buildOn

buildOn is an international nonprofit organization whose programs connect community service by young people in the United States with education and school-building projects in developing countries. Its model is built around the idea that service can be both a practical response to local social problems and a form of social activism capable of challenging poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations. The organization was founded in 1991 by Jim Ziolkowski and his brother after Ziolkowski, then working in finance at General Electric, was inspired by witnessing the opening of a school in a Nepalese village while backpacking. He left his position at General Electric to establish the venture, initially called Building with Books. General Electric became one of its early primary funders. The organization later expanded beyond international school construction by developing service-learning programs for students in underperforming urban high schools in the United States. Its first such program was organized at Lumen Christi Catholic High School in Jackson, Michigan. In 2009, the organization adopted the name buildOn. Under that identity, it operates youth service-learning programs in six U.S. metropolitan areas: Detroit, New York City, Chicago, Boston, southwest Connecticut, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Participants undertake local projects that can include serving meals at soup kitchens and homeless shelters, visiting homebound older people, and tutoring or mentoring younger children. The programs are particularly oriented toward young people from urban communities and students considered at risk of disengaging from school or facing limited educational expectations. Some participating students can also join international construction trips known as Treks for Knowledge. These generally involve preparation workshops followed by travel to countries including Burkina Faso, Mali, Malawi, Nepal, Nicaragua, or Senegal. During the trips, students work alongside local communities to construct schools, stay with host families, and learn about local customs and conditions. The experience is intended to make international development tangible while giving students an extended opportunity to practice teamwork, responsibility, and cross-cultural engagement. buildOn's international education work uses community participation as a central operating principle. Before construction begins, a local community signs a covenant setting out responsibilities for the project, including the provision of available labor and commitments concerning equal educational access for women and girls after the school opens. Schools are built with locally available materials, such as concrete bricks, and parents and other community members commonly participate in the construction process. The organization has reported that more than 110,000 children and adults attend hundreds of schools built through its international program; the precise totals vary by reporting period. The nonprofit has also promoted the educational and social effects of its U.S. programs. It has cited internal or program-related statistics indicating strong college-going and graduation outcomes among participants, while acknowledging that such figures describe buildOn participants rather than all students. A 2010 Brandeis University study of a Bronx service-learning program was presented by buildOn as evidence that development of personal skills through service could be associated with improved academic achievement. A prominent example of local environmental and neighborhood work came from Detroit, where a 2010 participant group established a community garden on an abandoned lot in an area affected by gangs and prostitution. Funding and public engagement have included corporate donations, cause-related promotions, and partnerships with social-impact organizations. Supporters and collaborators mentioned in available reference material include General Electric, Stella and Dot, OmniPeace, Groupon, Sojo Studios, and Madonna's Raising Malawi. The organization's current public identity remains centered on combining youth empowerment, community service, literacy, and international school construction rather than selling conventional consumer products.

buildOn began in 1991 as Building with Books, a nonprofit founded by Jim Ziolkowski and his brother. Ziolkowski's decision to establish the organization followed a visit to Nepal, where he observed a two-day celebration marking the opening of a village school. The experience led him to leave a finance position at General Electric and create an organization focused on expanding access to education through community-supported school construction. General Electric was among the venture's early major funders. The original model centered on building schools in developing countries, but the organization subsequently broadened its work to include youth service-learning in the United States. The first U.S. service-learning program was developed at Lumen Christi Catholic High School in Jackson, Michigan. These programs were designed especially for students in underperforming urban high schools and sought to make community service a structured part of personal and educational development. Students worked on local projects such as food service for people experiencing homelessness, support for older residents, and tutoring or mentoring younger children. The organization changed its name to buildOn in 2009. The new identity reflected a wider mission linking domestic youth engagement with international education and poverty-alleviation work. It established service-learning programs in Detroit, New York City, Chicago, Boston, southwest Connecticut, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Students in some programs could progress from local service to international Treks for Knowledge, during which they helped construct schools in countries including Burkina Faso, Mali, Malawi, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Senegal. The international construction process was intended to be collaborative rather than purely donor-driven. Before work began, buildOn representatives arranged for the host community to sign a covenant describing mutual obligations. The community committed to supplying available labor and to supporting equal education for girls and women once the school was completed. Construction used local materials, including concrete bricks, and parents and other residents participated in the work. Students traveled with preparation in cultural awareness and service practice, stayed with local families, and worked alongside community members. During the 2010s, buildOn publicized the connection between service participation and educational outcomes. It cited high college-going rates among its students and claimed that participants were more likely to graduate than comparable students who did not volunteer. In 2010, Brandeis University studied one of the organization's Bronx programs. buildOn presented the study as supporting a relationship between the personal skills developed through service-learning and academic achievement, although the cited outcomes should be understood in the context of the program's own reporting and the specific study population. Local projects also became examples of buildOn's theory of neighborhood change. In 2010, Detroit students created a community garden on an abandoned lot in a neighborhood affected by gangs and prostitution. Organization leaders argued that the sustained presence of young volunteers helped change how the area was used and perceived. This kind of project illustrated buildOn's effort to combine direct service with civic participation and community redevelopment. Fundraising evolved through donations, sponsorships, and digital cause-marketing partnerships. Support is reported from organizations including Stella and Dot and OmniPeace. In 2011, buildOn participated in Groupon's Save the Money campaign, through which matched customer donations supported schools in Mali and Nepal. It also joined other nonprofits in Sojo Studios' WeTopia Facebook game, which directed portions of players' activity toward social causes. The organization later received a major partnership announcement from Madonna and Raising Malawi in 2012, involving support for the construction of ten schools in Malawi. Available reference material describes buildOn as headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, and as operating both domestic service programs and international school-building initiatives. It has also been reported as receiving a four-star Charity Navigator rating. Its enduring organizational identity is the integration of youth service in American cities with community-led education infrastructure and literacy work overseas.

