Old Resource Type: Trend reports

Q2 2026 Social Impact Trends

Q2 2026 Social Impact Trends

NationSwell’s quarterly trend spotter provides impact professionals with visibility into the most noteworthy, timely, and material shifts in the field. For Q2 of 2026, our report explores the following five trends:

  1. Leaders wading through a uniquely opaque environment
  2. High number of CEO transitions ushers in new era of heightened expectations
  3. Worker backlash to AI transformation is real, and spreading
  4. Philanthropy is under pressure to evolve faster 
  5. Child and family wellbeing gaining much needed attention, and some traction
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Measuring the ROI of Employee Impact Programs

Measuring the ROI of Employee Impact Programs

Employee-oriented programs are a core part of most corporate impact strategies, including volunteerism, pro bono projects, and employee giving. This resource provides a framework to help leaders and organizations determine the business value of corporate impact strategies, as part of a larger ROI narrative and business case. The resource shares a conceptual ROI model, based on the underlying logic that employee participation leads to talent outcomes, which leads to business outcomes, and ultimately, to financial value. The guidance discusses various measurement approaches, framed as levels of measurement, and provides guidance for program-specific measurement. 

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Impact Kit: Employee Engagement

Impact Kit: Employee Engagement

NationSwell Impact Kits are designed to quickly immerse leaders in highly relevant, actionable, and curated supports for their work in evergreen practice areas. This Impact Kit is focused on employee engagement.

Employees fuel the energy, commitment, and advocacy required to advance meaningful change—especially amid evolving landscapes, limited capacity, and increasing pressure to demonstrate value. When employees feel connected, empowered, and invested in, their engagement enables organizations to:

  • Strengthen culture and alignment across teams,
  • Unlock new energy, ideas, and influence, 
  • Amplify reach through ambassadorship, and
  • Achieve more sustainable, measurable impact over time.

This resource is designed to equip leaders with timely insights and emerging practices from across the NationSwell community, key resources to support your work and share with colleagues and partners, and new ideas for how to engage further with NationSwell in support of your goals.

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Impact Kit: Collective Action

Impact Kit: Collective Action

NationSwell Impact Kits are designed to quickly immerse leaders in highly relevant, actionable, and curated supports for their work in evergreen practice areas. This Impact Kit is focused on collective action.

Collective action drives impact that no single organization can achieve alone. Organizations that invest in building partnerships, aligning incentives, and leveraging shared resources are better positioned to create lasting change with their communities. When done well, collective action enables leaders to:

  • Mobilize diverse stakeholders toward shared goals,
  • Amplify the reach and effectiveness of programs and initiatives,
  • Address systemic challenges with sustainable solutions,
  • Build trust, capacity, and resilience across communities, and
  • Translate collaboration into measurable impact that endures over time.

This resource is designed to equip leaders with timely insights and emerging practices from across the NationSwell community, key resources to support your work and share with colleagues and partners, and new ideas for how to engage further with NationSwell in support of your goals.

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Impact Kit: Workforce Innovation

Impact Kit: Workforce Innovation

NationSwell Impact Kits are designed to quickly immerse leaders in highly relevant, actionable, and curated supports for their work in evergreen practice areas. This Impact Kit is focused on workforce innovation.

Workforce innovation unlocks opportunity—fueling stronger businesses, equitable communities, and a future-ready economy. When done well, workforce innovation enables leaders to:

  • Anticipate and adapt to shifts,
  • Build more equitable pathways to quality jobs and advancement,
  • Strengthen employee wellbeing, engagement, and retention,
  • Align business growth with positive community outcomes, and
  • Cultivate a culture of continuous learning and inclusion that endures.

This resource is designed to equip leaders with timely insights and emerging practices from across the NationSwell community, key resources to support your work and share with colleagues and partners, and new ideas for how to engage further with NationSwell in support of your goals. 

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Impact Kit: Strategy Development

Impact Kit: Strategy Development

NationSwell Impact Kits are designed to quickly immerse leaders in highly relevant, actionable, and curated supports for their work in evergreen practice areas. This Impact Kit focuses on strategy development. 

A good strategy is the foundation of effective impact work. It buffers against the headwinds of shifting expectations, constrained resources, and heightened scrutiny. And when clear, compelling, and adaptive, a strategy enables leaders to:

  • Prioritize judiciously, 
  • Align and hold critical stakeholders accountable for action, 
  • Unlock resources and influence, and 
  • Drive measurable results over time.

This resource is designed to equip leaders with timely insights and emerging practices from across the NationSwell community, key resources to support your work and share with colleagues and partners, and new ideas for how to engage further with NationSwell in support of your goals.

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Q1 2026 Social Impact Trends

Q1 2026 Social Impact Trends

TREND REPORT
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NationSwell’s quarterly trend spotter provides impact professionals with visibility into the most noteworthy, timely, and material shifts in the field. For Q1 of 2026, our report explores the following six trends:

  1. Minneapolis ICE raids spark employee activism and minimalist business response
  2. OBBBA precipitating shifts in philanthropy, new corporate approaches
  3. Nonprofit anxiety around operational risks runs deep amidst legal and financial pressure
  4. AI adoption outpacing workforce readiness
  5. ESG notches a legal victory while confronting growing antitrust warnings
  6. Sustainability compliance remains a moving target for companies
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Q4 2025 Social Impact Trends

Q4 2025 Social Impact Trends

TREND REPORT
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NationSwell’s quarterly trend spotter provides impact professionals with visibility into the most noteworthy, timely, and material shifts in the field. For Q4 of 2025, our report explores the following six trends:

  1. Food security draws mainstream attention amid government shutdown
  2. AI-driven layoffs hit tech and service industries, but overall employment impact remains modest
  3. Philanthropies and nonprofits are investing more in AI, but governance needs to catch up
  4. Political leaders continuing pressure on corporate leadership and civil society
  5. Sustainability efforts continue, but more quietly and with less accountability
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A Comprehensive Approach to the 1% Tax Floor

A Comprehensive Approach to the 1% Tax Floor

The introduction of the 1% floor on corporate charitable deductions, imposed by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1) for tax years beginning December 31, 2025, has created a range of new considerations for companies to weigh in determining their corporate philanthropy strategy. 

To support NationSwell members in navigating this shift, we interviewed a Head of Corporate Impact at a Fortune 500 company who has made several critical moves to set up their resources and programs for long-term sustainability. 

The following resource outlines the steps taken over the course of approximately three months, each of which required close cross-enterprise collaboration. The processes and decisions described are intended to help leaders frame their own approaches, but should be considered within each organization’s own financial, legal, and tax context.

The steps outlined are:

  • Step 1: Align internally on the policy landscape
  • Step 2: Calculate the incremental tax impact to the business
  • Step 3: Fund philanthropy budget with tax-efficient capital
  • Step 4: Reclassify some philanthropy as ordinary business expense
  • Step 5: Take a multi-year view on philanthropic tax strategy
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Collective Action Models and Approaches

Collective Action Models and Approaches

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This resource is a practical guide for impact leaders to quickly understand the most prevalent and effective models of collective action. It distills each model into clear purposes, strengths, risks, and use cases—providing actionable insight into when and how to leverage these structures to advance your goals. The aim is to save leaders time, sharpen decision-making, and help you align the right model with the challenge or opportunity in front of you.

The models covered in this guide include:

  • Public-Private Partnerships
  • Co-investment + Pooled Funding
  • Learning, Advocacy, & Action Networks
  • Place-Based Initiatives
  • Shared Capacity & Services Platforms

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