Home
Focus Areas
About Us
"I was working in corporate America for one of the world's largest retail companies, and it was challenging and wonderful in many ways.
But I was finding my truest fulfillment on Saturday mornings in this cramped office where I volunteered for Suicide Prevention Services," Matthew Goldstein, CEO of Columbus, Ohio-based nonprofit Besa, tells Philanthropy Roundtable.
"It was in that space I learned about the nonprofit sector and built relationships around volunteerism that changed the trajectory of my career."
Goldstein, who quit his job to start Besa 11 years ago, says those early morning phone calls to Suicide Prevention Services made him want to do more, to give more.
"Even now, that feeling never gets old," he says.
"Watching people come together to uplift others, and being part of that, just lights me up."
According to a Fidelity Charitable report, 61% of charitable donors are also recent volunteers, and 39% of volunteers support a nonprofit by volunteering with the organization before they make a financial donation.
Millennials, for example, give more to the nonprofit they volunteer with than they would if they didn't, with 33% saying they give more to the organization than they would if they didn't volunteer, compared to 21% of Gen Xers and 12% of baby boomers.
Goldstein's
Selected Grant News Headlines
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
A New Mexico nonprofit is looking for a director to help it "shift current agricultural and land stewardship practices in ways that produce good food, support meaningful livelihoods in rural places,...more
"Lots of people can't kick because they don't have the coordination, but everybody can throw catch." That's how a UK nonprofit is using basketball to help young people deal with mental health...more
Arizona's OneAZ Credit Union is putting its money where its mouth is. Every time a member uses their debit card at the bank, OneAZ contributes 1 cent to the OneAZ Community Foundation, which in...more
"We are the only resource for free mental health services in Snohomish County and often the only available option for older adults experiencing depression, anxiety, and grief," says Nancy Brosemer,...more
When you think of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, you probably don't think of the Great Depression. But when you think of the crumbling chimneys on Ventfort Hall, the 19th-century mansion that's...more
It's been 20 years since TimberTown Park was built in Chelsea, Mich., but that doesn't mean it's been neglected. That's why community members are coming together to revamp the park, which has...more
It's a good thing Jake Barrow has a soft spot for old buildings. "I love really good modern architecture, but I appreciate that we can save some of the older buildings," he tells the Albuquerque...more
Sienna Arellano was very shy when she started her robotics team at Niwot High School in Colorado. "I have not yet met a student or teacher who isn't passionate," the 18-year-old tells the...more
When Richard and Mary Jane Weeks of Fallbrook, Calif., died last November at the age of 90, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, they left behind legacies so large that it's hard to believe they...more
It's time for the US to get serious about regulating artificial intelligence, according to a new report from a bipartisan group of senators. The report from the Bipartisan Senate AI Working...more
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
Social Entrepreneurship: The Right Balance of Doing Good and Doing Well
Social entrepreneur and co-founder of nonprofit Jolkona, Adnan Mahmud, discusses his definition of a successful social entrepreneur. He describes the social entrepreneur as someone who has found the right balance between doing good while doing well.
