Category: Event Takeaways

What’s Ahead in Social Impact and AI

Posted on by Brianna Provenzano

As we step into 2025, AI technologies are primed to drive even greater innovation around societal challenges, from fostering inclusive growth to expanding educational pathways and beyond. But AI is also going to continue raising important ethical questions while carrying the potential to drive new inequities.

At NationSwell’s recent roundtable discussion, What’s Ahead in Social Impact and AI, leaders and innovators across sectors joined featured panelists Vilas Dhar of The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Nathan Froelich of Blackbaud, and Stephen Plank of The Annie E. Casey Foundation to share strategies on how AI is currently being leveraged to meet societal challenges and surface ethical considerations and best practices for responsible AI implementation moving forward.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the event:

Insights:

Philanthropic funders have a key role to play in ensuring nonprofit partners get the AI  tools they need at scale. New technologies have the potential to serve vulnerable communities, including by organizing decades of longitudinal research and creating predictive engines that can improve community wellbeing. But given the corporate power dynamics surrounding how tech is built and deployed, we need philanthropies and companies to step forward and advocate for the technology solutions their partners need on the ground, in order for them to be created at scale. Funders have a unique opportunity to come together to build shared capacity, new institutions, and resources in order to ensure that future investments in AI go toward honing its potential to create new pathways to dignity and justice in the world.

A good intelligence strategy will require us to be extremely intentional about governance. One of the most pressing challenges posed by AI will be how we can leverage and deploy it in a way that doesn’t harm people and the planet. We need to set up effective systems of governance, paying attention to how we’re deploying generative AI both within our own organizations and in the marketplace. The development of a set of guiding principles will be instrumental in determining which technologies your organization ultimately adopts, ensuring that the tools you’re using meet your ethical standards.

The creation of empowerment councils can help you tap into the most salient use cases for AI. Convening grantees and employees and giving them the access and latitude to experiment with AI can be one way to fuel unfettered iteration and innovation. Providing the tools and encouraging experimentation and exploration can help to surface the most salient examples of how they’re using new technologies to be more productive and support goals effectively, which can ultimately be helpful in deciding when and how to scale solutions appropriately.

Private-public partnerships hold great potential in shaping AI decisions and adoption. Engaging directly with tech funders through roundtable discussions can help to surface innovative ways to leverage private sector partnerships for tool licensing and technical assistance. Similarly, building peer learning communities where government leaders can access AI expertise and collectively develop approaches to service delivery and technology procurement can be powerful ways to shape policy decisions. 

AI’s potential to displace or disrupt jobs depends on which workforce you’re talking about. While there is good research to suggest that corporate leaders do not expect AI to contribute to significant disruption in white collar jobs, those outside of traditional 9-5 roles still face challenges to upskilling, and in many cases AI is being developed with goals that run counter to the interests and livelihoods of low income and nontraditional workers. At the same time, new technologies also hold the potential to help workers maintain and build power by facilitating organization among union members, helping workers to file wage theft claims, visualize data, and influencing state policy decisions. Let’s explore that potential.

Thriving Economy for All: The Case for Childcare

Posted on by Brianna Provenzano

The childcare crisis is no longer just a personal challenge, but an economic one. Without action, the U.S. risks losing $290 billion annually in GDP by 2030 due to missed workdays, reduced productivity, and workforce attrition linked to the lack of investment in childcare. Yet, as daunting as these statistics are, there is hope.

At NationSwell’s recent roundtable discussion, Thriving Economy for All: The Case for Childcare, business leaders and innovators joined panelists Morgan Bast of Steamboat Resort, Mel Faxon of Mirza, and Molly Moon Neitzel of Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream, to explore proven strategies for tackling childcare challenges through employer-driven initiatives.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the event:

Breaking down the crisis

The financial burden of childcare on American families is worsening. With childcare now more expensive than housing in all 50 states, parents are spending an average of 24% of their income on care, and 40% are going into debt to cover costs. Beyond lost dollars, care breakdowns have wider implications for women and caregivers in the workforce as they can result in declined promotions, stalled careers, and inequitable earnings.

Employer-Led Innovation

Some businesses are turning this crisis into an opportunity to lead. “I started Molly Moon’s Ice Cream to see if I could create a profitable business while also baking in the progressive values that I thought either business or government should provide to every worker in the nation,” says Molly Moon Neitzel. Guided by this belief, Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream implemented a life-changing childcare benefit to its employees: $1,000 monthly per child under 5 and $4,200 annually for school-age children.

Morgan Bast, Director of Marketing at Steamboat Resort, shared how her team addressed a childcare desert in their rural Colorado community by launching an employer-based childcare center. The center, which serves both employees and local families, has improved employee retention, engagement, and work-life balance. “We’ve had a baby boom because people are now able to have babies and actually have a place for them to go,” Bast said. 

Meanwhile, Mel Faxon, co-founder of Mirza, highlighted the importance of systemic approaches to solving the childcare crisis. Her team connects families with underutilized federal funding, noting that only 10-20% of eligible families access the roughly $21 billion of subsidies available to offset the cost of care. 

