Leveraging Effective Consulting to Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Philanthropy

This capstone examines the author’s work with New Profit, a venture-philanthropy fund, focusing on the Future of Work XPRIZE (FOW XP) initiative. It highlights the shift from merely fundraising to aligning diverse stakeholders—employers, technologists, and philanthropists—around a common agenda to scale soft skills for low-wage employees. The article emphasizes that successful systems change requires understanding power structures, diversity, equity, inclusion, shared value, and collective decision-making. It discusses how the initiative created an ecosystem of support, moving beyond technical challenges to address adaptive challenges in workforce development.