Stories - NationSwell

Introducing ESG Next, the Innovators Shaping the Future of Sustainability and Social Impact

Over the course of the next year, our executive team is profiling the investors, executives, authors, philanthropists, social sector leaders, academics, and more who are helping to shape business as a force for social and environmental progress.

Five Minutes With Jonathan Stott, Executive Director at EcoRise

The NationSwell Council is made up of social impact-oriented leaders and changemakers who are committed to pioneering solutions in order […]

5 Minutes With Safiyah Zaidi, NationSwell Fellow and Youth Activist for Gender Justice

With support from the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, NationSwell Fellowships provide the network, support, and knowledge […]

5 Minutes With Sarah Miller, NationSwell Fellow and Youth Climate Activist

With support from the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, NationSwell Fellowships provide the network, support, and knowledge […]

5 Minutes With Thea Gay, a NationSwell Fellow Building Resources for Youth Climate Activists

With support from the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, NationSwell Fellowships provide the network, support, and […]

5 Minutes With Meredith Davis, Government Account Partner at BetterUp

The NationSwell Council is made up of social impact-oriented leaders and changemakers. In Nationswell’s latest series, “Five Minutes With…,” we […]

5 Minutes With Maria Flynn, President and CEO of Jobs For the Future

The NationSwell Council is made up of social impact-oriented leaders and changemakers who are committed to pioneering solutions in order […]

5 Minutes With Dr. Larry Johnson, President of Guttman Community College

The NationSwell Council is made up of social impact-oriented leaders and changemakers who are committed to pioneering solutions in order […]

5 Minutes With Radha Ruparell, Head of Global Leadership Accelerator at Teach For All

The NationSwell Council is made up of social impact-oriented leaders and changemakers who are committed to pioneering solutions in order […]

Corporate Social Responsibility

Announcing the Launch of “Fearless Philanthropy”

NationSwell is delighted to announce the launch of “Fearless Philanthropy: Driving Impact Through Innovation” — an action-oriented report made possible by support from our friends at Wells Fargo Foundation.

Introducing Collaboratives, NationSwell’s New Cross-Sector Initiative to Tackle the World’s Biggest Problems

A series of overlapping crises hit — COVID-19, racial injustice, climate change, economic disruption — exposing the fragility and deficiencies in our current systems. For everyone, 2020 was a deeply challenging and jarring year. Leaders had a lot on their plate.

An Interview With Shelly Bell, Founder and CEO of ‘Black Girl Ventures’

NationSwell spoke with Kauffman grantee Shelly Bell, founder and CEO of Black Girl Ventures, a company that “funds and scales tech-enabled, revenue-generating businesses (under $1M) founded by people who identify as Black/Brown and woman” to talk about the solutions she’s pioneering and the opportunities Kauffman has been able to help unlock for her along the way.

The Power of Corporations Doing Good

Dalila Wilson-Scott’s parents met during the Vietnam War; her dad was in the Air Force and her mom was a local Vietnamese woman who didn’t have much more than an elementary education. “When I think of the broader work of inclusion and opportunity, that’s my parents’ own story,” says Wilson-Scott. “A focus on economic opportunity and diverse perspectives is just something I grew up with.”

It’s About Taking Action, Not Just Cutting a Check

When Kate James joined Pearson in 2014 as its chief of corporate affairs and global marketing, the international education publisher was going through some changes

Business Must Be a Force for Good in Society

As president of CECP, Daryl Brewster is leading a team of more than 200 CEOs who believe that businesses should take a leading role in solving society’s biggest challenges. Recently, NationSwell spoke to Brewster about how adding purpose to a business model can contribute to corporate success.

This State May Have Discovered the Secret to Saving Tax Dollars While Doing Good

In Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick has launched a $27 million initiative that he hopes will keep at-risk youth out of jail, reduce crime, and promote safer communities.

