How NGOs Can Prepare for the Future Amid Chaos Funding Shifts and AI
About this recording
Nonprofits are facing a perfect storm of global funding shifts, exponential tech changes, and an increasingly uncertain policy environment.
So, how can they prepare for what’s next when the ground keeps shifting?
Join Trista Harris, philanthropic futurist and president of FutureGood, and Wafa Abboud, VP of HR at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), as they unpack how NGOs can become resilient, future-ready organizations during this live, one-hour conversation and Q&A. Hosted by Lisa Farrar, CMO at Safeguard Global
Watch to learn:
✅ How global giving trends (including the Gates Foundation's shift) are redefining nonprofit funding
✅ Why AI and rapid change call for new forms of partnership and fiscal sponsorship
✅ How to build a 30-year strategic vision that fuels action today
✅ Practical tools to help your team move from a framework of scarcity to one of abundance
This is more than a conversation. It's a call to action to rethink how your organization plans for resilience, relevance, and impact amid regulations, technology, and funding scenarios that are constantly changing.
Meet the speakers
Trista Harris
President, FutureGood
Trista Harris is the leading voice at the intersection of futurism and the social sector, helping changemakers use long-term thinking to create more equitable and just communities. She is the author of FutureGood, a guidebook for leaders who want to harness the tools of futurism to drive bold social change. Trista has been featured on CNN and her work has appeared in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, The New York Times, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Forbes, and numerous social sector publications.
She is President of FutureGood, a consultancy that helps visionary leaders design bold, long-term strategies that respond to today’s volatility and accelerate progress toward a more equitable future. She is an international speaker and trusted advisor to foundations and nonprofits tackling some of society’s most complex challenges.
Trista currently serves on the board of Tides, a partner for justice in the social sector that works with doers and donors to build power for historically excluded communities. Tides provides fiscal sponsorship, donor advised funds, impact investing, and a range of grantmaking solutions to advance social justice and equity.
Prior to launching FutureGood, Trista was President of the Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF), where she led a vibrant network of grantmakers awarding over $1 billion annually, and Executive Director of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice. She earned a master’s in public policy from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota, a bachelor’s degree from Howard University, and a certificate in strategic foresight from the University of Oxford.
Trista’s work is grounded in a commitment to building capacity, shifting power, and advancing systemic change in communities.
Wafa Abboud
Vice President, HR Services
Wafa Abboud is a People and Culture executive with over 15 years of experience in enhancing organizational effectiveness through innovative and thoughtful human resources strategies and business partnerships. Passionate about fostering inclusive and high-performing work environments across diverse geographies, she successfully leads teams across the full spectrum of HR functions.
With a rich background in both for-profit and non-profit sectors globally—including fiscal sponsorship, grant-making, and business leadership—Wafa strategically aligns HR initiatives with organizational goals, empowering teams to thrive. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Applied Psychology and Human Relations from Pace University and is bilingual.
