ThriveConnect Collaborative

ThriveConnect Collaborative offers an innovative solution to survivor employment, centered on technology, trauma-informed practices, and corporate partnership. For job readiness, education, and workforce development programs to create lasting impact for survivors of human trafficking, they must be directly connected to a robust pipeline of meaningful career opportunities. However, no single organization has the capacity to consistently supply a sufficient volume of job-ready survivors to sustain ongoing partnerships with individual companies.

Building one-to-one relationships between corporations and nonprofits is resource-intensive and challenging to maintain. Moreover, while many corporations are committed to opening doors for survivors, the current process—relying on HR teams to coordinate with nonprofit points of contact and case managers—lacks the responsiveness and scalability necessary to meet survivors' employment needs in real time. This fragmented approach hinders survivors from accessing timely and impactful career opportunities while leaving companies without a sustainable strategy for engaging this diverse, motivated workforce. A collective impact solution creates a pathway to bridge these gaps and build a scalable, equitable system for survivor employment. There is also an opportunity to create mutually beneficial partnerships with shared agreement on what constitutes job readiness and responsible storytelling.

ThriveConnect Collaborative (TCC) is a groundbreaking initiative designed to streamline the path from job readiness to meaningful employment for survivors of human trafficking. Through a tech-enabled ecosystem supported by Huntr, TCC connects survivors with inclusive employers, creating scalable opportunities for career advancement and allowing service providers the ability to provide survivors guidance virtually. At its core, TCC employs a collective impact model, uniting nonprofits, corporations, government entities, and survivors around a common agenda to align goals and foster sustainable change. The initiative leverages technology that facilitates survivor-friendly job postings, tracking, and communication. It incorporates trauma-informed training to equip hiring managers with the skills to support survivors effectively and fosters shared success metrics to evaluate survivor engagement, job retention, and partner satisfaction. By prioritizing ethical data governance and equitable access, TCC ensures that all stakeholders collaboratively build impactful, scalable solutions that transform hiring practices and expand stable career pathways for marginalized groups. 

ThriveConnect Collaborative (TCC) serves survivors of human trafficking, an underserved and underestimated population that faces systemic barriers such as disrupted education, criminal records as a result of exploitation, and limited access to employment opportunities aligned with their skills. 

The 2023 Global Slavery index estimates that just over 1 million individuals living in the United States are victims of trafficking, with women of color disproportionately affected. A 2023 Polaris study highlighted the great need for workforce opportunities that target living wage employment and ongoing trauma-informed support for survivors to navigate societal barriers to economic mobility. 

TCC addresses these needs with a nationwide trauma-informed, tech-enabled ecosystem connecting survivors with inclusive employers. This comprehensive approach, includes job readiness programs, equitable access to employment, and shared success metrics. TCC opens career opportunities for survivors while enabling companies to hire talented individuals.

Our team is uniquely positioned to deliver ThriveConnect Collaborative (TCC) because of the collective expertise and lived experiences of its partner organizations: Elevate Academy, AnnieCannons, and Empowered Network. Each nonprofit is deeply entrenched within the community served, engaging trafficking survivors as collaborators, peers, and thought leaders.

AnnieCannons' mission is to train, prepare, and connect individuals who have experienced human trafficking to sustainable careers in tech. Through training, coaching, and a community of care, AnnieCannons has helped survivors build sustainable technology careers and earn over $3.3 million building software.

Elevate Academy is a pioneer in trauma-informed professional development for trafficking survivors. Serving nearly 1,600 survivors across 717 U.S. cities, Elevate provides online classes, coaching, and a supportive community to help survivors achieve job readiness by gaining the skills, confidence, and tools needed to rebuild their futures.

Empowered Network has collaborated with trafficking survivors beyond the crisis to achieve economic independence since 2017 through advocacy, financing education, uncovering career paths, and removing housing barriers. Operating in 10 trafficking hotbed locations, EN serves 175 survivors annually realizing wage increases averaging $10,000 a year.

By engaging over 400 survivors annually, these nonprofits ensure TCC’s design is informed by the needs and aspirations of the population served. Survivor feedback shaped critical elements of the solution, from the structure of the job placement ecosystem to the functionality of the technology platform. 

The other communities served by TCC are corporations and government entities accessing this dynamic hiring pool. The Collaborative is in active dialogue with companies like UPS, Disney, and Marriott, along with The Center to Combat Human Trafficking at DHS, to join the pilot. These partnerships are a testament to the power of collective impact and the shared interest in addressing systemic workforce challenges for the survivor community.

