Switchboard Blog

Switchboard’s blog posts offer a wide range of insights on the newcomer experience, including practical tips for navigating the resettlement process, resource lists tailored to community needs, case studies about relevant programs, engaging stories of successful integration, and more.

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Switchboard’s Annual Survey of Refugee Service Providers (ASRSP): Early Insights and Next Steps

The U.S. refugee resettlement system is evolving rapidly. Shifting policies and new technologies are reshaping how services are delivered, often in ways that directly impact both refugees and the service providers who support them. Yet despite their central role, the voices of service providers are rarely captured systematically. Without their perspective, policymakers and program leaders…

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The Importance of Institutional Knowledge Refugee resettlement organizations navigate a rapidly changing landscape shaped by humanitarian crises, shifting policies, and evolving client needs. While this creates dynamic work, it can lead to burnout and turnover, which challenges operational consistency and clarity. According to research conducted by Panopto and McKinsey, employees spend approximately 20% of their…

This blog post is part of a series dedicated to supporting newcomer populations with specific industry aspirations. Check out Switchboard’s blog post on Supporting Job Seekers with Backgrounds in Aviation to learn how service providers can recertify foreign-trained professionals as pilots or in adjacent aviation careers.  The Appeal of Engineering in the U.S. Engineering jobs…

For providers to deliver the best possible services to newcomers, they must be able to measure the success of past and ongoing projects—with a basis in concrete, rigorous data. This blog post, written by Switchboard’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) team, will introduce you to some best practices for measuring success: developing a theory of change,…

This blog post explores five practical resources you can use to help newcomers access affordable internet. The blog covers a range of solutions, from leveraging community resources to navigating offers from internet service providers.  For newcomers to the U.S., having affordable internet is crucial—for everything from job searches to educational opportunities, from staying connected with…

This blog post explores how Ethnic Community-Based Organizations (ECBOs) can expand their impact by choosing between 501(c)(3) status and fiscal sponsorship. Here, we’ll define both options, discuss scenarios for choosing each path, and examine their benefits and challenges. Featuring insights from leaders of New Chance Inc.—Ukraine Relief Program, United Stateless, and Slavic Refugee and Immigrant…

The primary goal of all projects serving newcomers is to impact their lives positively. To achieve this goal, projects must provide services shown to have positive changes.  Integrating evidence-based practices early in a project’s cycle can help increase the measurable impacts of programming. This blog post explains the importance of evidence-based projects in the resettlement…