Environmental, Social, Governance

The 2023 Sustainability Agenda

A rising tide of interconnected global challenges — from geopolitical conflict and natural resource shortages to rising inequality and increasingly […]

Veterans Day 2022: NationSwell on Veteran Leadership

As a veteran-founded and veteran-led organization, celebrating the achievements, surfacing the needs, and addressing the challenges of our nation’s veteran […]

Partnering to help veterans thrive as civic leaders and role models

In honor of Veterans Day, but also our year-round work for veterans, NationSwell sought to elevate the work of two […]

Learnings from NationSwell’s “Vet the Vote” event

A nation-wide shortage of poll workers has left election boards struggling to recruit enough volunteers to keep polling places open […]

Learnings from NationSwell and Verizon’s event on uniting to close the economic divide.

Building strong communities has never been more important. In addition to impacting the health of millions, the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged local businesses and economies, disrupted our education system, and deepened the divides that exist between those with and without access to technology.

NationSwell Announces New Partnership With JUST Capital

NationSwell is proud to announce a new partnership with JUST Capital, a non-profit organization whose data-driven tools, rankings, and indexes help companies improve how they serve not just their shareholders, but all their stakeholders — including workers, customers, communities, and the environment.

The Intersection of Coronavirus and Racial Inequality in the Workplace

Why Black and Latino Americans experience disproportionate levels of unemployment and underemployment — and why COVID-19 is making this worse.

Tracking How Companies Are Reacting (And Adapting) To Coronavirus

Sometimes it takes a crisis to make the impossible possible — and the current COVID-19 pandemic is just such a crisis. The disease has forced many companies to change how they work, in ways they had always dismissed as impossible before.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging

These Older Americans Used Social Media to Connect With the World. Now They’re Influencers

Aging is inevitable — but you wouldn’t know it from the way we live our lives. Whether it’s the increasing […]

Older People Around the World Are Making Economic Contributions That Benefit Every Generation

Around the world, slightly less than one in four people (about 1.9 billion) were age 50 or older in 2020. […]

Longevity Is Both a Gift and a Global Economic Opportunity

What would you tell your 100-year-old self? Today, thanks to increased longevity, we have opportunities unknown to prior generations. Longevity […]

Learnings from NationSwell’s event on immigration with Ali Noorani

We often hear that the United States is a “nation of immigrants,” but this notion doesn’t reflect the realities of either our national discourse or federal immigration policy.

Learnings from NationSwell’s Strategic Advisory Session for ‘Make Us Visible’

The last several years of social and political upheaval have been met with an explosion of grassroots fundraising and activism. As communities, leaders, and activists rise to meet the challenges of our rapidly changing social fabric with newly formed nonprofits, they often run into barriers to expansion, and their charitable or activist efforts become kneecapped.

The NationSwell Mainstage: Women of color redefining power in corporate America

Far too often, women and people of color find themselves in the familiar position of glancing around the boardroom or C-suite to notice that they are vastly outnumbered. But that phenomenon is even more prevalent at the intersection of the two groups, with women of color finding themselves to be “the first, the few, and the only,” with concerning regularity.

Learnings from NationSwell’s ‘Break the Bias’ event on menopause and perimenopause at work

According to the Harvard Business Review, menopause generally occurs when people with ovaries are between 45 and 55 years old — right around the time in their careers when they’re most likely to be moving into a more senior leadership role.

Why older workers should be part of your company’s DEI strategy

According to an AARP report, more than 78% of older workers have seen or directly experienced age discrimination in the workplace. On top of that, 64% of workers 50 years of age and older believe employers see their age as a disadvantage in getting hired, and 79% of those 65 and older feel their age hurts their chances to get the job.

Learnings from NationSwell’s event on the invisible tax

Although it most frequently impacts people of color, and Black people in particular, an invisible tax can be “paid” based on any race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or intersection of those identities that deviates from the white, cishet norm.