Building Inclusive Solutions

Systemic change requires collaboration across sectors and broad support systems. As one participant advocating for parents of neurodivergent children emphasized, “Raising a child with special needs requires more support, more resources, and more financing.” Her call to expand the scope of childcare solutions underscores the need for inclusive, scalable approaches that leave no family behind.

The Economic Impact

Beyond individual stories, the broader economic case for childcare is clear. Studies show that family-friendly policies like childcare subsidies and universal pre-K could boost U.S. GDP by nearly $1 trillion over the next decade through increased workforce participation. But realizing this economic potential requires coordinated action at both the federal and employer levels.

State-level innovations, such as Vermont’s employment tax (Act 76) for childcare assistance and Michigan’s tri-share program (now across other U.S. states), demonstrate successful public-private partnerships. As Mel Faxon notes, “We need continued pressure on federal policy. And a lot of that will come from employers.” Businesses have a unique opportunity to advocate for legislative measures to close critical childcare gaps.

From Hope to Action

NationSwell is proud to partner with organizations and leaders through the Case for Childcare Collaborative to address this critical issue together. As Molly Moon Neitzel emphasized during the discussion, “The Case for Childcare work gave me a ton of hope. It made me feel like we’re not operating in this tiny vacuum.” 

The childcare crisis is solvable, but demands urgent, collective action from employers, policymakers, and communities. The path forward is possible—and the time to act is now.

To learn more about the Case for Childcare, visit childcareforall.nationswell.com and caseforchildcare.nationswell.com

Collaboration in Action: Supporting Communities Amid LA Wildfires

Posted on by Brianna Provenzano

As we take stock of the urgent needs on the ground in Los Angeles following the devastating wildfires earlier this month, a group of NationSwell members convened to discuss how to best allocate energy and resources in response to the near and long-term impacts of the disaster.

Below are some of the key takeaways that were surfaced:

Think in phases to align support with evolving needs during disaster recovery. As you build your response and recovery strategies, consider the distinct needs at different stages of recovery. Focus on immediate relief and first responder support in the near term, stabilizing communities with housing and essential services in the mid term, and rebuilding homes, mental health, and economic resilience in the long term. Phased grantmaking and collaborating with trusted community organizations during each phase ensures aid meets actual needs, preventing overwhelm or misallocation of resources. 

Invest in disaster mitigation and prevention to improve preparedness. Proactive efforts in disaster prevention, including for wildfires, can significantly reduce the impact of future disasters. For example, initiatives like clearing fuel sources, creating defensible space around homes, and providing home protection training can help communities better withstand wildfires. Find opportunities to invest in mitigation strategies during blue-sky periods to enhance resilience and reduce the strain on recovery resources after disasters occur. Consider encouraging employees to take wildfire prevention training (e.g. home ignition zone training). 

Work with credible partners to ensure product donations are targeted and effective. Collaborate with organizations that specialize in timely and efficient product distribution to increase the likelihood that in-kind donations reach the right people at the right time. Leveraging established relationships with grassroots organizations or well vetted partners can prevent product donations going to waste or the creation of logistical challenges for impacted communities. 

Prioritize cash assistance to meet diverse and immediate needs. Direct cash assistance is one of the most effective ways to help individuals and small businesses address their unique needs following a disaster. Cash assistance is particularly critical for underbanked populations and undocumented workers, who often face barriers to accessing traditional financial support. Supporting communities at risk of being left behind, such as day laborers and micro-businesses, can lessen lost livelihood from the fires. Flexible cash-based approaches empower recipients to make decisions that best suit their circumstances, from securing housing to rebuilding businesses.

Leverage platforms and create opportunities for employee giving. Activating employees as contributors to disaster relief efforts can amplify an organization’s impact while increasing a sense of purpose and community within the workplace. Companies are using platforms for employees to donate directly to vetted organizations, matched by corporate contributions. Companies can also create point-of-sale donation opportunities, raising funding through QR codes and round-up campaigns and increasing public awareness about disasters. 

Use informal networks and communication channels to improve collaboration during crises. Creating private and informal communication channels can be a valuable tool for leaders to coordinate and exchange ideas during times of crisis. For example, being part of a group of LA-based leaders or organizations for off-the-record exchanges of strategies and lessons learned can provide a safe space to troubleshoot challenges, share real-time updates, and identify opportunities for collaboration. 

Invest in narrative work to sustain attention on disaster recovery. Shifting the public and media narrative toward systemic issues like inequality and generational wealth loss can promote better understanding of community needs. Getting innovative with your funding choices, such as investing in photography projects or local storytelling initiatives, can help highlight underrepresented voices in public forums and the full scope of post-disaster challenges.

Being an Effective Philanthropy Leader in the Year Ahead

Posted on by Brianna Provenzano

Philanthropic leaders must balance the work of executing on their unique organizational priorities, adapting to evolutions in the field, and innovating toward more impactful models and approaches.

