“I was fortunate to find volunteering, by accident, as a tremendous outlet for improving my own mental wellness,” Founder and CEO Justin Kruger said. “My experience volunteering and the improvement in my own mental wellness inspired me to start Project Helping.”
Five years ago, Justin Kruger made a discovery. He learned it was possible to “improve mental wellness by designing and leading volunteer projects specifically to impact the mental wellness of the volunteer.” But he did not want to keep this discovery of his a secret, because Justin is a Generous Leader. He wanted to share his solution with as many people as he could, so he founded the non-profit Project Helping.
“I was in corporate sales and sales management my whole life,” Justin began. “My [passion] came from my personal experience and the desire to share my personal findings with others who may be struggling. While I had no nonprofit experience, my sales experience has proven to be important and effective in gaining support.”
Justin and his team at Project Helping work hard to leverage the mental wellness benefits of volunteering by creating an easy to join, social, and hands-on experience for the volunteer. This year alone, they plan on leading over 100 volunteer projects, significant growth from only leading one project a month when Project Helping had just opened its doors.
“When it comes to managing a nonprofit, you have to learn to be effective and prudent with every resource you have,” Justin said. “That is money, of course, but more importantly people. We work very hard to stay focused on our mission and the essence of our work.”
Generous Leaders like Justin Kruger have proven to be powerful forces for good. Project Helping is well on its way to becoming a national organization, all because one kind-hearted salesman decided he wanted to make a difference in others’ lives. Big Idea Project works to inspire students into becoming people like Justin Kruger, the people who make a difference in the world from the passion that stems in their heart.