Ever have a gut feeling you need to talk to your friends? That's how we felt after November's election—that we needed to connect with our partners to hear how you're doing and what you're thinking about the changes on the horizon.

Read more about financial advocacy on Giving Compass

Last month, we brought about 400 practitioners, advocates and researchers together for eight "Virtual Regional Listening Sessions." Through these sessions, we gathered data and feedback on national trends, regional priorities, emerging leaders and feedback on how to best work together moving forward. By the end of the sessions, we learned an enormous amount, and we'd like to share those takeaways with you.

We learned that most people are concerned about the future of public and private funding for family financial security solutions.

We also learned that there is an increased desire among nonprofit practitioners to engage more deeply in advocacy.

On a related note, we learned that many advocacy groups are increasing their focus on state-level policy opportunities in the midst of federal uncertainty.

Across every region, groups expressed a desire to connect more—people want to plug in, stay informed and ready themselves for action. Groups are also looking at the broader economic security picture and thinking about how to lock arms with folks in "adjacent" fields, such as environmental advocates, health care providers, criminal justice reform allies and more.

The Virtual Regional Listening Sessions were such a valuable way to hear from our partners across the country, and we learned so much about local and regional priorities and how we can better connect our partners. But we're just getting started, and your contributions are key to strengthening our networks and our efforts.

Read the source article at Prosperity Now

Like this article? Visit this next article in our selection on GivingCompass.org