At the outset of 2025 – a year poised to surface new tensions, complexities, and opportunities for funders – NationSwell convened leaders to take stock of the most urgent trends and highlight what’s needed to unlock even more transformational impact on the road ahead. 

Here are some of the key takeaways from the event:

Increasing polarization around the language of DEI might require adjusting approaches to achieve important goals. Doubling down on our equity commitments within the current political climate may require us to think creatively about how we can still “do the work” without drawing unwanted attention — relying on judicious rhetorical and narrative framings in order to continue to show up and prioritize the people and communities who rely on us. At the same time, we must remember that language has power — when we change our language, we also risk inadvertently decentering our priorities or shifting our focus. Maintaining our firm commitments to increasing equity will require us to avoid “preemptive submission” — making cuts or strategic decisions out of fear of the unknown, before we’re asked or required to do so.

Focus on what is in front of you and what you can actually control. Sometimes, the oldest cliches are true: Hand-wringing and worrying about the state of the world more broadly will only stymie your efforts to move the ball forward in the corners of your organization where effective change is possible. Our current political moment requires an acknowledgement that this political phase is temporary, and a commitment to adjusting to and processing the information we actually have in front of us in order to respond effectively and do the critical work that needs to be done in this moment of flux.

Get creative about how public-private partnerships can function in unexpected ways to serve common interests. As the work of joining hands in service of common goals becomes more urgent, leaning on nontraditional partnership models is one avenue funders can explore in order to serve their communities. Funders who might not normally come together or might have competing funding priorities — banks, for example — now have an opportunity to come together and use one voice, thinking strategically about how they can work together in service of creating more inclusive economies and being more generally supportive to partners, organizations, and the communities they serve. 

Prioritize the engagement of local government in place-based work. Although there is traditionally a silo wall that hinders functional communication and collaboration between place-based philanthropy leaders and local governments, the swiftly-materializing reality of a massive reduction in federal dollars and services will inevitably leave local governments facing significant financial constraints and obstacles to delivering urgently-needed services. As community members are set to bear the brunt of these shortfalls, philanthropic leaders now have a prime opportunity to develop new strategies for bridge-building and engagement with local officials — and to help reimagine how those funds and community services are delivered. 

Understand that some nonprofit partners are anxious and scared. Our current moment will require us to think not just as funders, but also as community members responding to a very human reaction by nonprofit partners who were stressed and resource-strapped even before the political climate shifted. As ever, listening and empathizing will be critical skill sets for philanthropic leaders to lean on, as will the ability to think creatively about how to deploy or earmark capital and provide partners with the information they need.

Put your own mask on first. With an evolving mandate and a set of stepped-up anxieties for partners and community members, philanthropic leaders must remember that taking care of themselves and ensuring that they are in a healthy mental space will be a pragmatic concern as much as a spiritual one. Ask yourself what you need in order to be okay to show up for others in the way that is required of you in this moment — is it more sleep? Better hydration? More dedicated time with loved ones? Finding new and innovative ways to provide support for community partners will also be critically important, whether it’s funding new avenues for legal support or collaboratives for leaders in the trenches so that they are emotionally supported with new ways for processing and keeping their own heads up.

Not Business as Usual: Being an Effective Social Impact Leader in the Year Ahead

Posted on by Brianna Provenzano

The discipline of social impact is evolving quickly, driven by sociopolitical shifts, technological advancements, and stakeholder priorities. Meeting the moment will require us to home in on trends facing the practice of social impact, forecast the demand for new strategies and approaches, and collectively brainstorm around what’s needed most to lead our field into the future.

During a NationSwell virtual Leader Roundtable on January 16th, a group of cross-sector leaders gathered to discuss how we can energize, advance, and even reimagine the work of social impact into 2025 and beyond.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the event:

Encourage proactive leadership conversations to align on forward-looking strategies.  Convening leadership outside of crises helps companies fortify their positions and respond confidently when challenges arise. Bringing key decision-makers, such as all leaders that report to your CEO, together regularly to discuss and preemptively resolve key issues (e.g. how to navigate political headwinds on material issues) can lessen the need for reactivity during moments of external scrutiny, ultimately promoting consistency in your work. 

Simplify messaging, align on definitions, and stay grounded in principles to stand the test of time. Amidst politicization of DEI and ESG, organizations are grappling with how and when to use these acronyms. While there’s no right answer for terminology use, it is important to ensure that your board and leadership teams are aligned on a unified vision of how you communicate about social impact, building a strong foundation for persistence in the face of internal and external shifts. To maintain focus and clarity with key stakeholders, consider simplifying your communication, focusing on principle-driven and business-focused messaging.

Stay informed on legal and political developments impacting ESG, DEI, and more. Monitoring legal and political shifts is critical to safeguarding social impact initiatives. For example, Judge Reid O’Connor’s recent ruling in Texas challenges the legality of ESG investments. While appeal options exist, the ruling underscores the need for organizations to remain vigilant about regulatory trends that could affect their ability to operate in this space. Companies should collaborate with legal, investor relations, and government affairs teams to proactively develop strategies that address emerging risks while maintaining a commitment to their principles. Get familiar with and follow a credible ESG legislation tracker. 

