What if every dollar of philanthropy investment returned not just measurable impact, but generational wealth?

Stanley grew up in Kawangware, one of Nairobi’s poorest neighborhoods. His family lived in a single-room hut. If you asked about the poorest family in the area, people pointed to his home. Today, Stanley runs his own transportation business. He’s married to a fellow Generation graduate. Their two children drive to school, have a laptop, watch TV. Their life is nothing like Stanley’s was.

That’s the difference between a job placement and durable impact.

Most workforce programs measure placement rates. The best measure is what happens years later. Generation’s 10-year track record proves employment programs can deliver both immediate and lasting ROI. The kind that changes not just one life, but entire family trees.

→ Watch Stanley’s story

The $2 Billion Proof Point: When Data Meets Impact

Over the past decade, Generation has built something rare in the nonprofit sector: a proven track record of economic transformation at scale. Our 145,000+ graduates have earned $2.1 billion in life-changing wages. 

But let’s break down what that really means.

Graduates earn 3-4X their previous earnings immediately. That’s not a typo. Within six months of completing our programs, 83% land jobs. But here’s where it gets interesting: 76% remain employed 2-5 years later. And 58% earn above living wage long-term.

Consider the ripple effect. Each graduate supports an average of 0.28 dependents. That’s 145,000 graduates plus 600,000-750,000 family members achieving upward mobility. We’re talking about adults striving to establish careers who lacked access to proven pathways.

Stanley’s story isn’t unique. It’s replicable.

But individual earnings alone don’t tell the full story of ROI.

The Three Dimensions of Measurable Impact

Generation measures impact differently. We call it Breadth, Depth, Durability. This framework is unique to us, and it’s why our outcomes last.

Breadth means scale that matters. In 2024 alone, we graduated 26,770 people across 17 countries, 49 professions, and to date have had partnerships with 23,000+ employers. Our model adapts across industries and geographies. Tech in Colombia. Healthcare in Australia. Green jobs in the UK. The methodology works everywhere.

Depth means immediate outcomes. When people enter our programs, 90% are unemployed. Seventy percent have been unemployed long-term or never worked. Six months later, 83% have jobs. Eighty-nine percent land roles directly related to their training. And here’s the social proof: 79% get hired by repeat employers. Companies come back because our graduates perform.

Durability is the game-changer. Most programs don’t measure what happens years later. We do. Seventy-six percent of our graduates remain employed 2-5 years post-graduation. Eighty-six percent feel optimistic about the future. Eighty-two percent want to give back to Generation.

Ask yourself this: How many programs can prove their impact lasts half a decade?

Why This Model Works: The Seven-Step Difference

Forward-thinking funders ask the right question: What makes this different?

Generation’s seven-step methodology delivers strong employment and income outcomes across a wide range of learner profiles, professions, and countries:

1. Jobs and employer engagement from the start – We design programs backward from real opportunities, not theoretical training.
   
2. Learner recruitment based on intrinsics, effort, and employment standards – We assess grit, professional fit, literacy, and numeracy. Not degrees or previous experience.
   
3. 4-16 weeks of technical, behavioral, mindset training with social supports – Intensive preparation that integrates hard skills with mentorship and wraparound services.
   
4. Interviews with employers for rapid job placement – Direct pathways to employment, not vague job search support.
   
5. Mentorship and an alumni community that follows graduates into the workplace – Support doesn’t end at placement.
   
6. Return on investment for employers, graduates, and society – We measure what matters for all stakeholders.
   
7. Data at the center – 57+ million data points tracked, analyzed, and used to improve outcomes.
   

Independent validation backs this up. A Mathematica study in India showed Generation graduates achieved 50% higher employment rates and 75% higher income versus a control group 15 months later. The researchers credited our seven-step methodology.

We don’t just train people. We transform the education-to-employment system.

The Business Case: ROI for Every Stakeholder

Here’s what your philanthropy unlocks.

For employers: Eighty-seven percent would hire Generation graduates again. Ninety-four percent say our graduates perform at or above peer level. We solve the skills gap paradox—75 million young people unemployed globally while 40% of employers cite skills shortages. Our graduates are diverse (53% women, 70% have secondary education or lower, majority from underrepresented communities), job-ready, and loyal.

For society: Graduates earn back Generation’s full cost per learner in just 2-5 months of employment. That’s not a projection. That’s actual data from our network. We deliver measurable impact on economic mobility. We break cycles of poverty. Remember Stanley’s children? Their lives are “nothing like” his was.

For funders: You get a proven, scalable model with 10+ years of data. Partnerships with 10 governments, 100+ funders, 23,000+ employers. Our 2030 goal is 400,000-500,000 cumulative learners. But we can only reach that with partners who believe in durable impact.

The need is massive. But the proven solutions like Generation are rare.

Related to this topic:
The Proven ROI of Untapped Talent: How Global Employers Are Solving Skills Gaps While Driving Economic Mobility

The Generational Wealth Argument

Let’s return to Stanley. He’s married to a fellow Generation graduate. He has two children with stability he never imagined. Seventy-one percent of our alumni can meet their daily financial needs. Thirty-six percent can save money.

This isn’t just employment. It’s the foundation for generational wealth in communities that have been systematically excluded from economic opportunity.

The urgency is real. Three hundred seventy-five million workers globally need to learn new skills by 2030. The labor market is transforming faster than education systems can adapt.

Smart employers recognize this. Smart funders do too.

Three Ways to Create Lasting Change

Smart funders recognize that impact without durability is just a temporary fix.

Generation is an inaugural member of The Durability Collective, a community building capability to measure and create change that lasts. We’re bringing together funders, practitioners, and researchers who refuse to settle for short-term wins.

Here’s how you can invest in change that lasts:

Fund programs. Support no-cost training for learners and investments in Generation’s Shared Delivery Platform—the curricula, tools, digital systems, and impact tracking that drive our outcomes.

Provide in-kind support. Share educational content, tools, certifications, subject matter experts. Your organization’s assets can create shared value.

Help us scale. We’re expanding to under-resourced communities in Africa and Latin America. Places where proven pathways don’t exist. Where one job can lift an entire family.

The question isn’t whether employment programs can deliver ROI. Generation’s 10-year track record proves they can. Stanley proves it. One hundred forty-five thousand graduates prove it. More than two billion dollars in wages proves it.

The question is: Do you want to invest in change that lasts?