Our project is currently in the Concept Phase, with a clear path for building out the prototype and pilot. We have three nonprofits acting as the backbone, and active engagement from four F500 corporate partners, and one government entity. There is a clear common agenda, project roadmap, plans for shared metrics for accountability, and a path to scale sustainability. This 12-month pilot will focus on four main deliverables: 1) job readiness standards for nonprofits on-boarding job seekers to the platform, 2) a strong corporate value proposition, developed in partnership with Harvard Business School Club of CT and Deloitte, 3) a set of data governance and confidentiality policies supporting the needs of our target users, and 4) onboarding four best-in-class corporate partners and three nation-wide nonprofits serving survivors on a functioning and secure technology platform. Impact metrics will inform the next phases of the project, which will include employer trauma-informed training, ethical storytelling, employee engagement, and additional corporate and nonprofit onboarding. 

ThriveConnect Collaborative (TCC) is innovative because it bridges systemic gaps in survivor employment through a collective impact model and cutting-edge technology, creating a scalable ecosystem that centers survivor needs. Unlike traditional workforce initiatives that operate in silos, TCC uniquely integrates nonprofits, corporations, government entities, and survivors into a cohesive framework. 

The technology platform offers a secure, survivor-focused interface that facilitates job tracking, matches survivors with trauma-informed employers, and enables real-time collaboration among stakeholders. This functionality addresses existing inefficiencies in job readiness programs by unifying efforts into a single ecosystem.

TCC standardizes trauma-informed hiring practices across diverse industries, ensuring survivors are met with understanding and support rather than stigma. It also allows service providers to assist their clients in navigating openings; a significant improvement over existing workforce programs that often lack such nuanced frameworks.

Survivors actively co-design job readiness metrics, ethical storytelling guidelines, and feedback mechanisms, ensuring the solution reflects their lived experiences and aspirations. This survivor-led approach enhances relevance and sustainability.

TCC’s replicable model catalyzes systemic change by setting new benchmarks for survivor employment and corporate social responsibility. Its scalable framework encourages more corporations to adopt trauma-informed, inclusive hiring practices, transforming the labor market into a safer and more equitable space for survivors and other marginalized groups. By addressing barriers such as criminal records and gaps in skills, TCC paves the way for survivors to not only secure stable jobs but also advance in meaningful careers, inspiring broader adoption across sectors.

ThriveConnect Collaborative (TCC) has three key impact goals that are central to our mission:

• Increase Employment Opportunities for Survivors: We aim to significantly increase the number of survivors of human trafficking accessing stable, trauma-informed employment. By connecting survivors with inclusive employers through a secure, tech-enabled ecosystem, we aim to facilitate job placements that lead to long-term career advancement.
  • Indicators:
    • Number of survivors placed in jobs and retention rates over 6, 12, and 24 month
    • Number of trauma-informed employers engaged and the scale of their survivor hiring practice
    • Participant feedback on job satisfaction, safety, and workplace support
• Long term Job Retention: Our goal is to ensure that survivors are not only placed in jobs but also provided with the necessary support for long-term stability, including career progression and financial independence.
  • Indicators:
    • Percentage of survivors who report increased financial stability after securing employment
    • Career advancement rates for survivors (e.g., promotions, wage increases
• Create a Scalable, Trauma-Informed Employment Ecosystem: TCC aims to catalyze systemic change by establishing a replicable model for survivor employment that can be expanded to additional nonprofits and corporate partners.
  •  Indicators:
    • Number of nonprofits and corporate partners engaged in the ecosystem
    • Feedback from employers on the effectiveness of trauma-informed hiring practice

Our progress is tracked through continuous data collection on survivor engagement, job placements, career advancement, and employer feedback. This data, along with qualitative feedback from survivors and employers, provides a comprehensive picture of the program's impact and helps guide iterative improvements in the solution.

AnnieCannons, Elevate Academy, and Empowered Network represent the “backbone” of the initiative. Each organization will have between 2 and 2.5 full-time members working on the project. Additionally, we will work with Deloitte and Harvard Business School Club of CT as corporate liaisons to bridge the gap between employers and nonprofits, ensuring the scalability and success of this initiative during Phase 2 and beyond. Huntr, a technology partner, will provide its job-tracking and marketplace platform to streamline employment resources. Lastly, Impact Rising, an organization with expertise in collective impact models, will lead the co-designing of the shared measurement and evaluation framework.