Align social impact initiatives with business goals to drive shared value. Integrating social impact efforts with core business objectives promotes durability amidst political headwinds. Identifying a key business challenge that can also generate social value (e.g. skills-based training) can secure leadership buy-in for continued investment. Evaluate your impact strategy’s shared value by answering questions like:

  • To what extent does this initiative address a pressing business challenge?
  • Does the initiative address a clearly defined societal need?
  • Does the initiative leverage the company’s unique strengths (e.g., products, expertise, supply chain)?
  • Are there clear metrics tracking the initiative’s contribution to business goals (e.g., revenue growth, cost savings)?
  • Are there measurable societal outcomes (e.g., number of people impacted, carbon emissions reduced)?
  • Are key internal stakeholders (e.g., business leaders, employees) engaged and supportive of the initiative?

Get innovative and holistic with your funding strategy to fill gaps amid policy shifts. As you build your social impact strategy for the year(s) ahead, consider how your full capital stack can address emerging challenges for your business and communities. For example, blended financing (e.g. impact investing, philanthropy) and collective impact models can be used to support innovative, untested ideas or provide critical funding for markets that are at risk of being deprioritized amidst policy shifts. Collaboration with peer funders and aligning on co-investment opportunities can amplify your ability to support a significant funding gap. 

“Make talent instead of take talent:” Be intentional about talent development and inclusion. With shifting social impact priorities and roles, it is important to consider strategies to invest in and nurture your existing team’s growth, focusing on both skills and adaptability. For example, prioritize mentorship, hands-on coaching, and shadowing opportunities that prepare team members for their next roles while creating an environment of empathy and inclusivity.

The Intersection of Caregiving and Business: NationSwell Summit Explores the Care Crisis

Posted on by Brianna Provenzano

As we enter a new era of workplace dynamics, the critical issue of care support for workers has become increasingly urgent. According to a survey led by AARP and S&P Global, 67% of caregivers face difficulty in balancing their employment with caregiving duties with 27% of caregivers needing to switch to part-time work or reduced hours. Furthermore, 16% of caregivers have needed to decline promotions due to their care responsibilities and 13% have been forced to change employers to meet their care needs. Between April 2022 and March 2024, the U.S. Census collected data from 1.1 million parents who said child care has kept them from working, up from 939.7K between 2018-2020. Care directly impacts the economy and both private sector solutions and public policy are needed to support the sustainability of the workforce. 

In response to this urgent need, Pivotal, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation highlighted caregiving at the 2024 NationSwell Summit through an Impact Spotlight and a panel discussion, which was punctuated with an on-site immersive experience including a ‘Care Lounge’ that highlighted key stats, quotes and figures from  the expanded Childcare for All site created by the Case for Childcare Collaborative.

We’ve summarized key insights from this portion of the Summit below:

Public-private partnerships are key to sustainable, systemic change.

Aly Richards, CEO of Let’s Grow Kids, shared her inspiring story through an Impact Spotlight showcasing how the nonprofit revolutionized childcare in Vermont alongside the business community, ultimately passing Act 76, which committed $125 million to the childcare sector annually through a 0.44% payroll tax. During the spotlight, Richards emphasized the critical role of childcare in both economic and social development, calling the state’s care crisis a “market failure.” Through her passionate storytelling, Richards highlighted the urgency of early childhood education on workforce participation, stating, “90% of a child’s future is baked by age 5.”

As seen by Richards’ work in Vermont, public investments can fill care gaps. Through a grassroots campaign, Let’s Grow Kids mobilized 40,000 citizens and business leaders and secured bipartisan support for Act 76. Now, more families are eligible to receive financial assistance for child care than ever before, and the state is paying programs at higher weekly rates to provide that care. Since implementation, slots have surged, boosting access for many families and relieving employers of staff shortages with a more stable workforce.

Caregiving is an economic issue with investments yielding huge economic returns.

The NationSwell caregiving panel brought together visionary leaders to discuss the urgent challenges and groundbreaking solutions shaping the future of caregiving. Moderated by Jennifer Stybel of Pivotal, the panel featured Reshma Saujani, founder of Moms First; Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, CEO of Wellthy; and Stephan Dolling, Vice President at Merck, who each shared their personal and professional perspectives on the critical care issue.

Stybel set the stage by emphasizing caregiving as a universal challenge, stating, “None of us can do it alone. The solution lies here together.” Saujani underscored the transformative potential of prioritizing caregiving within policy and business frameworks. “We need to convince the nation that childcare is an economic issue,” she said. She credited the pandemic for shifting perspectives, noting, “We’ve slammed the door on whether childcare is a personal problem or an economic problem.”

Jurist-Rosner shared her personal caregiving journey and explained Wellthy’s mission to partner with families through personalized care coordinators, alleviating the complexities of a fragmented healthcare system. “Families need someone who can get things done,” she explained. Dolling highlighted Merck’s commitment to employee well-being and the ROI of caregiving benefits. “Providing caregiving support shows your people you truly care,” he said, sharing how Merck implemented Wellthy’s services during the pandemic resulting in overwhelming employee appreciation and support.

