IGNITE Agenda
IGNITE isn't a room you sit in. It's a room you build in. Leaders shape a blueprint together, stress-test it, and leave with named commitments.
IGNITE: Summit
Wednesday, November 4
IGNITE: Corporate Action Forum
Thursday, November 5
IGNITE: Summit
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
IGNITE: Summit convenes cross-sector leaders to define the future of pro bono service and what’s needed to get there. Participants from the nonprofit, corporate, philanthropic, civic, and social impact sectors will work through Three Big Bets: The AI Leap, The Talent Engine, and New Models for Catalytic Change, to identify what's working, what's standing in the way, and where the field goes next.
This is a room for leaders ready to challenge norms and build a stronger future where pro bono service is a force multiplier for nonprofit impact.
MORNING BLOCK 1 | 8:30 - 10:30 am
WELCOME
Arrival, Breakfast, & Networking
Fuel up for an engaging day of impact and connection.
* * * N E E D S U P D A T I N G W I T H 2 0 2 6 A G E N D A * * *
OPENING
Launch IGNITE with bold framing that calls this moment what it is: a once-in-a-generation chance to redesign how talent, technology, and purpose fuel social change. This isn’t just a welcome—it’s your invitation to co-create the next era of pro bono service.
Lyndsay Harris Kyei, ServiceNow | Cat Ward, Taproot
Sparking the Marketplace
PANEL
Nonprofit Reality Check: What it Will Take to Meet the Moment
Expose the scale of nonprofit pressures—mounting demand, shrinking funding, and a changing world of work—and challenge participants to rethink how pro bono can evolve to meet these needs.
Nazanin Ash, Welcome.US | Ann Mei Chang, Candid | Matt Klein, Robin Hood Foundation
TABLE BREAKOUTS
Shaping What's Next: Nonprofit Breakouts
Reflect on nonprofit sector insights and surface bold ideas for how pro bono can evolve to close capacity gaps and strengthen the ecosystem.
MORNING BLOCK 2 | 10:40 - 12:05 pm
PANEL
Explore how shifts in work, purpose, and technology are reshaping why and how professionals engage in pro bono, and what’s needed to unlock their full potential for impact.
Bei Ling, Wells Fargo | Frederick J. Riley, Aspen Institute’s Weave | Yolanda Seals-Coffield, PwC | Elaine Mason, Taproot
The Future of Skilled Service
TABLE BREAKOUTS
Shaping What's Next: Supply Side Breakouts
Reflect on insights from the panel and explore bold ideas for how pro bono can evolve to meet the motivations of today’s workforce and deliver greater impact for communities.
ACTIVITY
Marketplace Mapping: What’s Working, What’s Missing
Explore the current pro bono marketplace, surfacing strengths, gaps, and tensions across demand, supply, and infrastructure. Build a shared understanding of where the system works—and where it needs to evolve.
LUNCH | 12:25 - 12:55 pm
KEYNOTE
Pause to reflect on how bold design principles can help us build a pro bono marketplace that centers equity, purpose, and innovation. This keynote invites participants to step back and imagine what it takes to create systems for a more connected, resilient future.
Ellen McGirt, Design Observer | Cat Ward, Taproot
Reimagining Systems Through Design
AFTERNOON BLOCK 1 | 1:05 - 2:35 pm
SPOTLIGHT
Bright Spots: Innovation Sparks for the Next Gen Marketplace
Spotlight bold innovations reshaping pro bono—from tech tools to delivery models—and spark fresh thinking about what’s possible in building the next generation of skilled service.
Mary Dohrmann, Twilio | Cammie Erickson, LinkedIn | Alethea Hannemann, Board.dev | Jacqueline Yannacci, California Volunteers | Jackson Thomas, Taproot
PANEL
Unpack how artificial intelligence is transforming nonprofit demand, corporate supply, and the infrastructure connecting them, and imagine how AI can power a smarter, faster, more inclusive pro bono marketplace.
Joe Fuller, Harvard Business School | Ian Goldsmith, Benevity | Naria Santa Lucia, Microsoft | Kim Swartz, Taproot
Next Gen Service: Powered by AI
TABLE BREAKOUTS
Shaping What's Next: Next Gen Service, Powered by AI
Reflect on the infrastructure challenges and opportunities surfaced in the panel and co-create bold ideas for building a thriving, inclusive marketplace that bridges supply and demand for skilled service.
AFTERNOON BLOCK 2 | 2:50 - 4:00 pm
ACTIVITY
Marketplace Mapping: Designing What’s Next
Build on insights from Part 1 to design bold, next-generation infrastructure for pro bono service. This session invites participants to move from diagnosing gaps to envisioning solutions—co-creating a future where supply, demand, and infrastructure connect seamlessly for equity and scale.
