Uniting Through Volunteerism: National Volunteer Month Q&Amp;A with Besa

"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

Read the Entire Article


Selected Grant News Headlines

A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.

Spokane Businesses Owned by People of Color Awarded New State Grant Funds

People of color make up about 20% of Spokane County, Wash., but they own about 8% of the county's businesses, reports the Spokesman-Review. That's why the Spokane Workforce Council is...more

Press Release: Ok Arts Council Grants and Programs Offered for Fiscal Year 2025

The Oklahoma Arts Council has released its annual list of grant requests, and it's a doozy. This year's list includes a call for artists to "bring the arts to other statewide organizations," as...more

Sustainable Finance Influencers: Bob Helmuth

One of the world's biggest asset managers is taking a stand against climate changeby investing in some of the world's poorest countries. Envestnet, which has more than $100 billion in assets...more

Rotary Club of Hagerstown Foundation Awards Local Grants

The Rotary Club of Hagerstown has handed out $62,800 in grants to 25 charities in the Washington County area, reports the Herald-Mail. The grants were awarded at a June 19 lunch held by the club,...more

Thriving Health &Amp; Wellness Communities: Technogym and Live Work Learn Play Unite for ...

If you're in the market for a new place to live, Technogym has just the thing for you. The fitness equipment and technology company has announced a partnership with Live Work Learn Play, a real...more

Bits + Bytes: A Miscellany of Technology

Amazon plans to build a data center in Malaysia, Microsoft is investing in the country's new cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure, and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) is...more

Ilo Prospects Lebanon Supports Social Enterprise Initiatives in Lebanon

When Kinda Darwish decided to start a bakery in Beirut, she had no idea she'd end up kneading dough for the International Labor Organization and running a second-hand bookstore in the Lebanese...more

New Haven Nonprofit Cityseed Names Sarah Miller as New Executive Director

A Yale grad with more than 20 years of nonprofit and community leadership experience has been named the new executive director of a Connecticut nonprofit that helps people grow their own food, Fox...more

Dr. Hamis Kiggundu: From Entrepreneur to Global Leader €“ An Inspiring Journey

Hamis Kiggundu's journey from "humble beginnings" in Uganda to "be a global icon in business and philanthropy" has just taken him to a new level. The European International University in Paris...more

Community Land Trusts: An 'Old-School' Innovation with 'New School' Structural Applications

A community land trust, or CLT, is a non-profit organization that purchases land on behalf of its members and sells it at discount rates to people who otherwise wouldn't be able to buy homes of...more





Washington, D.C. based incubator for social entrepreneurs, Halcyon Incubator, has selected seven ventures to move into the newly renovated Halcyon House in September for its inaugural class of fellows.