Introduction: A Year of Progress, Purpose, and Partnership
As 2025 comes to a close, we’re reflecting on the incredible progress made by our nonprofit, workforce, and funder partners across the country. Together, we’ve taken big steps toward building more connected, equitable systems that help people access the right resources, at the right time.
At RiseKit, we believe technology should strengthen human connection—not replace it. Across the country, countless job seekers are engaging with community-based organizations, training programs, and workforce systems. Yet too many still fall through the cracks, unable to access the right resources to move forward.
We see this as a coordination challenge, not a capacity one. The people, programs, and passion already exist within communities—but the systems designed to connect them are often fragmented or outdated.
Technology’s role in the ecosystem is to evolve alongside people and processes. As strategies shift and new needs emerge, tools like RiseKit ensure that coordination, communication, and access to opportunity keep pace—so everyone navigating the system can ultimately reach where they need to go.
Addressing the disconnect between employers and job seekers has never been more important—or more human. Behind every data point is a story: a young person taking two buses to work, a parent choosing between childcare and a certification class, or someone feeling “stuck” in a job that doesn’t align with their potential.
Through our community assessments, we’ve heard from hundreds of individuals describing what it really means to be disconnected—unreliable transportation, lack of exposure to career pathways, confusing program eligibility, and fragmented information that leaves them asking, “Where do I even start?”
Our objective was to get to the root of what causes this disconnection from work and education while moving collectively toward solutions that meet people where they are. The data reflects a shared urgency: according to LinkedIn’s 2025 Workplace Learning Report, 49% of talent professionals agree we face a skills crisis. Employers struggle to find qualified candidates, while job seekers feel unseen and uncertain about next steps. With national hiring rates lower in 2025 compared to 2024, both employers and job seekers are urgently seeking solutions to bridge this gap.
Too many people who connect to systems still aren’t getting to where they need to go. Bridging that gap requires not just programs, but connection, coordination, and technology that helps communities work together in real time.
2025 Highlights: Strengthening the Workforce Ecosystem
1. Expanding Shared Referral Networks
In 2025, RiseKit helped more nonprofits and workforce boards break down silos between programs. Shared referrals ensured no participant fell through the cracks and that staff could coordinate follow-ups across agencies.
- Organizations using RiseKit saw a 171% increase in resources shared and saved more than 250 hours per month.
2. Supporting Funders Through Data-Informed Decisions
Philanthropic partners leveraged RiseKit’s community needs assessments to understand where barriers exist and where to invest next. Funders and collaboratives in Memphis, Houston, and Grand Rapids are using data to prioritize systemic challenges—like transportation, childcare, and housing—and to design more strategic grantmaking approaches.
3. Elevating Workforce Outcomes
By combining real-time data with community voice, partners tracked where participants dropped off from workforce pipelines and addressed the barriers behind those gaps.
- In Chicago, the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) used RiseKit to better understand where participants were dropping out of workforce programs and why. By uncovering key barriers like housing, transportation, and childcare, DFSS and its partners were able to align funding, reduce duplication, and help more residents access stable employment.
- Nationally, insights from RiseKit’s partner communities informed workforce strategies for building inclusive career pathways.
Insights from 2025: What We’ve Learned
- Workforce systems are only as strong as their connections. When data lives in silos, people get left behind. Shared visibility is the key to helping more participants move from interest to employment.
- Data builds trust when it’s built with community. Technology succeeds when it reflects the lived experience of those who use it—case managers, youth, and program participants alike.
- Funders want more than metrics—they want meaning. Economic mobility isn’t just about outcomes; it’s about understanding why progress happens and how to replicate it across systems.
What’s Next for 2026
1. AI Generated Goal Pathways
We’re introducing the ability for participants to create goals and generate a goal plan for attainment while helping them realize the impact of their continued work.
2. Staff Engagement and Outreach
Automating and developing engagement plans to assist staff with outreach pre-and-post employment or education attainment.
3. Content Engine
Bringing content around skills-building, interview tips, and program related content directly to participants to support them through their journeys.
4. Participant Personalization
We’ll continue building a more personalized and actionable experience for participants; ensuring they get access to the right resources, at the right time.
Why It Matters
Every person deserves a fair shot at economic mobility. Yet today, only 11% of those who express interest in workforce or support programs end up in a job that provides a sustainable wage.
Even a 1% increase in throughput—people who get connected, stay connected, and find meaningful work—creates $37 million in annual economic impact for a single metro area.
These numbers prove what we’ve always believed: community connection isn’t just a human need—it’s an economic imperative.
Looking Ahead
2026 will be a year of deeper partnerships, stronger data collaboration, and continued investment in community-designed technology. Our north star remains the same: helping communities work together so every person can connect to the right resources, at the right time, to reach their full potential.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you’re a nonprofit, funder, workforce board, or advocate, your work drives the collective impact that makes change possible.