ACTIVITY
To synthesize insights from the full IGNITE experience and activate individual commitment to action. This session helps participants connect the day’s discoveries to their own role in shaping the future of skilled service — moving from ideas to ownership.
Bringing the Marketplace to Life
CLOSING
Reflect, celebrate, and close out an exciting day of learning and connecting.
Cat Ward, Taproot Foundation
Closing Remarks
RECEPTION | 4:00 - 5:00 pm
RECEPTION
Cap off the day with connection, celebration, and inspiration. This reception invites participants to deepen relationships, reflect on the day’s bold ideas, and toast to the next generation of pro bono service.
Reception
IGNITE: Corporate Action Forum
Thursday, November 5, 2026 | 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
IGNITE: Corporate Action Forum convenes corporate social impact and L&D leaders to build what comes next. Participants will activate their talent, platforms, and expertise to lead the next era of pro bono service.
The day is designed for action. Leaders leave with concrete actions they can take in the next 12 months — ones that level up the field, and their own organizations.
MORNING BLOCK 1 | 8:30 - 11:00 am
WELCOME
Fuel up for an engaging day of impact and connection.
Holly Trotter, PwC | Archana Menon, Taproot
Arrival, Breakfast, & Networking
OPENING
Igniting the Builders: The Power Companies Have to Shape the Future of Pro Bono
Frame the urgency of this moment: why business-as-usual pro bono won’t meet tomorrow’s nonprofit needs or corporate priorities.
Cat Ward, Taproot
PANEL
Nonprofit Spotlight: Today’s Urgent Needs
Ground corporate leaders in the real capacity challenges nonprofits are facing today and spark ideas for how companies can step up.
Diego Mariscal, 2Gether-International | Stacy Palmer, Chronicle of Philanthropy | Michael D. Smith, Eckerd Connects | Talia Young, Newark Symphony Hal
PANEL
AI Changes Everything: Designing Corporate Pro Bono for a Fast Future
Explore how AI is transforming nonprofits, pro bono consulting, and the infrastructure that connects them, and what companies must do to avoid leaving nonprofits behind.
Kevin Delaney, San Francisco Standard | Alex Gallafent, IDEO | Pamela Jacob, IBM | Shaista Keating, TechSoup
MORNING BLOCK 2 | 11: 15 am - 12:00 pm
SPOTLIGHT
Showcase a bold corporate innovation in pro bono.
Whitney Kimmell, State Street
Innovation Spark
TABLE BREAKOUTS
Creating the Pro Bono Ethic: What’s Working, What’s Stuck, and What’s Next
Surface successes, tensions, and bold ideas for embedding pro bono deeper into corporate culture and strategy.
Bryanna Jew, Taproot
LUNCH | 12:15 - 1:00 pm
FIRESIDE CHAT
Trust & Connection: Today’s Critical Currencies
Examine trust and connection as essential building blocks of business and social impact, and pro bono’s role in rebuilding them.
Anne Erhard, Edelman | Leslie Hardy, Pinterest | Susan McPherson, McPherson Strategies
AFTERNOON BLOCK 1 | 1:10 - 2:10 pm
ACTIVITY
Level Up: How Pro Bono Builds the Skills (and Leaders) of Tomorrow
Discover how pro bono can accelerate skill-building and leadership development in an AI-transformed workplace.
Katie Merkel, Pfizer | Julie Zhong, Prudential | Elaine Mason, Taproot
AFTERNOON BLOCK 2 | 2:25 - 4:00 pm
ACTIVITY
Rethink the Business Case for Pro Bono
Equip leaders to evolve their business case for pro bono, tying it to company strategy, talent development, and community impact.
Alex Gallafent, IDEO | Kara Gustafson, Royal Bank of Canada | Michael D. Smith, Eckerd Connects Bryanna Jew, Taproot Foundation
ACTIVITY
Bold Commitments: Where Do We Go From Here?
Translate inspiration into one or more clear, actionable commitments that move pro bono forward.
Season Eckardt & Jackson Thomas, Taproot Foundation
CLOSING
Raising the Torch: Closing Sparks + Celebration
Celebrate progress and energize participants to lead the next generation of pro bono.
Paul Acevedo, Taproot Foundation | Sarah Richter, Wells Fargo
Thank you to our IGNITE 2026 Sponsors
Sponsoring IGNITE means stepping up when nonprofits need you most. Explore our sponsorship options and reach out to Marian Hillebrand for more information.