Ellie Zeitlin came to speak at Nichols College on Tuesday February 10th. She is one of a number of speakers who have been invited to speak as part of the Learning to Lead class, a course that all freshman are required to take. This event was also a cultural event hosted by the Fisher Institute. After Ellie graduated from Columbia University as an Economics major, she immediately became involved in a non-profit organization called DoSomething.
The organization works with young people to take action on the social changes that are happening all around them. After leaving DoSomething, she co-founded a new non-profit called Change Better, which helps other non-profits get started. Change Better provides them with the following services: an organizational diagnostic, an individualized impart-evaluation strategy, a core advisor from their team, pro bono consultants, and conferences and workshops.
In the last four years Ellie has worked with social entrepreneurs to help build important strategic and impactful endeavors. Since co-founding Change Better, her organization has awarded more than $1.4 million to the country’s best change makers.
I enjoyed listening to her speech. She really gave us insight into the inspirations that have made her the person she is today. However, I wish she had talked more about herself; she only briefly touched upon her family life growing up and how she became interested in non-profits. It was amazing to see that even though she went through tough times, she has become a successful woman and still makes a positive impact on society. All around, she had a compelling presentation. The impact she has had makes me want to go out and do something to make a difference.