The pivotal moment came during one fundraiser where our team spent an entire Saturday grilling and selling food, only to raise $300. I realized these dedicated volunteers could have earned twice that amount working minimum wage jobs and simply donating their earnings. While we were fortunate—a local tech company ultimately sponsored this trip—this experience highlighted how worthy causes often remain undiscovered from potential supporters who would gladly help if they knew about them.

My subsequent research into the social good sector revealed alarming statistics: high donor and volunteer attrition rates (35-45%) and a persistent 1:3 ratio for overall fundraising/outreach costs that has shown little improvement over the last decade. Although a lot has changed since then, the ecosystem continues to be mostly fragmented and unsustainable for the long run.

A pivotal insight from my research is that on one side motivated donors and volunteers have to spend significant time and effort to discover worthy causes, while nonprofits struggle the same or even more to find such supporters. The solution, in my view, lies in eliminating as many of these barriers as possible to significantly reduce the time, cost, and effort for these two key groups to connect, creating a flywheel of social good.

Combining my passion for meaningful impact with my expertise in human-centered solutions, I'm strongly positioned to pioneer innovative approaches that disrupt this cycle and establish a robust and viable ecosystem for continuous social good.