Podcast Summary:

We Are For Good Podcast, Episode 659
Title: Designing Programs with Dignity: Lessons from Give Back’s Transformative Model
Guest: Melissa Helmbrecht, CEO of Give Back
Date: November 17, 2025
Hosts: Jon McCoy, CFRE & Becky Endicott, CFRE

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on designing nonprofit programs rooted in dignity, featuring a deep-dive conversation with Melissa Helmbrecht, CEO of Give Back. The discussion covers the organization’s transformative approach to supporting young people facing the toughest circumstances—homelessness, foster care, incarceration, and trauma—using scholarships, coaching, mentorship, and, most importantly, a culture of respect and belief in every individual’s potential. With hosts Jon and Becky, Melissa shares poignant personal stories, practical frameworks, and the vision of Give Back’s founder Bob Carr, exploring how small acts of generosity can ignite life-changing impacts and how reframing identity with compassion leads to thriving futures.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Lived Experience and Dignity in Program Design

• Melissa’s Background & Personal Story (02:38–05:15)
  • Grew up in southern New Jersey in challenging circumstances; failed out of school and struggled with undiagnosed autism.
  • “As a kid who had never even read a book and had straight Fs on my report card...I needed an individual to reflect back to me my worth and value.” (03:45 – Melissa Helmbrecht)
  • A mentor showed up and fundamentally changed her life, which inspired her life’s work: making sure no young person is "counted out."
• Both Melissa and Becky share neurodivergent experiences, reinforcing the importance of understanding and inclusion in nonprofit work.

2. Give Back: History, Mission, and Transformative Model

• Founding Story and Bob Carr’s Legacy (05:35–08:25)
  • Bob Carr received a $250 scholarship from Lockport Women’s Club; made a lifelong commitment to give back once successful.
  • “The $250 scholarship, the complete stranger who showed me kindness...when we just do an act of kindness, it magnifies, it amplifies, and it just grows in ways that we can never measure. Ripple, ripple, ripple, ripple.” (08:25 – Melissa)
  • Bob has contributed over $100 million to empower at-risk youth; he personally connects with many Give Back students.

3. Who Are the “Counted Out,” and How Does Give Back Center Them?

• Reaching the Overlooked (09:05–10:55)
  • Give Back targets youth most likely to be overlooked by traditional school systems and services.
  • Example: Out of 2,000 students at a recent high school visit, not one “counted out” student had seen a guidance counselor.
• Transformative Support and Reframing Identity (10:55–13:28)
  • “I’ve never met a young person who, when given the support and when trading a label...for scholar, entrepreneur, leader, given a mentor, given a pathway, has failed.” (11:13 – Melissa)
  • Becky notes: “When you have been told you are [a negative label]...what you’re doing here is reframing to ‘scholar,’ ‘entrepreneur,’ ‘leader.’ That can be the catalyst to change.” (12:21 – Becky)

4. Practical Program Elements that Center Dignity

• Recruitment and Participant Journey (14:17–16:25)
  • Outreach starts as early as 7th or 8th grade, through partnerships with schools, child welfare, and corrections.
  • Focused on those with lowest statistical odds of college or career attainment.
  • Each student matched with a professional success coach trained in trauma, executive functioning, and goal-setting.
  • Creation of a written Career Action Plan, mapping aspirations to actionable steps.
  • Give Back pays the gap between financial aid and cost of attendance for post-secondary pathways.

5. Building Trust, Restoring Hope, and Sustaining Transformation

• Coaching and Competence (18:45–20:28)
  • Success depends on consistent, highly trained, and compassionate mentorship.
  • “I think our core competency is we know more than anyone else about how to help a young person who’s homeless...navigate the path from sophomore in high school through college graduation.” (18:53 – Melissa)
  • Coaches help untangle practical barriers—documents, basic needs—and support emotional resilience.
• Ripple Effect and Alumni Model (20:53–22:15)
  • Alumni return as coaches—youth who were once served now serve as authentic guides for new participants.