The conversation also spotlighted the significant economic case for caregiving. Saujani noted, “Investing in childcare offers a 425% return,” emphasizing that solutions must extend beyond privileged workforces to include hourly and shift workers.

The panelists concluded by exploring bold, actionable strategies for change: join national coalitions advocating for policy reform, foster open discussions about caregiving in workplaces, and leverage data to drive leadership buy-in. As Stybel aptly concluded, “Caregiving isn’t a niche issue; it’s a challenge that unites us all.”

Workers with the most to gain from employer-sponsored care support are traditionally excluded from care benefits.

Following the inspiring spotlight and panel, NationSwell announced the launch of the expanded Childcare for All site, which builds the case for gig, hourly, part-time and frontline workers to be included in employer benefits to support caregivers. Frontline workers represent about 70% of the workforce with 90% of companies relying on these workers. And yet, while only 14% of full-time workers have access to employer-sponsored childcare support, that number falls to 8% for part-time workers. This demonstrates a childcare benefits gap, revealing those with the most to gain from these benefits are traditionally excluded from qualifying. The detrimental effects of a broken childcare system are glaringly apparent, with parents forced to leave careers in order to take care of children, and businesses suffering huge workforce losses. 

The site serves as a resource for employers to better support employees who are caregivers, highlighting 35+ actionable strategies through an interactive solutions visualization. Packed with resources, firsthand stories, insights, and examples, the site empowers businesses and individuals to advocate for and implement impactful caregiving solutions. This launch reinforces the call to action for systemic change and collective responsibility in addressing the childcare crisis. Visit the Case for Childcare Collaborative’s site to publicly commit to implementing solutions and find downloadable resources to share with your team and network. Help us forge a world where childcare is no longer a barrier for workers to remain and thrive in the workforce. 

To learn more about the Case for Childcare Collaborative, click here

Strengthening Our Social Fabric: How Connection and Care Shape Public Health, a Fireside Chat with U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy

Posted on Sara Danver

NationSwell’s 2024 Summit concluded with a fireside chat with U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, and a sing-along. Bestselling author and television and podcast host Kelly Corrigan hosted an incredible conversation with Dr. Murthy that covered the urgent loneliness epidemic facing our country and solutions big and small that help us build community with each other. And don’t worry, we’ll explain the singing. 

Dr. Murthy started out by providing important context for the root causes and impact of the loneliness epidemic, which impacts half of all young people and a third of adults in the United States. The consequences of social isolation can be serious – people who are socially isolated face an increased risk of heart disease, dementia, and stroke. And while there is no single root cause, Dr. Murthy pointed to several societal, cultural, and technological shifts that have contributed.

Here are some of the critical insights Dr. Murthy provided into varying intervention strategies: 

Federal policy has not met the urgency of the moment. 

For Dr. Murthy, Congress has let the proliferation of these harms go on far too long. While Congress is sitting on some legislation, we have yet to see any major bills pass beyond the state level. 

Studies have shown that while social media can help young people make connections with each other across shared interests and identities, it can also encourage feelings of exclusion, as well as several other significant mental health challenges. By capturing our attention, and by creating and reinforcing virtual connections, social media can often take the place of in-person community, leading to further social isolation. 

“We can applaud the progress that’s been made but the truth is at the end of the day that if you’re a parent trying to manage social media for your child, if you’re a young person being mercilessly bullied over social media or being exposed to really harmful content or having your privacy completely eviscerated and then being blackmailed online, all that progress isn’t meaningful.” 

Dr. Murthy went on to add, “If there’s ever a time to take a stand, to do things differently, it would be on issues like this when our kids’ health and wellbeing is at stake.”

Communities are coming together to address the loneliness epidemic. 

When it comes to addressing loneliness at the community level, Dr. Murthy was much more hopeful. 

When asked if he saw a role for business in stemming the loneliness epidemic, he said that there’s a lot that corporations and nonprofit organizations can do. “Having spaces where people can gather is important. Not just spaces, but a structure that can help people to get to know each other and their stories.” Dr. Murthy shared a few examples from his own office, including an activity called Inside Scoop, where at each all-hands meeting, one person gets to share pictures from their life outside work. 

“If this sounds familiar, it was called Show & Tell,” Dr. Murthy said, to warm laughter. “There’s a lot of kindergarten wisdom that still applies now – nap time, show & tell, sharing.” 

It’s no surprise then, that while the loneliness epidemic is affecting young people the most, they are also coming up with some of the most innovative solutions. Dr. Murthy described “hope squads,” where kids are chosen by their peers to watch and respectfully and responsibly reach out to other kids who are struggling. This was only one of many programs Dr. Murthy identified where kids and adults are creating community and supporting one another.  

“People aren’t waiting for an act of Congress to solve the issue of loneliness in America. They are figuring out what they can do in their communities,” he said. 

Intentionality is the watchword of technology’s role in building community. 

