People are at the heart of everything we do, from the members we serve to the associates who bring our mission to life. Being a great employer isn’t just about providing jobs; it’s about creating opportunities for growth and success. In recent years, we’ve invested in our associates by reimagining compensation, offering career-focused training and education, and technology that simplifies everyday tasks. But our responsibility doesn’t stop with our associates — it reaches into the communities we serve, including those who have fewer opportunities to access career pathways. That’s why we’re investing $3 million to help more people build meaningful careers, partnering with organizations that are leading the way in impact hiring.
A job can change a life — but first, someone has to open the door
Millions of young people have the drive to succeed, but too often, they lack access to the opportunities that can set them on the right path. Unlock Potential reports that more than 4 million ‘opportunity youth’ — 16- to 24-year-olds who are out of school and unemployed — in the U.S. face barriers to stable employment. One in three lives in poverty, making it even harder to find the right opportunities.
To help break down those barriers, we’re committing $3 million to connect opportunity youth with meaningful careers. Through two $1.5 million grants — one to Big Thought and another to the SHRM Foundation — we’re advancing impact hiring, a collaborative approach where businesses and community organizations work together to build stronger pathways to employment. Because when young people thrive, so do our businesses and communities. And with a model that can scale nationwide, we hope to inspire other companies to do the same.
Scaling what works: expanding career pathways for young talent
We saw the power of impact hiring firsthand when we launched our high school internship program three years ago. Designed for juniors and seniors, many from underserved communities, the program gave young people real work experience and a path to long-term careers. Building on that success, we expanded the work through the Unlock Potential initiative, focusing specifically on opportunity youth.
Since then, many participants from both programs have transitioned into full-time roles within our clubs, developing their skills and growing their careers. These programs aren’t just helping young people find jobs; they’re creating pathways to financial stability, career growth and brighter futures. And their success shows how impact hiring can unlock lasting opportunities — not just for individuals, but for their families and communities as well.
Unlocking opportunities for opportunity youth
Our collaboration with Big Thought, a national leader focused on equipping young people with creative and workforce-ready skills, is a key step in expanding impact hiring and creating new career pathways for the next generation. Our investment will integrate their expertise into hiring processes for opportunity youth, creating a first-of-its-kind model that can scale across industries and communities.
Through this joint effort we aim to connect hundreds of community-based organizations (CBOs) with engaged employers, creating structured career pathways for opportunity youth. By leveraging Big Thought’s skills-based approach, we can define best practices for hiring, strengthen employer-CBO partnerships and establish a certification system to help employers evaluate and engage with CBOs effectively.
Turning best practices into better futures
While Sam’s Club is already making a difference in this space, the success of impact hiring depends on more employers and HR stakeholders embracing these practices. Our investment in the SHRM Foundation will help build a community of practice, equipping businesses with the tools, resources and networks needed to develop skills-first hiring programs for underserved talent.
By sharing knowledge, best practices and case studies, this initiative will bring HR professionals, community organizations and industry leaders together to expand impact hiring across multiple sectors. The goal: to ensure opportunity youth, veterans and other underserved groups have clear pathways to meaningful careers.
Creating lasting change – together
Investing in young people’s skills and careers isn’t just good for business, it strengthens communities for the long term. By working with organizations like Big Thought and the SHRM Foundation, we’re creating pathways to employment for those who need them most while simultaneously preparing for the future of work.
But real change takes collective action. We encourage other businesses to join us in expanding impact hiring, investing in the next generation of talent and building a more prosperous future — together. Because when we invest in people, we build stronger businesses, stronger communities and a stronger future for everyone.
