Shaun King, founder of the nonprofit HopeMob is revolutionizing crowdfunding for social good with his web site that, unlike most crowdfunding platforms, actually comes with a crowd.
Born in Kentucky in a working class family, as a fifteen-year-old he was beaten so badly in what was one of the first registered hate crimes in the state that he needed a series of surgeries that required two years. He notes, “When bad things happen to some people it hardens their heart, but for me it softened my heart.” He attended Morehouse College where Martin Luther King had attended and was required to do service.
While at Morehouse, using bulletin boards and chat rooms, King began using technology to rally people to volunteer for causes.