Jared Walker & the Dollar For Origin Story
UPDATE AS OF 8/22/2025:On the 10-year anniversary of Dollar For Portland’s launch, Jared and I reviewed this interview together and smiled. The organization has come a long way and much has changed over the years and we invite you to visit the Dollar For site to learn more.
From what they do, to how they do it (updated since 2015), to the impact they have had on individuals, families and communities, to the reach they now have (what started in Portland, OR has spread and is now nationwide across the United States), and the staggering amount of medical debt they have eliminated (as of today, a whopping $105 MILLION dollars!), they are not only going strong, they have grown to a team of 15 full-time employees, all on a mission to change lives and break a broken system!
Have questions? Learn more about Dollar For, how you can get involved or how to receive help, by visiting them at dollarfor.org.
After a year of development, Jared Walker has made his mission a reality. Dollar For Portland launched in August of 2015 and has already helped three families with their medical expenses.
With roots firmly planted in Portland and with a brand Portlanders can rally behind, this non-profit is worthy of a shout out!
I recently had the opportunity to talk with Jared Walker, the founder of Dollar For Portland and one of my former classmates. Here is what Jared had to say about Dollar For Portland:
1. What is Dollar For Portland?
Dollar For Portland is a non-profit with a mission to empower young people to be generous by simply giving $1 a month to help a local family with medical expenses.
2. Where did the concept come from?
On April 11, 2012 I received news that my Aunt had passed away after years of battling cancer. About an hour later, my mom called and told me my cousin had gone into labor 7 weeks premature and the baby would need two heart surgeries to live. At that moment I knew I wanted to find a way to help people that are hit with unexpected medical bills. I didn’t have the resources to help by myself. Instead of trying to save a large sum of money to help one family, I wanted to do something more impactful. I wanted to create a platform getting a large sum of people to give a small amount of money to help many families. I knew I wanted everything to be social media driven. That is when the second problem came in to play. Who are the majority of social media users? Millennials. Unfortunately, Millennials are not known for generosity. I wanted to motivate a generation to be generous while helping families with medical debt.
3. Why is this the perfect time to involve youth in giving?
With how connected this generation is through social media we have a huge opportunity. By using social media, we have created a platform where people can connect to a need in their own city, give a small amount, and watch how it makes a difference… All from their mobile device. I think this generation really wants to give and be generous. Dollar For Portland makes it easy. We need to get over the thought that they have to be done with school and well into their career with a house and fancy car in order to give and make an impact. We want them to experience the joy of giving!
4. How do you involve organizations and businesses in the movement?
We involve other organizations by getting them to nominate families that we can help. We want the organization to look like a hero. We want to partner with organizations that help us get the word out. Businesses can get involved by hosting takeovers so we can highlight the good they are doing in the community.
5. Where can people learn more?
People can visit our website at Dollarfor.org to learn more about the organization and find ways to contribute and volunteer.
6. How can we all get involved?
The best way to get involved is to SIGN UP! We need givers. We need people to go to dollarfor.org/donate and just do it. It takes 19 seconds. You can also volunteer if you want to!
If you have questions for Jared or want to get involved with Dollar For Portland, contact Jared directly.
Get in touch with Dollar For:
Email the Dollar For Team