Kelly Corrigan asked the question that is top of mind for everyone as we consider how technology can improve our lives: is there a role for AI? 

“With AI we have an opportunity to think about how we can bring accurate helpful information to people in a tailored way to help them with things like their health, to be a bridge to offline, in-person connection,” Dr. Murthy said. But he was also quick to point out that we need to approach AI with intentionality, rather than view it as an unqualified good. Much like social media it can quickly become damaging if we are not vigilant about identifying harms and benefits, and then designing to those benefits. 

He went on to emphasize that this can’t be left in the hands of individuals. Social media provides another prime example here. The best product developers in the world are using some of the most advanced neuroscience to try to keep us on our phones. To put individuals up against these platforms is an unfair fight. “We can work for [tech],” Dr. Murthy said. “Or it can work for us.” Pushing back against tech special interests, ensuring that our tech works for us, must be a community effort. 

And now, to explain the singing:  

To conclude, Dr. Murthy reminded us that we are called in this moment to figure out how to rebuild a culture that values relationships, purpose, and service – in our own lives, and in what we model for our children – by building workplaces and schools centered on these values, and applying them at the policy level. 

But community is not just about policy and social science. 

“The arts have a really powerful role to play in stitching back together the social fabric of our country,” Dr. Murthy added. “Music and the arts are the language of the soul, the glue that keeps people together.” 

So it stands to reason, then, that the only way to conclude the chat, and thus the Summit, was all of us joining together in song and a reminder that we are stronger together, and that the world we want to see is ours for the building. 

For more moments from NationSwell Summit 2024, click here.

Augment and Evolve: Empowering Workers in an AI Driven World

Posted on Sara Danver

At a moment of unprecedented technological evolution, we stand at the crossroads of digital transformation and human potential. NationSwell Summits’ thought-provoking panel, “Augment and Evolve: Empowering Workers in an AI-Driven World” — presented by Omidyar Network — explored just this. Featuring an all-women lineup, moderated by Michele Jawando, Omidyar Network, joined by Nicole Johnson, Cadence Design Systems, Molly Kinder, The Brookings Institution, Carri Twigg, Culture House Media, and Ambassador Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative, the panel illuminated a critical pathway forward: focusing not just on how AI will shape the future, but how we in turn can shape the future of AI. 

As moderator and Senior Vice-President at the Omidyar Network, Michele Jawando pointed out, AI has dominated the public conversation since Chat GPT first launched, but that conversation has been baked in fear as much as possibility. The panel situated their conversation at the intersection between the two as they discussed who will be most impacted by this new technology and how we can ensure that we all have a voice in shaping its advancement. 

Here are some key takeaways from the discussion: 

Workers must play a role in the development and implementation of AI technology and policy.

Jawando first turned to Molly Kinder, David M. Rubenstein Fellow at The Brookings Institution, to lay the groundwork for the conversation with her research into the impact of AI on workers. 

“The reason this is capturing our anxiety and our imagination,” she said, “is that generative AI is upending a lot of experts’ advice about how to stay ahead of technology.” She went on to elaborate that in the past, that advice focused on developing expertise, creativity, and empathy. But AI is advancing so quickly that its ability to mimic those qualities is putting white collar workers and creative industries on the frontline of technological disruption. 

U.S. Trade Ambassador Katherine Tai also noted that we have seen disruption like this before, particularly in trade. We are still reaping the consequences of the development of globalization and free trade, which left workers behind as it reshaped the economy. 

“Trade and technology actually have very similar impacts on the economy and on the workforce,” she stated. “They both have displacing effects, and they both go to this capitalistic pursuit of efficiency and cost minimization.” 

But both Kinder and Tai reminded us that who gets to participate in conversations around AI is critical in ensuring that AI can be a force for good. And the NationSwell audience is uniquely suited to that goal. “You are the people who are focused on figuring out how that power is used, and how that power can be used for good,” Tai said, addressing the room. 

“A lever that this room in particular can be so impactful on,” Kinder said, “is at the workplace, and as employers… making sure that employees and workers have a real seat at the table.”

Women are on the frontline of AI as a disruptive technology. 

Kinder highlighted that her research also shows that women are more exposed to the impacts of generative AI, for two reasons. First, because the jobs most likely to face automation by this technology are predominantly held by women – clerical and customer service work, as well as positions like bank tellers and paralegals. And second, because women are underusing this technology compared to men. 

But fellow panelist Nicole Johnson, Global Director of Social Impact at Cadence Design Systems, is on the case. Johnson shared that at Cadence Design Systems, they’ve seen a 50% increase in women in technical positions over the last ten years and they are taking that playbook into the world with the launch of Fem.AI and a $20 million commitment to close the gender gap in AI. 

“We looked at this AI development, this AI economy, the AI revolution that’s happening and we looked at it as an opportunity space. How can we ensure that unlike the development of the internet that happened 30 plus years ago there’s intentionality about the workforce that is behind this technology?” she said. 

As creative industries face challenging shifts in technology and the attention economy, how can we protect art’s breadth as well as its depth? 

