How to start a youth mentoring nonprofit | Thomas Nelson
October 23, 2026
Thomas Nelson built the youth mentorship program in Georgia that nobody built for him when he was a kid.
Dare 2B You Foundation works with at-risk young people in Cordele, Georgia and across the state, through mentorship, leadership training and emotional support. Thomas Nelson founded it and serves as its President and Executive Director. He started it to build the kind of steady adult support he went without growing up, and he is candid about what that takes when you begin with no blueprint and no budget.
In this video
- Why Thomas started Dare 2B You, and the gap in his own childhood it was built to fill
- What mentorship actually looks like in practice, past the part where an adult shows up once
- The challenges young people are facing that the adults around them tend to miss
- Starting a nonprofit from the ground up: the paperwork, the money and the first year
- What separates a real partnership from a logo swap, for nonprofits and the people who want to help them
- How volunteers, donors and local organizations can back the work in Georgia
Resources from this video
In this episode:
About Thomas Nelson Thomas Nelson is the Founder, President and Executive Director of Dare 2B You Foundation in Cordele, Georgia. He founded the organization to build the support system he needed growing up, and leads its mentorship and leadership programs for young people across the state.
LINKS
ABOUT THE SIGN-IN TABLE The Sign-In Table is an interview podcast from VolunteerBadge. Every other Friday, host Matt Angerer talks with nonprofit leaders about why they started, the difference they make and how you can help.