Learnings from NationSwell’s ‘Break the Bias’ event on fair and inclusive workplaces

The gender wage gap has not been closed; women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ employees are still underrepresented in leadership roles; and many workplaces still adhere to outdated policies that can stifle the freedom, creativity, and productivity of a diverse workforce.

Purpose-Driven Culture and Leadership

The Takeaway: Building Culture and the Role of Leadership

For the past two years, organizations have been forced to navigate a series of social, financial, and political pressures that […]

NationSwell Summit 2023: The Moments on Our Minds

Once a year, the most cutting-edge and committed leaders in ESG, social impact, philanthropy and other select fields gather at […]

The Takeaway: Inclusive Leadership: How We Lead Online and Offline

The pandemic ushered in a wave of fresh challenges for companies and leaders, but it also served as a much-needed […]

Leadership and Lindy Hop: What dance can teach us about our management style

The makings of a great leader can be found in unexpected places and situations, often well outside the executive suite. […]

Learnings from NationSwell’s event on ‘Protecting the Dignity of LGBTQIA+ Youth’

While many of the bills put forth will face significant legal challenges, the message they were drafted to convey is chilling on its face: After decades spent winning new legal protections, the LGBTQIA+ community is no longer safe in America.

Why it’s in everyone’s interest to close the U.S. longevity gap

In the United States, data show that gaps in life expectancy fall along racial, socioeconomic, and geographic lines. The implications of this longevity gap ripple through every aspect of our society.

Learnings from NationSwell’s Institutional Member community event on inspiring teams

In a recent NationSwell Institutional Member roundtable event, members convened to share practical advice on how to strengthen morale and build a robust culture of inspiration within our teams and beyond.

Learnings from our ‘Selflessness in Practice’ event on caregiving

That’s never been truer than it is now, two years into a pandemic that demands so much of our physical, emotional, and mental energy. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control gauging the toll of the pandemic on caregivers, 70% of adults in caregiving roles reported adverse mental health symptoms like depression and anxiety.

The true impact of how you lead lies in your ‘leadership score’

What if, in attempting to measure impact, we began to think about leadership as a different type of score — a musical score — where emitting the right chords has the potential to attract the most talented people, assemble teams who outperform, and inspire confidence and commitment, particularly during a time when cultivating trust online and via social media platforms is increasingly essential?

The business case for increasing investment in the 50-plus

Change is constant in business. There are always new ideas, new products, new ways to work better. That’s how it should be. Businesses and non-profit organizations get themselves into trouble when they think they have it all figured out.

Future of Work

The Wrap-Up: Building the Future of Work

Organizational leaders are at an unprecedented inflection point. Years of pandemic-related challenges have disrupted society’s most foundational systems – and […]

The Takeaway: Building Culture and the Role of Leadership

For the past two years, organizations have been forced to navigate a series of social, financial, and political pressures that […]

The Takeaway: The Future of the Workforce

On January 25, members of the nationswell council gathered for an in-person salon in New York City to discuss the […]

Seizing the moment to close the opportunity gap

Autodesk Foundation, LinkedIn, and Workday have been working together as part of a Just Transition Collaborative facilitated by NationSwell, with the shared goal to identify opportunities to accelerate more equitable pathways into green jobs by increasing the use of skill-based hiring. In an effort to catalyze collective impact, we are sharing key insights from our work here.

Five Minutes With Shalin Jyotishi, World Economic Forum Fellow

NationSwell Council member Shalin Jyotishi has spent his career advancing solutions at the intersection of workforce, education, and tech.

Learnings from NationSwell’s event on the Future of Work

A mass exodus from jobs fueled by burnout, compensation, competition, and turnover have created previously unthinkable situations for employers, with many now scrambling to retain the talent they have on hand.

Learnings and insights from the NationSwell Council’s multi-part series on burnout

According to a brief released by the World Health Organization, incidences of anxiety and depression have rocketed up 25% globally, an increase which can largely be attributed to the unprecedented stress, social isolation, and logistical barriers to mental health resources caused by the pandemic.

