Interview with Charley Johnson, President of Pay It Forward Foundation

Charley Johnson, President of Pay It Forward Foundation

Last week, we at SuccessFunding had the opportunity to interview the President of the Pay It Forward Foundation, Mr. Charley Johnson. Pay It Forward is a movement that promotes that good deeds be repaid to others. For example, if someone opened the door for you, you will repay that person by doing a good deed for another. We found that SuccessFunding and Pay It Forward were similar in their beliefs in giving back to others through small good deeds. We hope you enjoy reading about this amazing interview as much as we had in interviewing Charley. Getting To Know Charley I got involved with Pay It Forward like most people do. I saw the movie back in 2000, loved the concept and got hooked. I loved that I could do something for someone and not have that awkward moment of them figuring out how to pay you back. I didn’t like that situation so as soon as I saw that movie, everything clicked for me. The very fact that I could do something and tell them to do it for someone in the future however they chose was perfect for me. I could move on with my life after doing something nice for someone and everyone can go their separate ways. I got more involved with PIF when we created the bracelet in 2007. During this whole time of seeing the movie and creating the bracelet, I had a business for 15 years, from the age of 15 to 30.  A little over two years ago, I left that business. Instead of going back into corporate America, I wanted to try something new. No one had ever worked on the Pay it Forward movement full time, growing it, branding it, making more people in the world find out about the movement. We’ve jut been building momentum. We’ve been succeeding in some ways, and failing in others. We’ve been seeing what’s been working and what hasn’t. We’ve traveled and talked to many, many people in dozens of countries. SF: Why is gratitude important to you? How do YOU show gratitude? CJ: I show gratitude by action; actions speak louder than words. We have lost that sense of gratitude. On social media, we talk about gratitude and how blessed we are but our actions don’t match up. I’m a big fan of action. Those actions on how you treat a coworker, family member, stranger, even an animal, etc. is a much bigger thing than just saying you’re appreciative of them.  I’m a much bigger believer in action than words. SF: What motivates you to give to someone? CJ:  It just feels good.   Anytime I’m having a bad day, the sooner I can get out and hold a door or get someone coffee, I don’t know what it is scientifically, but it just feels really good. It gets you thinking about something other than your own problems. SF: According to your TEDxSMU talk in 2012, you talk about how a simple act of kindness can change someone’s life. What acts of kindness do you usually do? CJ:  I think the most powerful act of kindness is looking someone in the eye when they’re talking to you. It infuriates me when you’re trying to have a conversation with someone and they look over your shoulder or past you trying figure out what’s happening next or what they are missing out on. Give that person your full attention, allow them to talk and feel listened to. I really love to just catch eye contact with someone and have that human interaction. SF: How do you see SuccessFunding following the Pay It Forward ideology of how a simple act from one individual can better the world? CJ:  Do what you’re doing. Get more people to understand how important higher learning is, give people less anxiety about debt. You are helping Change the mentality on the next generation when it comes to debt and creating a way to get college funded for more students. This will be a massive Pay it Forward for this generation.  SuccessFunding is already bettering the world. SF: Do you think SuccessFunding embodies your idea of bettering the world? How so? CJ:  Yes, just by changing the mentality.  Changing up how people view debt. Changing up how people view higher learning. Changing the way people view each other.  The good and the bad thing about PIF is that it’s so broad. It can infiltrate every aspect of life, business and anyone’s life. There are 7 billion people and there are 7 billion ideas on how to better the world. Your organization is doing quite well in helping more and more people Pay it Forward in their own way.

The Cost of Going to College

by: Kat Thompson Wonder why student debt is such a pressing issue? Check out the most expensive colleges in the nation: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100880127?__source=yahoo%7Cfinance%7Cheadline%7Cheadline%7Cstory&par=yahoo&doc=100880127%7CMost%20Expensive%20Colleges. And according to many experts, this recent spike in tuition could just be the beginning: http://www.cnbc.com/id/47565202 That’s where we come in. SuccessFunding wants to help students, and especially parents, still want to pursue a higher education despite these looming costs! With our mini scholarships, we seek to make college affordable and accessible, regardless of tuition costs. We believe the individual student has insurmountable potential that should not be hindered merely by finances.

United We Stand...Against Student Debt

by: Drew Clancy Co-founder of SuccessFunding and CEO of Publishing Concepts (PCI)

As Americans… We believe in the American dream: our right to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We believe in our ability to work hard and make something of ourselves. We believe that no matter where we start, the sky is the limit. We are bound only by the nature of dreams and our willingness to work hard to make those dreams a reality. We know that education has always played a critical role in this equation. We believe that regardless of the circumstances of our birth, education provides a path not only to more knowledge, but to a better life. Education + hard work = a better life. This equation is under siege. The current financing model is broken. Over the past 10 years, as states have cut their support of higher education, students are being forced to compensate by taking on an alarming amount of debt. Today, there is more than a trillion dollars in student debt. There is more student debt than credit card debt. On average, students who borrow money graduate with more than $26,000 in debt. In some cases, students are graduating with more than $100,000 or even $200,000 in debt. Still more alarming: nearly one in three of those re-paying student debt are in default. The statistics are scary. They tell us we have an emerging national crisis. But what is even scarier is the reality that each number represents a real person and a real life in crisis. The current situation is unacceptable. And it is getting worse. According to Einstein: “Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them." Reducing the interest rate on student loans by 1% is simply not going to solve the problem. A new, different and better way of thinking is needed. In the current student financial aid model, it is difficult for donors to support individual students. SuccessFunding solves this problem. We allow individual donors to support individual students, to provide “mini scholarships” that benefit the student and help them reduce the amount of debt it takes to finance their education. At SuccessFunding, we believe if given the opportunity, donors will support individuals in whom they believe. Students who are from their hometown, or their high school, or who are attending their alma mater. Students who share similar passions and interests. Students who want to make a difference in the world. As donors, our support allows these individual students to pursue their dreams. As they pursue their dreams, we all share in their accomplishments. And it doesn’t end there. By supporting an individual student, the donor creates a “virtuous circle” of giving that never stops. Each SuccessFunding student takes “The SuccessFunding Pledge.” They pledge to repay the generosity of their donors not by repaying the donor directly out of future earnings, but rather by pledging to support future students in the generations to come. At PCI, we are passionate about helping our college, university, and association clients engage their alumni and raise money so that they can fulfill their mission of educating our nation's future leaders.