“[Artists] have the most to gain, and we have the most to lose,” said Carrie Twigg, Co-founder and Head of Development for Culture House media. “But that’s also true for audiences, and people who consume art.” 

Creatives, particularly in media, face significant pressure. Not only does AI already have a foothold in how we edit movies and TV, but consumers frequently split their attention between several screens at once. As Twigg noted, we’re always half looking at our phones, and that creates a downward pressure on creatives to make content that doesn’t require as much of our attention or discernment. And she added that while there has always and will always be high art, it’s that middle class of media, the shows that everyone watches but that don’t usually win awards that are most vulnerable. 

“That medium tier where people really spend their time has this awesome power to shape who we are and who we become and that is the most threatened by the AI landscape…and what we’re really going to miss if we don’t build in protections for it. It may not make immediate obvious economic sense but we have to think about it in a longer term way.” 

The panel provided critical insight on the challenges AI presents, and the importance of intentionality throughout the process of developing technology and integrating AI into our lives – not just in how we use it, but in who is in the room, and what we should preserve from AI’s influence. But how the panel channeled the theme of Hope in Action can best be summed up by Michele Jawando’s last words. She got into tech policy because of Star Trek and left us with the image of Captain Picard using technology to boldly go where no man has gone before to save civilizations all over the galaxy.

“Humans first, technology second,” she said. “Let’s do it together.”

For more moments from NationSwell Summit 2024, click here. 

Creating Opportunity: Building Equitable Communities for the Future, a Fireside Chat with Julián Castro

Posted on Sara Danver

On November 21, 2024, the NationSwell Summit opened with a riveting and in-depth fireside chat between the current CEO of the Latino Community Foundation and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Julián Castro, and NationSwell CEO, Greg Behrman. Although the uncertainty of our current political moment was at the forefront of both the conversation and our minds, so too was this year’s theme, Hope in Action. 

Castro started by providing his perspective on this year’s election results and how we understand them within the context of our work. He noted that across the country, Americans continue to feel the impact of high prices and anxiety about the future, making economic opportunity a critical focus in the coming years. And while there have been questions and even unwarranted derision about the rightward swing of the Latino vote Castro was quick to deconstruct the stereotypes and false narratives around a monolithic Latino experience. No one issue, experience, or campaign addresses that complexity. 

Pushing back on these oversimplified and harmful narratives is even more important in the face of the incoming administration’s proposed mass deportations. Castro pointed to the role of all of us in pushing back against this policy by supporting organizations doing vital legal work in immigration services and civil rights, and by using our voices and influence to demand resistance at the city, state, and federal level. 

“We’ve seen part of this before a few years ago,” Castro said. “And so just as the new administration has experience accomplishing whatever it wants to accomplish, there’s also a lot of experience in trying to make sure that we continue to be a nation that lives up to its best values. So, that makes me optimistic for what’s possible.”

Castro is no stranger to that endeavor, and he comes by it honestly. In response to a question about a leadership-defining person or experience in his life, he went straight to his mother, Rosie. 

“My mom was a hellraiser, a Chicana activist, a civil rights activist,” he said, adding later that “She never pushed us to go into politics, but she gave us this sense that you should get educated and do well for yourself and then figure out how you’re going to do good for other people.” 

In fact, service in the Castro family is a multigenerational project. When asked about what 2024 Summit’s theme, Hope in Action, means to him, Castro spoke movingly about his kids. “Every time I think about their lives, and what they are going through, I think that it’s time for us to live up to our values,” he said, “the values of treating each other with dignity and respect and compassion and trying to find the places where people can work together and compromise.”

Julián Castro lives the values of hope in action, as evident in his lifetime of service, and that continues in his work with the Latino Community Foundation. LCF was first formed in 1989 as an affinity group of United Way of the Bay Area, and became an independent foundation in 2016 with the mission of building a movement of civically engaged philanthropic leaders, investing in Latino-led organizations, and increasing political participation of Latinos in California. And while philanthropy is quite a bit different from his work as a public servant (Castro noted with a laugh that he’d never heard the word ‘proximate’ as much as he had this last year), both feature the core themes that have guided his life so far – lifting up community, and doing good work that makes a difference in people’s lives. 

LCF’s projects and investments are wide ranging, but Castro highlighted with particular pride the work they do ensuring that workers at all levels can share in the success that they help create, and building capacity at nonprofits and other organizations whose leaders often have the ideas and the determination needed to enact them, but not the resources. 

“Less than 2% of big philanthropy dollars go to Latino led organizations,” he noted. By providing operations support and financial investment, LCF bolsters community-led initiatives improving the health and wellbeing of thousands of Latino families across California. 

In spite of the differences over the word proximate, however, Castro sees an opportunity space in the overlap between public service and private organizations like LCF. Recognizing that politics is often a fraught endeavor, Castro emphasized the untapped potential presented by public private partnerships. 