NationSwell’s 40×40 Mentorship Challenge Recap

Markle’s call to action is timely: An estimated two million women in the United States reportedly lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic, many of whom are still struggling to regain their footing in a labor market that has been radically transformed.

The people-focused company: Why age diversity matters more than you think

The good news for business is that the balance sheet equation of “assets minus liabilities equals equity” can be influenced by the assets inherent in an age-inclusive workforce.

Age at the nexus of workplace equity, innovation, and creativity

The global workplace and the very nature of work itself are changing at a rapid pace. AARP has been calling attention […]

Social Justice and Economic Opportunity

NationSwell Collaboratives: Making the Case for Childcare

NationSwell Collaboratives are a vehicle for bringing together committed actors to push towards collective action on a specific issue. In […]

NationSwell Leaders on the Biden Administration’s Student Debt Forgiveness Plan

On August 24, President Joe Biden’s White House announced intentions to ease student debt obligations by up to $20,000 for […]

Madeline Kerner, CEO and Co-Founder of Matriculate, On the Promise of Equitable College Access

In the United States, less than half of high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds who graduate from high school apply to colleges that scan as a good academic fit for them.

Council member Lauren Baer on stepping into the ‘Arena’ to protect abortion rights

In 2018, NationSwell inspired Council member Lauren Baer, a former senior policy advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, to run for U.S. Congress in her home state of Florida. Her victory would have made history: Baer would’ve served as the first openly queer person to represent Florida in Washington.

Learnings from NationSwell’s ‘Unexpected Alliances in the Fight for Abortion’ event

The national discourse over abortion access is often polarized along partisan or religious lines — but the diversity of people at the heart of the movement to protect reproductive rights tells a different story.

Learnings from NationSwell’s event on immigration with Ali Noorani

We often hear that the United States is a “nation of immigrants,” but this notion doesn’t reflect the realities of either our national discourse or federal immigration policy.

Alejandro Gibes de Gac, CEO of Springboard Collaborative, on reimagining the education system

A data-driven and community based immersive experience, Springboard works to provide parents, guardians and family members with the training and resources they need in order to support children in learning outside of the classroom.

How to center equity in measurement, learning, and evaluation

In an ideal situation, MLE can help to drive social impact and question deeply-held, outmoded foundational beliefs, helping organizations to stay agile and adapt to new challenges so that they can align around key outcomes that serve their mission statements.

A fireside chat with Joseph Bae, co-founder of ‘The Asian American Foundation’ and co-CEO of KKR

Greg Behrman, NationSwell Founder and Chief Executive Officer, interviewed Joe about the inception of the organization, the challenges it faces, why this is personal for him, and the impact the organization is already celebrating. This is what he had to say.

Resources to Support BIPOC People, as Recommended by NationSwell Council Members

Amid the dual pandemics of racist violence and COVID-19, leaders in the NationSwell Council have recommitted themselves to the fight against white supremacy. We’ve asked our members what resources have helped them support their BIPOC team members and stakeholders.

Introducing ESG Next, the Innovators Shaping the Future of Sustainability and Social Impact

Five Minutes With…

Five Minutes With Jonathan Stott, Executive Director at EcoRise

5 Minutes With Safiyah Zaidi, NationSwell Fellow and Youth Activist for Gender Justice

5 Minutes With Sarah Miller, NationSwell Fellow and Youth Climate Activist

5 Minutes With Thea Gay, a NationSwell Fellow Building Resources for Youth Climate Activists

5 Minutes With Meredith Davis, Government Account Partner at BetterUp

5 Minutes With Maria Flynn, President and CEO of Jobs For the Future

5 Minutes With Dr. Larry Johnson, President of Guttman Community College

5 Minutes With Radha Ruparell, Head of Global Leadership Accelerator at Teach For All

Corporate Social Responsibility

Announcing the Launch of “Fearless Philanthropy”

