabled more access to talent systems, while legal provided early structural rigor.
Team composition trends toward generalists with both strategic and operational skills. Many teams are small, averaging around 8 to 10 people, and rely on generalists. Leaders expect individuals to handle a full range of activities: strategy, partnerships, metrics, and implementation. There’s a strong emphasis on hiring people who are both strategic thinkers and capable of hands-on work (e.g., activating events).
Embedding impact within business strategy strengthens staying power. Teams that align their work with core business priorities, such as talent, compliance, or innovation, are better positioned to access resources and avoid being viewed as a cost center. One leader noted aligning with workforce development helped justify programming.
Use cross-functional councils to build shared ownership. Internal councils are an effective tool for grounding impact goals across the organization. These groups are organized around key strategic pillars and bring together employees from a range of departments who touch the work in different ways. Participation is encouraged to contribute insights, share progress, and help connect the dots across business units.
“Do more with less:” empower local champions to scale impact. Explore models that extend reach without growing headcount. Consider activating employee “ambassadors” or “champions” to lead local efforts, particularly in geographies where dedicated impact staff are not present. These roles are typically voluntary but treated as extensions of the core team. To support them, some organizations create toolkits with pre-vetted nonprofit partners, templated event ideas, and communications materials. Others align local efforts with broader impact pillars, encouraging flexibility while maintaining cohesion.
Community-centered approaches are replacing top-down models. In terms of programming, local activation and place-based work is increasingly common, accompanying a shift from models that “swoop in with solutions” toward ones that listen to and co-create with communities. Companies often prioritize impact in communities where they operate, reinforcing brand values while allowing tailored, responsive programming.
Metrics and measurement are growing priorities, but still a challenge. There was wide agreement that impact teams are increasingly expected to deliver meaningful metrics, not just stories. Yet many leaders indicated that capacity or clarity around measurement remains uneven.