Freedom

by: Kat Thompson

What does it mean to be free? Sure there’s the cookie cutter answer- “freedom means doing what you want, not having limitations, choosing for yourself”, but ask yourself- are we really free? Think of all the things we are a slave to- technology, the rules and regulations that govern nearly every aspect of our lives, and most noticeably, money. Student debt is hindering us from our freedom. It’s telling us that we cant have our dream job, we have to choose whichever job offers us the most money, because we have debts to pay. It’s telling us we have nowhere to go, we might have to head back to mom and dad, because we cant afford an independent life, we should pay our debts. It's telling us we cant own a house, can't move away, can't get married, can't travel, and can't enjoy all the perks of being an independent college graduate, because no matter where we go, student loan debt will follow. As Americans, we know the value of education. The benefits of higher education are so significant, 12 million students a year, sixty percent of all college students, are willing to take out loans that will take decades to repay. We know that education offers us many freedoms. The freedom to choose our dream occupation, the freedom to garner a wealth of knowledge to apply to all aspects of life, the freedom to participate in and pursue outside interests, the freedom to connect on a global scale with people to share ideas and knowledge. But in this modern age, graduating and entering the labor force isn’t an assertion of independence, it’s a sentence to a long and laborious period of debt repayment. Until now. We at SuccessFunding are working to change this. We have the idea, we have the tools, we have the people to offer students a new outcome and to give them the freedom to pursue that second degree, or graduate program, or medical school, or that dream job. We know that everyone has the power to rock the world, and we want to help make that happen. We want you to dream without limitations by offering the opportunity to utilize mini scholarships that are raised through crowdfunding. If you want an education without limits and the freedom to pursue your dreams, we are here for you. Kat Thompson is a sophomore at Southern Methodist University studying Economics, Public Policy, and Biomedical Anthropology. She is currently interning for SuccessFunding.

People Helping People

by: Michael Shulman

Why am I passionate about the SuccessFunding cause? Until recently, the topic of student debt was not one I knew much about or cared to know much about… As I reread that last sentence, I realize how pretentious I sound. How could I not understand the monumental costs of a college education? The answer is simple: no one ever told me. I am lucky enough to be raised by a loving family who supports me unconditionally. They find happiness in paving my path to success in life. When the idea of college appeared on the horizon, it was a no brainer. The price tag never came into the discussion. For my parents, the only thing talking about the price would do is discourage me. They kept me in the dark about how steep college tuitions were to avoid my worrying about things that were out of my control. The expression ‘ignorance is bliss’ has never rung so true. My education was paid for in full by my parents, and that’s the way it was. When I talked to my old man about this a few months ago, I saw a side of him I rarely do. I came home to visit with the family and we got to talking. In a way that only he could, he explained to me that the way I pay him back is to do the same for my kids someday just as his parents had done for him. As he spoke, I saw a side of him which I rarely do. There is nothing more beautiful than people helping people. Whether it is family, friends, or complete strangers, we can all help turn dreams into reality. Michael Shulman is a senior finance major with a concentration in risk management at Southern Methodist University. He serves as a member of SuccessFunding's student advisory board.

Life's Asterisk

by: Paige Witthar

We often tell children they can do anything they want in their lives. However, there is an asterisk we forget to include--* with an education.  Higher education refines the existing talents and gifts of students; it is the foundation for careers and gives wings to students' dreams. But college is just as much a learning experience about life as it is a learning experience in a lecture hall. It exposes students to people, situations, and ideas they wouldn’t otherwise encounter. I have matured in countless ways during my three years at SMU: I have friends with backgrounds very different than my own, and I’ve slowly been introduced to adult responsibilities like paying rent and living courteously with other people. Additionally, I’ve become a better collaborator and learned to become my own advocate. I see the world through a higher quality lens because of my undergraduate education. I believe in SuccessFunding because it places power in the hands of students. It frees students from the burden of excessive student debt and provides them with greater freedom to make their educational decisions. SuccessFunding empowers students to chase their dreams using the tools they gained in college. Student debt turns these tools into heavy weights. SuccessFunding also offers fans, or donors, freedom that traditional forms of giving do not. Fans can choose whom their money goes to and donations aren’t absorbed by administrative costs. The traditional depiction of a donor is someone who gives millions of dollars to have their name on a building or an endowment. A fan can see the difference encouragement and a $10, $20, or $50 donation have in the life of a student. Education nurtures Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Debt hinders these Rights. SuccessFunding assures that education will prevail. Paige Witthar is a senior marketing major with an entrepreneurship concentration at Southern Methodist University. She works as a marketing intern for SuccessFunding and is a member of our inaugural SMU beta group.