Introducing Collaboratives, NationSwell’s New Cross-Sector Initiative to Tackle the World’s Biggest Problems

An Interview With Shelly Bell, Founder and CEO of ‘Black Girl Ventures’

The Power of Corporations Doing Good

It’s About Taking Action, Not Just Cutting a Check

Business Must Be a Force for Good in Society

This State May Have Discovered the Secret to Saving Tax Dollars While Doing Good

Environmental, Social, Governance

The 2023 Sustainability Agenda

Veterans Day 2022: NationSwell on Veteran Leadership

Partnering to help veterans thrive as civic leaders and role models

Learnings from NationSwell’s “Vet the Vote” event

Learnings from NationSwell and Verizon’s event on uniting to close the economic divide.

NationSwell Announces New Partnership With JUST Capital

The Intersection of Coronavirus and Racial Inequality in the Workplace

Tracking How Companies Are Reacting (And Adapting) To Coronavirus

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging

These Older Americans Used Social Media to Connect With the World. Now They’re Influencers

Older People Around the World Are Making Economic Contributions That Benefit Every Generation

Longevity Is Both a Gift and a Global Economic Opportunity

Learnings from NationSwell’s event on immigration with Ali Noorani

Learnings from NationSwell’s Strategic Advisory Session for ‘Make Us Visible’￼

The NationSwell Mainstage: Women of color redefining power in corporate America

Learnings from NationSwell’s ‘Break the Bias’ event on menopause and perimenopause at work

Why older workers should be part of your company’s DEI strategy

Learnings from NationSwell’s event on the invisible tax

Learnings from NationSwell’s ‘Break the Bias’ event on fair and inclusive workplaces

Purpose-Driven Culture and Leadership

The Takeaway: Building Culture and the Role of Leadership

NationSwell Summit 2023: The Moments on Our Minds

The Takeaway: Inclusive Leadership: How We Lead Online and Offline

Leadership and Lindy Hop: What dance can teach us about our management style

Learnings from NationSwell’s event on ‘Protecting the Dignity of LGBTQIA+ Youth’

Why it’s in everyone’s interest to close the U.S. longevity gap

Learnings from NationSwell’s Institutional Member community event on inspiring teams

Learnings from our ‘Selflessness in Practice’ event on caregiving

The true impact of how you lead lies in your ‘leadership score’

The business case for increasing investment in the 50-plus

Future of Work

The Wrap-Up: Building the Future of Work

The Takeaway: Building Culture and the Role of Leadership

The Takeaway: The Future of the Workforce

Seizing the moment to close the opportunity gap

Five Minutes With Shalin Jyotishi, World Economic Forum Fellow

Learnings from NationSwell’s event on the Future of Work

Learnings and insights from the NationSwell Council’s multi-part series on burnout

NationSwell’s 40×40 Mentorship Challenge Recap

The people-focused company: Why age diversity matters more than you think

Age at the nexus of workplace equity, innovation, and creativity

Social Justice and Economic Opportunity

NationSwell Collaboratives: Making the Case for Childcare

NationSwell Leaders on the Biden Administration’s Student Debt Forgiveness Plan

Madeline Kerner, CEO and Co-Founder of Matriculate, On the Promise of Equitable College Access

Council member Lauren Baer on stepping into the ‘Arena’ to protect abortion rights

Learnings from NationSwell’s ‘Unexpected Alliances in the Fight for Abortion’ event

Learnings from NationSwell’s event on immigration with Ali Noorani

Alejandro Gibes de Gac, CEO of Springboard Collaborative, on reimagining the education system

How to center equity in measurement, learning, and evaluation

A fireside chat with Joseph Bae, co-founder of ‘The Asian American Foundation’ and co-CEO of KKR

Resources to Support BIPOC People, as Recommended by NationSwell Council Members

Learnings from NationSwell’s Strategic Advisory Session for ‘Make Us Visible’