While most other teenagers spent their summers enjoying pools and hanging out with friends, Connect and Care founders Josh and Matt Zients were volunteering at South African orphanages.
The D.C.-native brothers got their sense of altruism from their mother who is from South Africa. After returning to the states in 2017 from working in the orphanage, they felt a disconnect.
“We got back from these experiences and felt pretty disconnected with the day-to-day operations of the orphanage,” Josh Zients said. “We came to the conclusion that what would be most useful on our part would be to try to create a platform where people could connect with similar organizations.”
And shortly after, Connect and Care, a digital platform and iOS app that lets users donate to a nonprofit organization of their choice, was born. The platform currently has more than 20 nonprofit partnerships, including Hug it Forward, SHE Rescue Home and Community in Action.
Before heading out to college, Matt Zients worked with a program called LearnServe International that mentors young entrepreneurs. Matt Zients met his mentor Maurice Wilkins through the program, who introduced Matt to Connect and Care's future head developer Marquavious Draggon.
Connect and Care users can browse through nonprofits from around the world and donate any amount to the organizations. The app also gives details on other ways donors can get involved with the nonprofits. None of the proceeds go to Connect and Care — partners receive a check for the total amount of donations every two months.
Josh Zients said one of the platform's biggest struggle has been keeping users in the app. Connect and Care plans to release a newer version by the end of the summer with push notifications, scheduled payments, and a new layout to keep users interested.
Keeping Connect and Care running hasn’t always been easy as the brothers try to balance their school lives. Josh Zients is currently a senior in high school in D.C., while Matt Zients is working toward a degree in public policy at Northwestern University in Chicago. After graduation, JoshZients will be attending Brown University.
“We’re excited about what we have so far,” Josh Zients said. “But, we’re even more excited to create a platform that people want to come back to for a good cause.”
