Democracy and civic engagement Archives

Building Good Governance to Power Collective Impact

Posted on March 11, 2026May 20, 2026 by Brianna Provenzano

Collaboration is only as strong as the structure behind it. When priorities shift, leadership changes, or tough tradeoffs arise, collective impact efforts can be put at risk unless stabilized by good governance. The initiatives that endure look different. They build governance systems that clarify roles, set decision rules, distribute authority, and manage accountability with discipline.

During a virtual Leader Roundtable on March 5, NationSwell convened impact leaders from business, philanthropy, and nonprofits to dig into what “best-in-class governance” actually looks like in cross-sector collaboration today. Some of the most salient insights from that discussion appear below:

Key takeaways

Clarified expectations and roles require transparency at the outset of a collaborative effort. In collaboratives that represent the interests of a broader community, don’t be shy about overcommunicating about what participation will entail from the outset of the effort. Being explicit on the front end about things like time commitments, decision-making authority, and what kind of representation is needed helps prevent misalignment and helps partners understand both the opportunity and responsibility of participation.

Ensure governance bodies include leaders capable of acting at a systems level. Not every forum is designed for broad participation. Governance groups are most effective when members have the authority, perspective, and institutional backing to move ideas into action within complex systems.

Clearly distinguish between advisory voices and decision-making bodies. Successful collaboratives often separate broad community engagement from formal governance. The delineation allows initiatives to incorporate diverse perspectives while ensuring decisions can be made efficiently by a defined leadership group.

Design governance structures that enable action, not bureaucracy. Governance should create clarity and accountability without slowing momentum. Clear decision pathways and defined roles helps partners move quickly while maintaining shared responsibilities.

Invest in backbone organizations to coordinate complex partnerships. Large collaboratives benefit from a dedicated coordinating entity responsible for facilitation, communication, and operational alignment. This backbone function helps maintain momentum while allowing partners to focus on their specific contributions.

Revisit governance structures as collaborations evolve. Many initiatives begin informally, but as they grow in scope and complexity, clearer governance becomes essential. Periodically reassessing roles, processes, and decision rights helps ensure structures remain fit for purpose.

Balance urgency with long-term stewardship. In moments of volatility and uncertainty, leaders often feel pressure to act quickly. Thoughtful governance provides the discipline needed to move decisively while protecting long-term collaboration and shared goals.

100 Years of Black History Month: Honoring the Black Leaders Who Shape Us

Posted on February 27, 2026May 20, 2026 by Brianna Provenzano

To mark the 100-year anniversary of Black History Month, NationSwell hosted a virtual Leader Roundtable on February 26 designed to center Black history and Black leadership and the ways they shape our pursuit of a more equitable future.

Together, participants reflected on the quiet power embedded in everyday acts of resistance: the courage to attempt what feels daunting, the resolve to persevere through challenges, and the determination to assert agency in an increasingly polarized context. Collectively, the group’s reflections reinforced a shared point: preserving Black history — and the leaders, mentors, colleagues, and community leaders who comprise it — is preserving history itself.

A few of the most salient takeaways from the discussion appear below:

Redefine and reclaim power in all its dimensions. Power is not one dimensional, nor is it embodied solely in one person. It is communal, moral, economic, political, spiritual, and cultural. Understanding power expands how we build and wield it.

Honor quiet power as transformational. Not all acts of power result in visible systems change. Sometimes power looks like someone seeing themselves as capable of something which was otherwise unimaginable. Quiet power is sparking agency and resistance in your day-to-day life. These moments may not make headlines, but they fundamentally reshape our reality and futures.

Recognize that community is the architecture of power. From HBCU legacies to generations of inventors, educators, organizers, and creatives, Black innovation has always been collective and cross-sector. Power is layered, shared, and sustained through the institutions, movements, and cultural ecosystems we create.

Reject erasure by telling the full story. The attack on Black history is not simply about removing dates or names from memories; it is about shaping moral narratives. In order to preserve history, we must underscore the importance of storytelling as an act of power. As the African proverb reminds us, “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”

Harness creativity as a tool for preservation and progress. Reducing harm requires creative intervention and innovation. In a moment where history is threatened by distortion, the charge is to think expansively about what we can do to safeguard it. Creativity is not ornamental to justice work, it is how progress endures.

Use the principles of Sankofa to design our futures. Black history is not static commemoration, rather a blueprint. Sankofa holds us accountable to the power in remembrance; it encourages us to look back to our pasts in order to propel our futures. The courage and ingenuity of ancestors provide both instruction and mandate for curating our realities.

Commit to courageously contributing to Black history now. The work continues amidst various threats to our democracy and freedoms. Progress has always required putting one foot in front of the other in the face of headwinds. Honoring 100 years demands not just remembrance, but renewed courage to wield power with purpose in this new era.