6. The Power of Community and Breaking Generational Cycles

• Breaking Isolation (22:15–24:38)
  • Acknowledgement of privilege and the importance of community surrounding youth.
  • Give Back intentionally creates a supportive circle for those who lack one, multiplying long-term impact.
• Intergenerational Legacy & Vision (24:38–26:41)
  • Bob Carr gave “the hundred million he had,” often showing up quietly at graduations and milestones.
  • “These young people who are counted out are the young people that we’re counting on.” (26:36 – Melissa)

7. Reciprocity, Philanthropy, and the Call to Help

• The Real Gift is Mutual (28:25–29:55)
  • “The biggest thing I’ve learned in life is that when I think I’m helping someone, [I see] how much they help me.” (28:28 – Melissa)
  • Students supported Melissa when she had cancer; reciprocity is at the core of Give Back’s culture.
• How Can Listeners Help? (30:32–31:46)
  • Encouragement, partnership, and helping spread the word are most needed.
  • “Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed that you need help because it’s universal...no one who is successful got there without immense help.” (32:02 – Melissa)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Reframing Identity:
  • “When you trade the label of foster youth or homeless child...for scholar, entrepreneur, leader—given a mentor, given a pathway—[they have never] failed.” (11:13 – Melissa)
• On the Ripple Effect of Kindness:
  • “It’s kind of always the case, isn’t it, that when we just do an act of kindness...it amplifies, and it just grows in ways that we can never measure. Ripple, ripple, ripple, ripple.” (08:25 – Melissa)
• On the Real Meaning of Philanthropy:
  • “The biggest thing I’ve learned in life is that when I think I’m helping someone...how much they help me.” (28:28 – Melissa)
• On Community:
  • “None of us get there alone. Anyone who has any quality of life, it’s because of all the people who’ve come around you and helped you.” (32:02 – Melissa)
• On Intergenerational Change:
  • “These young people who are counted out are the young people that we’re counting on.” (26:36 – Melissa)
• On Bob Carr:
  • “He has given more than $100 million to this cause. I’ve been with Bob when he’s walked into homeless shelters...when he’s gone into prisons...to say, ‘What’s most important to me is to invest in you.’” (05:42 – Melissa)

Important Timestamps

• 02:38 – 05:15: Melissa’s formative experiences and journey to Give Back
• 05:35 – 08:25: Give Back’s founding, Bob Carr’s story, and the impact of small acts of generosity
• 10:55 – 13:28: The transformative effect of reframing labels and building new identities
• 14:17 – 16:25: Program mechanics: recruitment, coaching, dignified support
• 18:45 – 20:28: Specialized training, meeting practical challenges, coaching impact
• 20:53 – 22:15: Promoting alumni as coaches and modeling generational transformation
• 24:38 – 26:41: Intergenerational vision, Bob Carr’s legacy, investing in youth
• 28:25 – 29:55: The reciprocity of giving and receiving
• 30:32 – 31:46: Give Back’s call for more partners and spreading the word
• 32:02 – 33:03: Advice on seeking and appreciating help—“none of us get there alone”

Final Reflections & Calls to Action

• Community and Partnership:
  • Give Back is eager to increase partnerships and broaden reach to more youth—especially coming out of the isolation of COVID.
• Help is Universal:
  • Melissa encourages everyone: don’t be ashamed to seek or offer help; success is never a solo journey.
• Get Involved:
  • Listeners can reach out directly to Give Back (giveback.ngo, Melissa’s direct email: MHelmbrecht@giveback.ngo) to support or partner.
• Be a “Lee”:
  • In the spirit of Melissa’s mentor, Lee, everyone is encouraged to take a moment to notice who’s not at the table and invite them in. “If you didn’t have that in your life right now, be that for somebody because that is part of the ripple.” (33:08 – Becky)