So many organizations get caught with their heads down, hyper-focused on what they’re doing, that they don’t realize there is often a better way. Sometimes being innovative just means taking a step back and putting yourself in spaces to find the answers that already exist. That’s exactly how Jared Walker took Dollar For from small community fundraising to a national medical debt-killing organization.
Jared’s journey relied on educating himself, actively engaging in learning environments, and, most importantly, placing trust in others. These strategies led to multiple crucial and pivotal decisions that radically changed the company, and in one instance, catapulted the organization from a local to national scale literally overnight.
In this episode, Jared will recount the pivotal moment in his life that ignited his passion for the cause. He will also share how he embraced education and sought assistance from those around him, resulting in an exponential increase in Dollar For's reach. We'll also explore how embracing learning experiences and expertise from others is vital in setting organizations up on a path to success via adaptation and trust.
Contents
1 - Starting an educational journey (1:38)
2 - Dollar For 1.0: Crowdfunding (3:37)
3 - Discovering Charity Care (9:31)
4 - The TikTok video (11:17)
5 - Scaling up and trusting others (15:19)
6 - Community and the future of Dollar For (24:34)
Founder
Jared Walker founded Dollar For in 2012 in Portland, Oregon. Dollar For was born out of a desire to help folks in medical crises after watching his own family's experience. Jared is on a mission to crush as many medical bills as he can while making charity care known, easy, and fair.