Jake Wood - Founder of Groundswell and Team Rubicon

Disruptors for GOOD | Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises

English - June 20, 2023 17:24 - 26 minutes - 35.8 MB - ★★★★★ - 41 ratings
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Previous Episode: Make Real Estate a Reality with Your Friends - Niles Lichtenstein, founder of Nestment

Next Episode: A Nationwide Network of Sustainable Little Orchards - Erica Kratofil & Ashley Williamson / Co-Executive Directors of The Giving Grove

In episode 192 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Jake Wood, Founder and CEO of Groundswell, on disrupting corporate philanthropy and workplace giving through Donor Advised Funds.

Jake Wood is a former U.S. Marine and the founder and CEO of Groundswell, a venture-backed software company focused on democratizing philanthropy by combining fintech, benefits tech, and charity. Prior to Groundswell, Wood was the founder and CEO of Team Rubicon, a renowned disaster response organization. Under his leadership, Team Rubicon grew to become one of America's leading nonprofits, recruiting over 150,000 volunteers and responded to nearly 1,000 disasters and humanitarian crises

Wood also played a significant role in raising approximately $300 million for Team Rubicon through various means, including online donor acquisition, family foundations, and corporate partnerships. The organization scaled to 200 full-time employees across four offices and operated a $55 million P&L. Team Rubicon gained recognition for its corporate culture and technological innovation through collaborations with companies like Microsoft, Twilio, and Palantir.

Furthermore, his memoir, "Once A Warrior," achieved best-seller status on Amazon and received praise from Tom Brokaw.

About Groundswell

Workplace giving programs are an excellent way for companies to empower employees to make a positive impact on causes they care about. However, managing these programs efficiently can be time-consuming and challenging. That's where Groundswell comes in. With its user-friendly platform, Groundswell simplifies donation matching, gifting, and volunteering programs, allowing employees to effortlessly contribute to the causes that matter most to them.