The concept behind ThriveConnect Collaborative began forming in mid-2023 in response to the persistent challenges faced by trafficking survivors in achieving economic mobility. Recognizing that no single organization had achieved meaningful, scalable impact with corporate partners, thought-leading nonprofits began exploring an ecosystem approach. By summer 2024, the framework for a collective impact initiative took shape, building on existing resources and partnerships. With many foundational elements already in place, ThriveConnect Collaborative is poised to drive systemic change. All three nonprofit organizations have been in operation for more than seven years separately. 

Our three organizations have shared a collective impact partnership agreement that unites our shared values. We set clear expectations through honest conversations about our capacities, needs, and frontline experiences. We foster a try-it, fix-it, try-it culture that strives for continuous improvement by leveraging collected data and partner/participant feedback. When facing a challenge, we brainstorm improved processes or alternate routes to get to our shared goals.

The ThriveConnect Collaborative strives to create a community of belonging that values lived experience where shared clients and members feel safe and supported in their endeavors. We strive to reach a shared understanding about the nature of the work we are doing together and take action to ensure we are mutually supported in achieving our common agenda. We commit to providing ongoing support to ensure the collaboration is a success. All three organizations benefit from the experience of a culturally diverse staff and boards that include and value individuals with lived experience.

The business model for ThriveConnect Collaborative (TCC) is centered on creating a sustainable, scalable ecosystem that connects survivors of human trafficking with trauma-informed employers, creating long-term, meaningful employment opportunities. TCC provides value to both survivors and corporate partners by addressing the employment barriers faced by survivors while enabling businesses to tap into a diverse, motivated workforce.

The initial 12-month pilot will be funded through grants and in-kind support from partners. During this phase, we will demonstrate the effectiveness of the model and its impact on both survivors and employers.

After the pilot, TCC will move to a membership/subscription model, where corporate partners contribute to the program’s sustainability. These funds will support the expansion and scaling of the ecosystem across new locations and industries. 

ThriveConnect Collaborative (TCC) is committed to becoming financially sustainable through a diversified revenue model that includes grants, corporate partnerships, and a membership/subscription model for ongoing corporate engagement. In the long term, this model is designed to cover all expected expenses and scale the program across new locations and industries.

The first phase of TCC’s funding will come from grants, along with in-kind contributions and pilot program funds. These funds, including an initial commitment of $175,000.00 in the final phase of approval, will support the development and launch of the pilot project. Following a successful pilot, TCC’s funding will diversify by adding  a membership/subscription model for corporate partners leveraging the platform’s ecosystem. This revenue stream will support the growth of the program and ensure the scalability of the initiative. Engaged corporations have shown support for this approach, as it leverages recruiting budgets, which are typically more readily available than CSG funding. 

TCC will continue to apply for and secure additional grants from philanthropic organizations, such as The Jensen Project, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and government contracts to support the employment and economic empowerment of trafficking survivors.  
By combining multiple revenue sources, TCC is building a sustainable financial model to support its long-term goals of providing stable employment pathways for trafficking survivors.

We are applying to the Truist Foundation Inspire Awards because we believe that TCC’s mission aligns deeply with Truist’s commitment to empowering communities and fostering economic mobility. Through this challenge, we seek to enhance our program's impact and scale by connecting with partners who share our vision for inclusive workforce development. 

Working with Truist Foundation and MIT Solve will provide critical resources and expertise that will help us overcome key barriers to scaling and sustainability. 

While TCC has received initial funding commitments, securing long-term, sustained funding is a key opportunity. The opportunity will help us build out our corporate partnership model and sustain TCC through diversified revenue streams, including subscriptions from corporate partners.

TCC’s model requires collaboration across sectors, including nonprofit organizations, corporations, and government agencies. By participating in the Truist Foundation Inspire Awards and MIT Solve Challenge, we can strengthen existing partnerships and form new ones with like-minded corporations, expanding our network and enhancing our credibility.

With guidance from MIT Solve, we can refine our strategy for scaling the TCC platform across the U.S., leveraging their expertise in technology solutions and impact measurement. This will enable us to enhance the technology platform and improve the scalability and usability of the technology, addressing the need for a secure, survivor-centered ecosystem.

The Truist Foundation Inspire Awards and MIT Solve will provide us with the tools, network, and visibility necessary to overcome these barriers, helping us to drive long-term systemic change and increase employment opportunities for survivors of human trafficking.