Jennifer Matthews is the CEO and co-founder of 100 Ways of Giving, a non-profit that seeks to inspire a generation through civic engagement and philanthropy.
Born and raised in the Boston area, Matthews believes it’s important that young people are invested in their own communities, but also have the ability to show compassion to others in need. This weekend, her team has organized a jam-packed Summer Service Weekend full of pep rallies, basketball tournaments and a massive initiative that challenges each volunteer to make at least 100 lunches for the homeless population in Boston.
Whether they’re trying to increase philanthropic engagement among young men of color in the local community or packing up a truck and driving 11 hours to deliver water to the residents of Flint, Michigan, Matthews and her team continue to demonstrate that there are indeed 100 Ways of Giving back.
Blavity sat down with Jennifer for a conversation about her passions and creative entrepreneurship. Read what she had to say below:
Blavity: What do you do, and why do you do it?
Jennifer Matthews: Simply put, we help people, and then encourage them to pay it forward. Our organization aims to spark a civically-engaging movement amongst young people of color from or living in lower-income communities. Through research and from personal experience, my partners and I have learned that a majority of service work in our communities comes from volunteers who don’t share our identity or struggle. We think it’s an important time to encourage growth from within, which should be catalyzed by the generation who will soon lead this country — millennials.
B: Describe the moment when you chose to leave your job in the financial sector to pursue 100 Ways of Giving.
JM: Have you ever felt like you were merely a replaceable gear in a machine? I’ve always known that my life purpose was much greater than the career path I chose. However, fear of being broke and lacking financial security kept me in place. However, once that feeling became overwhelming, I knew that it was time for me to either jump or be stuck. So I jumped. It was the best decision I’ve ever made, because now I have more time for the things I’m passionate about, one of them being 100 Ways of Giving. I believe that when you pursue the things you love and work hard, the money will eventually find you in your happiness. I would rather that scenario.
B: Tell us more about the city of Boston. What do you love about it and what needs to change from your perspective.
JM: The city of Boston is gorgeous and growing. Our social scene is bubbly, as we house several college campuses. There are awesome restaurants and lounges. There are beautiful museums and cool historical sites. We also have some of the best sports teams in the world! However, while Boston is becoming more diverse, in part due to gentrification, there are areas that are still heavily segregated. The Boston Globe newspaper did a great job of mapping out the city’s diversity here. By siloing different cultures into communities, we shut out much-needed conversation and cultural sharing; a lack thereof can lead to discrimination. I would love to see our diverse communities become more open-minded and eager to learn about each other, because that is the first step to understanding and respect.
B: You recently traveled to Flint, Michigan to deliver water to its residents. What did you learn from the people you worked with on this project?
JM: Man! The Flint water crisis deeply touched us, and we knew we couldn’t sit back and do nothing. After seeing the Times article about the infamous young black boy that had been suffering from the effects of Flint’s water contamination, my partners and I met to discuss how we could help. Even though we were more than 700 miles away, we wanted to show Flint that Boston cared. We brainstormed several ways to help and thought that going there to hand-deliver the water would be more impactful for the victims of this crisis. We wanted to ensure that water was being hand-delivered to residents who needed it the most. So, Debbie Saint-Clair (Co-Founder/COO/Director of Communications and Public Affairs) connected with Chris Kyle, a Detroit, MI native, Co-Founder of #WaterForFlint (a group of friends from different areas of Michigan who joined together to deliver water to residents of Flint every weekend) to set a collaborative plan in place.
100 Ways of Giving then held a water drive at the Roxbury YMCA with a goal of collecting 100 cases of water. Once we surpassed this goal, we began our journey with one volunteer, Keonta Coleman. Upon arrival and a nights rest, we worked with team #WaterForFlint to personally deliver approx. 16,608 water bottles to residents in the Flint community on January 29.
We traveled hundreds of miles with what we thought was a small donation in comparison to the likes of P. Diddy and Mark Wahlberg. However, what we learned through several tear-jerking conversations was that our real gift to Flint was compassion, service, and that you never have too little to give to someone in need. Flint residents were so grateful that we drove so far and cared enough to help. One father in particular yelled out “Thank y’all! I love y’all, man!” While there’s much work left to be done in Flint, we’re grateful for the hospitality of Chris Kyle and #WaterForFlint team, as they treated us like family! #WaterForFlint continues to deliver water to the community every week, so contact them if you’re interested in getting involved. The experience was absolutely humbling.
B: What challenges do you think exist for young people who want to become engaged in their communities and what advice can you provide to help them overcome them?
JM: Philanthropy, in general, needs to be more inclusive of diverse populations. I think there are plenty of young people who want to give, but they are short on options that cater to their interests and needs as consumers. Technology has revolutionized everything we do in our daily life; community service shouldn’t be any different. The most important thing young people interested in philanthropy can do is speak up! Engaging with your favorite organizations helps them learn how to gain and retain your participation and support.
B: When you think of the future of the kind of work you’ve talked about here, what gives you a sense of hope? What makes you concerned or worried?
JM: I deal more in faith than in hope. Hope is for those waiting for something to happen. My partners and those who have volunteered through 100WOG have a hunger for change, so we make things happen and have faith that, with hard-work, we will continue to do so. We also believe in our enlightened generation. People are interested in healing the world, and we are making it seamless and fun for them to do just that. We worry about the politics and funding of philanthropy among black people, but our concerns never hinder our work as Monaia Haynes (Co-Founder/CFO), works diligently at finding opportunities for financial growth for 100 WOG. So, currently, we’re most concerned with the possibility of Donald Trump becoming our next President. Ha!
B: Tell us more about what you have planned for 2016 and how can people reading this interview get involved?
JM: We plan to continue to offer millennials of color fun and exciting ways to give back, making it a social and impactful experience rather than a mundane one. We are hosting our first Summer Service Weekend ‘16 from August 12-14 in celebration of Black Philanthropy Month. SSW16 events include a young professionals mixer (Aug 12), a charity basketball tournament and after party (Aug 13), and a community service initiative (Aug 14). For more information about our events or to get involved, feel free to contact our Co-Founder/Director of Special Events, Jedaiah Cohen, and check out 100waysofgiving.org! Everything you need is all there. You can also email us at info@100waysofgiving.org and follow us on social media @100waysofgiving.