“I can count on one hand the number of times that anybody in philanthropy set up a meeting [when I was a councilman, and then mayor],” he noted, but his advice for the room was to be willing to have those conversations because there are a lot of good public servants out there with good ideas that could benefit from that connection with philanthropy. “We have this opportunity to make a lot of progress when you have stronger public private partnerships because from the philanthropy standpoint, there’s no way, even with all the philanthropic dollars, to make changes on housing or other issues. You need government.” 

Willingness to have the conversation was the running theme of Castro’s fireside chat. Whether in communities of practice that share information and resources, or amongst public servants and philanthropic leaders, parents and children, and Republicans and Democrats, it is conversation that leads to community, connection, and compromise. These are the values that we will need to build a future where we can all thrive. 

But that’s not all we’ll need. “This is going to be a time to be bold, to be in partnership, to be strategic, thoughtful, but to stand up,” Castro said, his last advice to the NationSwell audience. “It’s a time to stand up in [whatever] way you can.” 

For more moments from NationSwell Summit 2024, click here.

The Takeaway | DEI in Focus: Understanding, Defending, and Advancing Together

Posted on by Brianna Provenzano

With Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs currently facing relentless attacks in legislatures and courtrooms across the country, there is no better time than the present to get clear on what DEI work actually entails — and on how we can work to defend the programs that uplift our diversity and defend access to the American dream.

On June 20th, NationSwell hosted a virtual Mainstage event called DEI in Focus: Understanding, Defending, and Advancing Together that sought to ground us in what DEI is and isn’t; how and why it’s being attacked; and how the work is rooted in common values that connect us all.

The event featured a rich conversation between Sid Espinosa (former mayor of Palo Alto and current Head of Social Impact at GitHub), and Stacey Abrams (lawyer, voting rights activist, political leader, and bestselling author). Below are some of the key learnings from the event:

Understanding

  1. Understand the underlying history of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and its importance within the U.S. Since the founding of the U.S., efforts to advance DEI have enabled the manifestation of key movements and legislation, such as the civil rights movement, the labor rights movement, gender rights, LGBTQA rights, the Voting Rights Act, Title IX, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Understanding the role of DEI in activating these societal changes, and emphasizing that it is connected to a plethora of identities and experiences, can support the case for its continuance.
  1. Acknowledge the offensive tactics used by forces working to dismantle DEI. Forces behind the Dobbs decision, the Students for Fair Admissions decision, and Project 2025 use three tactics in their offense against DEI: 1) Delegitimize language and progress on DEI to build a false narrative on its decline; 2) dismantle progress by engaging in litigation; and 3) disband progress by supporting legislation that inhibits fair access to conditions necessary for achieving the American Dream (participation in education, the economy, and elections). 
  1. Enforce the fundamental meaning of each word in the DEI acronym. “Diversity means all people, equity is about fair access to opportunity, and inclusion is participation in the American Dream” (Stacey Abrams). The DEI field is motivated to widen opportunities for achieving this Dream, currently disproportionately afforded to select groups of people. Accomplishing this goal would lessen barriers to success for all people, regardless of their identity or lived experience. 

Defending

  1. Sustain the acronym to solidify the credibility of the field. Allowing the acronym to be reduced by engaging in semantic changes to DEI work gives way to delegitimizing the work itself. Owning and celebrating DEI – in terminology and in action – helps every person see how DEI has improved their access to the American Dream. 
  1. Uphold conviction around DEI across institutions by openly communicating about the harms of retreating. The impacts of the Students for Fair Admissions decision on business and examples of companies scaling back their DEI work are being conflated in the media. Companies can break through this noise by communicating a fact-based counter-narrative centered on underreported legislative progress in favor of DEI (e.g., Allen v. Milligan), sharing information on the business case for DEI, and publicly reporting how successes from investments in DEI outweigh the case for retreating. 

“Remember what the Students for Fair Admissions decision said when coming into collective action. It was not a death knell to affirmative action. It was a realignment that is problematic, but in the same decision, they defended DEI in military academies, and they permitted DEI to continue in other aspects of education.”

– Stacey Abrams

Advancing together

  1. Leverage philanthropy to lift organizations that work on the front lines. “Philanthropy is impervious to harm relative to any other institution in the country” (Stacey Abrams). This demands that in moments like today, where the moral call to do this work is being questioned, funders double down on their efforts to meet the needs of organizations working on the frontlines of protection who are “already wobbly.” 
  1. Advance DEI by speaking up, standing firm, and staying in touch. 1) Speak up by signing on to op-eds, going on TV, and sharing stories about how DEI operates where you work and how it has affected your lived experience. 2) Stand firm by relentlessly advocating that the alternative of not having DEI is a loss for all Americans. 3) Stay in touch by connecting with organizations like NationSwell, American Pride Rises, and the Black Economic Alliance who can help you find communities of support and lift up one another’s work, as well as access resources and tools.

“When you feel alone, it’s easier to block you, stop you, and force you into retreat…we need to be expanding what we want, expanding what we demand, and not constraining it to accommodate those for whom nothing will be sufficient except our demise.”

– Stacey Abrams

View the full conversation: