Today we’d like to introduce you to Maitry Shah.
Hi Maitry, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hi. Thank you so much for having me! As an avid volunteer for the last 25 years, I was continually approached by individuals searching for opportunities to serve those in need. In addition, working as a volunteer coordinator has shown me that nonprofits struggle to locate the people and resources they need to fulfill their missions. With my passion for service and my background in volunteer coordination, I felt uniquely qualified to create a platform that could bring the community together.
Thus, I started Charities2Love as an initiative to help the community by bridging the gap between volunteers and charities and providing ways to bring visibility to nonprofits.
Within our first year of launching, the support from local volunteers and nonprofits was tremendous. It was clear we were fulfilling an unmet need. So, in order to provide more services and volunteer opportunities, we made the decision to become a nonprofit organization. As of February 2024, Charities2Love is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Launching a new venture in any field is not for the faint of heart. Passion and perseverance is crucial. For me, the desire to use my knowledge and be a force for good for the community outweighed the moments of doubt and imposter syndrome that would creep in. Additionally, as an Indian immigrant woman raised in the United States, being in a position to amplify the voices of other minority and women-founded nonprofits was a key motivating factor in pushing through the initial hurdles. I kept a visual reminder of these reasons on my desk to keep me going on the especially difficult days.
Most of my challenges were logistical and self-imposed since I decided to do everything on my own: create and manage a large website, write blog articles, manage social media channels, reach out to nonprofits, find volunteer opportunities, and create and manage monthly volunteer events. In addition, the challenges I faced of limited resources and time are ones most start-ups can relate to.
However, as the initial months flew by, I felt energized and grateful for the doors that kept opening, seemingly on their own. It reiterated my inherent belief that when you genuinely pursue an idea for the right reasons, the universe conspires to help you. Since then, so many people and opportunities have come my way that I could not have imagined. I am thankful to every single person that saw the potential in my original idea and helped move it along to get me to where I am today. The most important being my husband, Urmesh, and my parents and adult children, who all firmly believed Charities2Love was necessary and would be successful.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Charities2Love?
Charities2Love is a platform to increase volunteerism and encourage giving back to the community by inspiring volunteers, raising awareness of causes, and bringing visibility to nonprofits. What Charities2Love provides is opportunities, inspiration, and connection for volunteers and nonprofits.
Opportunities: We host and provide volunteer opportunities throughout the DFW metroplex in our six focus areas. We became a certifying organization to award the Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) in order to further encourage and reward volunteerism. We also provide corporate opportunities by bringing volunteering events to employees at their workplace, and to make it easier for them to give back to their community.
Inspiration: We believe that educating our volunteers about the nonprofits they are serving is vital for them to find their purpose and continue to independently support them. This model has proven to be successful. We routinely have 40+ enthusiastic volunteers at our volunteer events, with many individuals continuing to independently support the nonprofits they were introduced to by us. We also inspire individuals through our blog articles, which give simple, actionable ideas for ways to fit service to the community into everyday life.
Connection: Charities2Love not only connects volunteers with nonprofits, but we are also a liaison for nonprofits in the same space so they can mutually benefit each other. Having already done this for multiple organizations in the homelessness and domestic violence spaces, we look forward to continuing to build relationships and alliances for the good of the community.
In a nutshell, Charities2Love helps others find ways to make their impact in the world!
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I have been able to achieve successes in Charities2Love because it allows me to do what I love and fulfill my purpose of service to others. Giving to others is the foundation of my life. From an early age, I watched my parents selflessly dedicate an enormous amount of time, resources, and energy to help dozens of family members immigrate from India and settle in America. It instilled in me the understanding that helping others is a part of everyday life, not just when it is convenient or when you are financially secure. It also became clear to me that even a little bit of help to others can go a long way. I am fortunate to have married someone who embodies the same spirit of seva (selfless service) as my parents. From the moment I presented the idea of Charities2Love to my husband Urmesh, he has been my biggest champion. Pursuing opportunities for seva (selfless service) together is another gift that Charities2Love has provided me.
Contact Info:
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Website: www.charities2love.org
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
charities2love/ -
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Charities2Love -
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/
maitry-shah-5845b6276/
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Linkedin Company page: https://www.linkedin.com/
company/charities2love/ -
Email: maitry@charities2love.org
Image Credits
Jaina Shah