NationSwell op-ed: Reflecting on 100 Years of Black History Month

Posted on February 27, 2026May 20, 2026 by Brianna Provenzano

February 2026 marks a century of observing Black History Month — a milestone that invites remembrances of and reflections on the Black leaders, communities, solutions, and institutions that shape our lives and our work.

To honor those legacies and this anniversary, NationSwell invited a group of Black leaders from across our community to reflect on a forward-looking question: What’s one movement, model, or solution that you are seeing create momentum toward a more just and equitable society today — and what can other leaders be doing to ensure that work can scale or endure?

Although the responses span sectors and strategies, one shared philosophy emerged: Momentum is strongest when communities are trusted and resourced. The answers we received point to the neighbors organizing mutual aid and defending democratic participation; to collective giving models that pool capital and strengthen civic infrastructure; to philanthropy that trusts communities with flexible, long-term investment; to leaders doing the internal work required to lead with accountability.

Although urgency may be the spark that ignites action, the strength of our communities is what sustains it, and Black History Month is an occasion to honor the ancestors and elders, artists and organizers, mentors and managers, and everyday examples of courage and care that form the basis of those communities.

Take a look at some of the responses from across our community below:

Prompt: What’s one movement, model, or solution that you are seeing create momentum toward a more just and equitable society today — and what can other leaders be doing to ensure that work can scale or endure?

“What I’ve seen from my neighbors in Minnesota hasn’t just inspired me — it has moved the nation.

The way ordinary Minnesotans mobilize to take care of one another, and to fight for the American freedoms and values we hold dear, may be making headlines now, but it isn’t new, which is a point of both pain and pride. We saw it after the murder of George Floyd, when grief and outrage drew people to be part of something bigger than any one of us.

Today we’re seeing it following the surge of federal agents into our neighborhoods. Like then, people did not retreat with fear or fury. Instead, they built mutual-aid lifelines: food distribution, rent support, school carpools. They trained as constitutional observers. They documented what they witnessed not to inflame conflict, but to protect rights and de-escalate harm. They marched by the thousands, in sub-zero temperatures. The nation was watching, and what it saw was the best of Minnesota — and of America.

We have been told the surge is ending. And while it is clear that policies or practices have yet to change, the signaled departure is proof that the peaceful pressure worked. Care and accountability carried Minnesota through.

And for leaders who want that civic strength to scale and endure, the mandate is clear: Fund grassroots organizations. Protect democratic participation. Use your voice to tell the truth about what communities are experiencing. Direct capital back into neighborhoods after the headlines fade.

A just society is built from the ground up. By neighbors who refuse to abandon one another, and by leaders who choose to stand with them.”

– Tonya Allen, President, McKnight Foundation

“One movement driving meaningful progress toward a more just and equitable society is collective giving. Across Black communities in America — including my hometown in West Tennessee — there is a longstanding tradition of pooling resources to meet urgent needs, build institutions, and support one another. Today, that tradition is developing into more formal structures such as giving circles and philanthropic collectives, merging cultural legacy with strategic philanthropy.

These models are powerful because they democratize impact. They allow individuals, regardless of social economic status, to participate in thoughtful, community-focused grantmaking. By aligning shared values with pooled resources, collective giving magnifies results beyond what any single donor could achieve alone. It strengthens connections, encourages shared accountability, and enables communities to deploy resources quickly and efficiently. In doing so, it reinforces both social trust and civic infrastructure.

As this movement expands, leaders can help it grow and sustain in two key ways. First, invest in infrastructure organizations that provide education, governance frameworks, and operational support to collective giving networks, as we do through the Fidelity Charitable Catalyst Fund, a grantmaking program led by our Board of Trustees. Second, lead by example. When leaders actively participate in and promote collective giving, they normalize collaborative philanthropy and help it expand and endure.”

– Jacob Pruitt, President, Fidelity Charitable

“Right now, one of the most powerful changes gaining momentum is leaders turning inward and embracing real self‑awareness. Leaders are starting to take that step to not only look within, but to also act on what they learn. That is huge because as leaders, our greatest impact comes from doing this internal work and challenging our own beliefs, assumptions, and misconceptions. That’s where real growth happens and where our power lies to actually drive change across the work we do, now and in the future.

Throughout my career, I have made it a priority to practice a deep level of self-examination because meaningful change only happens when there’s also personal accountability. This self-reflection is what strengthens you as a leader, a family member, and a member of your community. After working with countless leaders, I can honestly say that what separates a good leader from a great one is their willingness to ask questions, seek context, and stay open to being challenged rather than assuming they already understand others. Our willingness as leaders to embrace internal growth strengthens who we are and helps us empower everyone we lead and every community we serve.”

