Building Commonwealth in 2017
At the start of a new administration, we are surrounded by change and uncertainty, with more to come. Much of this change is threatening – to our mission, to the people we aim to support, and to our values.
Some things, however, have not changed: tens of millions of financially vulnerable people continue to go to work, manage through crises large and small, and aim for a better future for their kids. And our commitment and passion to keep delivering innovative solutions that support them in building financial security and opportunity is stronger than ever.
We are excited by the diversity of work ahead in 2017.
Challenges: Changing nature of work
The workplace of today is very different from the workplace of yesterday, and many experts believe that further dramatic changes are still to come. The exponential growth in employment in the “gig economy” and the shifting of responsibilities from employers to employees in traditional workplaces are just two examples of these changes. In 2017, we will analyze the financial challenges and opportunities that these changes bring to financially vulnerable people
Solutions: Technology that enables cross-sector partnerships
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) simplify and standardize the data connection points between systems operated by different organizations. We believe secure APIs could enable unprecedented cooperation between the government, public, and private sectors, especially those who specialize in reaching and serving financially vulnerable people. Read more about one example of how this might work with U.S Savings bonds.
Projects: Minimum wage hikes
There has been a great deal of discussion about the coming minimum wage hikes, much of it focused on the dollar amount of the raises or the impact on the economy and job growth (or loss). We are looking at it through the lens of how these raises provide an opportunity to begin to build long-term financial security for individuals and families. Read more about“Minimum Wage Hikes… What if”.
This is just a sampling of the substantive work we are excited to attack in 2017. None of this work is possible without you, our partners. Start a discussion with us today about how we can work together in 2017.