The Quiet Force Rewiring Austin's Safety Net | Aaron DeLaO

In this powerful interview, we sat down with Aaron DeLaO, Chief Early Childhood and Advocacy Officer at United Way for Greater Austin, to discuss the realities of increasing family economic mobility, building lasting coalitions, and what it takes to move the needle for Austin's kids and our community. Aaron supports investing more than $2 million in grants every year building on priorities of coalitions like Success By Six and the 2-Gen Coalition for Economic Advancement — initiatives built on the idea that you can't improve a child’s outcome without supporting the entire family. Aaron also shares on work led by his colleagues into how United Way's 211 helpline has quietly become a lifeline for thousands of Austin families. In addition, United Way’s data and evaluation work, which is led by Dr. Allison Bentley, uses hard numbers (not hunches) to push real systems change. After 100 years of United Way in Austin, Aaron is the first to admit the work is nowhere near finished — and that humility is the whole point. He explains why genuine advocacy means sharing the credit, showing up for the coalition even when it isn't your win, and why "not perfect" is exactly the mindset that keeps meaningful progress moving forward. A must-watch for nonprofit leaders, funders, and anyone invested in the next generation of Austin. DSE Media is an Austin Social Media Agency. We film, edit, strategize & post social media content for Texas brands. Learn more at www.dse.media