– Olivia Jefferson, Vice President and Executive Director, Best Buy

“One movement I see creating real momentum toward a more just and equitable society is the shift from transactional philanthropy to trust-based, community-informed investment. Across the country, leaders are rethinking who holds power, who defines impact, and who is trusted to lead change. Multi-year general operating support, participatory grantmaking, and deeper listening are not merely technical adjustments — they signal a cultural shift in how institutions relate to communities.

What gives me hope is the recognition that communities closest to the challenges are also closest to the solutions. When we provide grantees with flexibility and respect, we unlock innovation, resilience, and long-term transformation.

At WKKF, this is not new. It reinforces what has long guided our work: meaningful change happens through, as Mr. Kellogg described it, “cooperative planning, intelligent study and group action.” While “trust-based philanthropy” may be a newer sector term, the underlying ethos, following the lead of communities and resourcing their vision, is deeply aligned with our founding values.

For this work to scale and endure, leaders must move beyond rhetoric and align systems, governance structures, risk tolerance, reporting practices, and definitions of success accordingly. Justice is not accelerated by urgency alone; it is sustained by trust, partnership, and shared accountability.”

– Roshell Rinkins, Vice President of Transformation and Organizational Effectiveness, WKKF

“The movement I’m most inspired by is the growing insistence — from HBCUs, community organizers, faith leaders and everyday people — that they are the AI experts who will build the technological future that works for all of us. The Civil Rights Movement didn’t wait for powerful institutions to invite participation. People built parallel structures — freedom schools, legal defense funds, community newspapers — because they understood that if you aren’t at the table shaping the narrative, you become a character in someone else’s story. The same principle applies today. AI is not destiny — it is design. And design reflects the imagination, values, and blind spots of whoever holds the pen. When entire communities are absent from that process, the resulting systems don’t just fail to serve them — they often actively harm them. This is why Omidyar Network partners with organizations like Collab Capital, an Atlanta-based early-stage venture firm investing in the building blocks of shared prosperity and economic parity, and the Black Innovation Alliance — a growing coalition ensuring Black-led startups, innovators and researchers can connect with the capital, talent, and networks they need to scale and shape the future of tech.

Real momentum comes from investing in people who see themselves as protagonists — not end users or data points, but architects. Leaders can accelerate this by funding inclusion before the crisis, by asking what voices are missing from their portfolios, and commissioning diverse design teams as a standard, not a footnote. The decisions made in boardrooms today are shaping the world our grandchildren will inherit.

Let’s make sure they can be proud of what we built.”

– Michele Jawando, President, Omidyar Network

Meeting the Moment: Responding to Events in Minneapolis

Posted on February 6, 2026May 20, 2026 by Brianna Provenzano

The events unfolding in Minneapolis transcend politics, instead tapping the much deeper wells of morality and justice. During a NationSwell “Meet the Moment” conversation, peer leaders on the ground in Minnesota and elsewhere gathered to share what they’re asking, doing, and anticipating during a pivotal moment, and how we can lead at our best for the communities we serve and for the future of our nation. A selection of takeaways from the conversation appears below.

Key takeaways

Center responses on lived experience and local leadership. At times, national narratives can flatten crises. Effective action starts by listening to those on the ground. Local leaders and community organizations best understand the scale, nuance, and human impact, and therefore should shape priorities, messaging, and solutions.

Treat fear as a systemic condition. When people cancel medical care, stop working, and remain confined to their homes, fear becomes a public health, economic, and civic crisis. Responses must restore safety, trust, and dignity alongside legal or policy efforts.

Invest in mutual aid and community infrastructure as essential systems. Grassroots networks delivering food, transportation, and care are critical infrastructure. Sustained funding and coordination can strengthen these systems beyond moments of crisis.

Recognize economic harm as intentional, cascading, and local. Overly aggressive enforcement actions destabilize small businesses, drain municipal budgets, and shift costs to cities and states, especially harming businesses of color. Leaders should frame interference as an economic issue as much as a moral one.

Protect information integrity as a form of community safety. Citizen documentation and local journalism have become vital accountability tools, while misinformation actively endangers people. Supporting trusted media, rapid fact-checking, and responsible data use is now a core leadership responsibility.

Understand and use emerging data to guide action. New polling and research show shifting public sentiment on enforcement, accountability, and institutional power. Leaders should engage proactively with credible data and use it to inform strategy, challenge misinformation, and ground decisions in evidence rather than assumptions about public opinion.

Be explicit about structural limits and push responsibility upward. Cities and states face material legal and fiscal constraints while absorbing the consequences of federal action. Effective leadership requires coordinated pressure at the federal level, not expecting local systems to shoulder unlimited burden.

Match moral clarity with institutional courage and future-focused action. Individuals have shown extraordinary bravery; institutions must do the same. Business, philanthropic, and civic leaders should speak up. Grounding their actions in workforce realities, demographic needs, and long-term economic health can help move beyond political framing.