• 2012

  Raising Malawi partnership announced

  [1]BuildOnen.wikipedia.org

  Madonna announced collaboration between Raising Malawi and buildOn to support construction of ten schools in Malawi.

• 2011

  Groupon Save the Money participation

  [1]BuildOnen.wikipedia.org

  buildOn joined Groupon's nonprofit campaign, with matched donations directed toward school projects in Mali and Nepal.

• 2010

  Detroit community garden project

  [1]BuildOnen.wikipedia.org

  A Detroit buildOn group created a community garden on an abandoned lot in a neighborhood facing serious crime and prostitution concerns.

• 2010

  Brandeis University study of Bronx program

  [1]BuildOnen.wikipedia.org

  Brandeis University conducted a study of a buildOn afterschool program in the Bronx, which buildOn later cited in discussing links between service-learning skills and academic achievement.

• 2009

  Organization renamed buildOn

  [1]BuildOnen.wikipedia.org

  Building with Books adopted the buildOn name as its domestic youth-service and international education activities developed into a combined platform.

• 1991

  Organization founded as Building with Books

  [1]BuildOnen.wikipedia.org

  Jim Ziolkowski and his brother founded the nonprofit after Ziolkowski was inspired by a school-opening celebration in Nepal. Ziolkowski left General Electric to establish the organization.

• First U.S. service-learning program established

  [1]BuildOnen.wikipedia.org

  The first documented U.S. service-learning program was organized at Lumen Christi Catholic High School in Jackson, Michigan.

A social-impact nonprofit positioned at the intersection of youth development, service-learning, literacy, and international education infrastructure. buildOn presents volunteering as a form of civic activism that can improve local communities while helping address global poverty and illiteracy.

• Youth development and community service

  U.S. service-learning programs

  buildOn's U.S. programs engage students, particularly in urban and underperforming high schools, in organized community service. Projects can include food distribution, work with shelters, visits to homebound older people, tutoring, mentoring, and neighborhood improvement. The programs frame service as a way to strengthen civic responsibility, personal skills, and educational engagement.

• International service trips

  Treks for Knowledge

  Treks for Knowledge give eligible student volunteers the opportunity to travel to buildOn partner communities overseas. Participants receive preparation before traveling, live with local families, learn about local customs, and take part in the construction of a school. The trips connect U.S. youth development with buildOn's international education work.

• Education infrastructure · 1991

  International school construction

  buildOn works with communities in developing countries to construct schools using local materials and community labor. A pre-construction covenant sets out responsibilities, including labor contributions and commitments to equal education for women and girls. The completed schools support both children and adult learners and are linked to the organization's literacy mission.

• Literacy and educational access · 1991

  Literacy and education initiatives

  The organization's international work promotes literacy and access to schooling for children and adults. School construction is treated as part of a broader effort to address poverty and illiteracy, with local communities involved in determining responsibilities and maintaining educational access after construction.

• 2012Raising Malawi school partnership

  Malawi · United States

  Madonna's Raising Malawi announced a partnership with buildOn to contribute to the construction of ten schools in Malawi.

  Outcome. The partnership was presented as a way to serve more children through smaller, community-partnered schools; the available reference does not document completion results for all ten schools.

  Source
• 2011Groupon Save the Money

  United States · Mali · Nepal

  buildOn participated in Groupon's Save the Money campaign, which matched customer donations for nonprofit projects. Contributions associated with buildOn were directed toward building schools in Mali and Nepal.

  Outcome. The campaign expanded buildOn's donor reach through a digital commerce and cause-marketing platform; the available reference does not provide a final fundraising total.

  Source
• WeTopia

  United States · Online

  buildOn was one of 14 nonprofit partners associated with Sojo Studios' WeTopia social-impact Facebook game. Players' activity contributed funds to organizations working on global issues including poverty, hunger, and violence.

  Outcome. The game received prominent attention, including coverage on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, although the reference does not quantify buildOn's proceeds.

  Source

• 2011

  Expansion through digital fundraising partnershipsStrategy

  Background

  Nonprofits were increasingly using online platforms and cause-related promotions to reach new donors.

  Action taken

  buildOn participated in Groupon's Save the Money campaign and partnered with Sojo Studios through the WeTopia social-impact game.

  Aftermath

  These partnerships gave buildOn additional public fundraising and awareness channels, but the available source does not report campaign totals.

  Source

• 2009

  Adoption of the buildOn identityStrategy

  Background

  The organization had expanded from its original school-building focus to include structured youth service-learning programs in U.S. cities.

  Action taken

  Building with Books changed its name to buildOn, presenting its domestic and international activities under a unified identity.

  Aftermath

  The buildOn name became associated with both U.S. student service programs and international school construction.

  Source

• 2021-03-31

  SCB Group partners with buildOn to support Malawi projects[3]SCB Group 与 buildOn 合作支持马拉维项目themarketreporter.co.uk

  Reported: 2021-03-31

  SCB said revenue from its ClimatePositive service would go to charity buildOn to help enable solar and adult learning projects in Malawi.

1. 1BuildOnen.wikipedia.org
2. 2buildOn official websitebuildon.org
3. 3SCB Group 与 buildOn 合作支持马拉维项目themarketreporter.co.uk