Rooted in service
Philantree was born out of a passion for purpose and a desire to make volunteering more accessible, rewarding, and community-driven.
How it started
Philantree was founded by Elijah Mattfeld Campos, a lifelong volunteer and a Global Business graduate of California State University San Marcos. The idea took root through firsthand experience with the challenges young people face when trying to connect with meaningful opportunities, and the challenges nonprofits face when trying to find them.
Before Philantree, Elijah volunteered with:
- Beach cleanups with the Surfrider Foundation
- Food distribution with Circle of Care
- Medical clinics with CSUSM's Flying Samaritans
- Orphanage outreach with Colinda de Luz
- Anti-trafficking work with Pozo de Vida
After placing first in a business pitch competition, Elijah decided to pursue the idea and brought together a team of CSUSM business students to develop it further.
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" Martin Luther King Jr.
Grounded in research
As part of CSUSM's Senior Experience program, the team spent a semester researching the problem before designing a solution:
- Nonprofit interviews. We spoke with eight organizations working on food insecurity, homelessness, youth development, autism support, hospice and veteran services, the arts, and faith-based service.
- Student surveys. We asked students and young adults how they find volunteer work, what holds them back, and what would keep them involved.
- Design work. We created the Philantree brand, wrote user stories for each type of user, and designed early concepts for the app.
What we heard shaped everything. Nonprofits told us their biggest challenges are finding volunteers who are available when they're needed, keeping people engaged, and managing everything across too many disconnected tools. Students told us they want opportunities that fit their schedules and interests, and a way to show the impact they've made.
Our mission
Help people discover meaningful ways to contribute to their communities, while helping nonprofits attract and keep the people they need.
Growth
Every volunteer hour is a seed. We want to help small acts of service grow into lasting community involvement.
Trust
People should know what they're signing up for, and organizations should feel confident about who's showing up. We'll be honest about what Philantree does and doesn't do.
Community
Volunteering is better together. We're building for the friends, classmates, congregations, and neighbors who show up for each other.
Starting small, on purpose
Philantree is an early-stage startup. The research is done and the app is in design. We're not trying to build everything at once.
Our next step is a focused pilot: a small group of nonprofits and volunteers in one community, using a simple version of Philantree for real volunteer events. We want to learn what actually helps before we grow.