Profit with Purpose: Reimagining the Future of Nonprofits, Andy Choi, Do Good

The Business of Doing Good: Why Andy Choi Thinks the Future of Social Impact Starts with Better Business

Most people don't set out to change the world because they're looking for paperwork.

They start with a problem they can't ignore. A family in need. A community that deserves better. An idea that refuses to let go.

Then reality shows up.

Legal filings. IRS paperwork. State registrations. Insurance requirements. Annual compliance reports. Tax forms. Board governance. Audits.

Somewhere between the inspiration and the impact, many good intentions become buried under bureaucracy.

That realization sits at the heart of this episode of The Wild Party Podcast, where host Stefanie LaHart sits down with Andy Choi, Founder and CEO of Do Good, a company reimagining what it means to build social impact through business. What unfolds isn't simply a conversation about nonprofits. It's a discussion about entrepreneurship, innovation, capitalism, and why doing good shouldn't require becoming an expert in administrative law.

"I Wish You Had Existed in 2007."

Early in the interview, Stefanie shares a story listeners have never heard in this much detail.

Back in 2007, she founded Busted Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping women undergoing breast cancer treatment pay everyday expenses like childcare, transportation, and medical co-pays. The organization hosted fundraising events—including the memorable Bowling for Boobies—and distributed checks directly to women who desperately needed financial relief.

The mission was clear.

The execution was another story.

"I actually started my own nonprofit back in 2007... We got very excited about doing fundraisers helping women who were dealing with bills as they were battling breast cancer."

Like many first-time nonprofit founders, Stefanie assumed the hardest part would be raising money.

Instead, she found herself drowning in paperwork.

Insurance requirements she didn't know existed.

Annual filings.

Legal compliance.

Questions no one had warned her about.

"I thought, 'Oh my God... if only someone had told me there was another way.'"

That personal experience became the perfect backdrop for Andy's work today.

Breaking Down the Barriers to Doing Good

Andy doesn't believe the biggest obstacle to social impact is a lack of compassion.

He believes it's friction.

"Our goal as a company is to break down the barriers to doing good."

His company, Do Good, has developed what it calls Nonprofit-as-a-Service (NAS)—a model that allows businesses, entrepreneurs, and community leaders to launch charitable initiatives without creating and maintaining an independent nonprofit organization from scratch.

Rather than asking founders to spend months navigating legal structures, Do Good provides the operational framework behind the scenes.

Andy compares it to building the infrastructure so others can focus on their mission.

Instead of becoming experts in compliance, they can spend their time serving people.

It's an idea born not from theory, but from observing just how many promising initiatives never get off the ground because the administrative burden becomes overwhelming.

The Myth That Nonprofits Aren't Businesses

One of the most fascinating parts of the conversation is how quickly it dismantles one of society's biggest misconceptions.

Many people believe nonprofits somehow exist outside the world of business.

Andy argues exactly the opposite.

"The business of doing good is very, very broken."

He explains that nonprofits still require budgets, leadership, operations, marketing, accounting, fundraising, compliance, and long-term planning.

The difference is that many organizations are expected to accomplish all of this while operating with limited resources and under constant public scrutiny.

Stefanie immediately recognized the truth in what he was describing.

When she launched Busted Foundation, she assumed passion would be enough.

"I thought everybody was just going to donate everything for free."

Instead, she quickly discovered that venues cost money.

Insurance costs money.

Staffing costs money.

Marketing costs money.

Running a nonprofit required every bit as much business acumen as running a traditional company.

That realization changed how she viewed entrepreneurship forever.

Profit With Purpose

Perhaps the biggest idea explored during the interview is Andy's philosophy of Profit With Purpose.

Before explaining his business model, Andy makes a statement that surprises many listeners.

"I want to preface everything by saying that I'm a capitalist."

At first glance, it seems almost contradictory.

Yet his explanation reframes capitalism not as the opposite of social good, but as one of its greatest potential engines.

"I believe in profit with purpose."

For Andy, businesses shouldn't have to choose between financial success and meaningful impact.

Instead, he believes the strongest companies intentionally weave purpose into the very fabric of their business model.

He points to brands like TOMS and Warby Parker, where every purchase directly supports a larger mission.

“Rather than writing a charitable check once a year, these companies build giving into every transaction.”

Impact becomes part of growth itself.

Consumers Are Paying Attention

Today's customers expect more from brands than quality products.

They want authenticity.

Throughout the conversation, Andy explains that younger generations increasingly evaluate companies based not only on what they sell, but also on what they stand for.

Consumers want transparency.

They want measurable impact.

Most importantly, they can tell the difference between authentic purpose and carefully crafted marketing campaigns.

Businesses that genuinely integrate social responsibility often create stronger customer loyalty because people enjoy supporting companies whose values reflect their own.

As Stefanie points out, this isn't just good ethics.

It's smart marketing.

Why This Conversation Hit Home

While Andy shares innovative solutions, one of the most emotional moments of the episode comes from Stefanie herself.

Reflecting on the years she spent running her nonprofit, she makes an incredibly candid admission.

The pressure wasn't created by the mission.

It came from trying to navigate an incredibly complicated system while simply wanting to help people.

Looking back now, Stefanie sees Andy's company as the kind of resource she wishes had existed when she started.

By removing administrative burdens, entrepreneurs can spend more energy where it belongs: serving others.

A Different Vision for the Future

As the conversation comes to a close, it becomes clear that this isn't simply about nonprofits.

It's about rethinking how businesses contribute to society.

Instead of separating profit from purpose, Andy envisions organizations where doing good is woven directly into growth.

Where charitable initiatives aren't side projects.

They're part of the business model itself.

For Stefanie, the interview even reignited a dream she thought she'd left behind.

After years away from nonprofit work, she found herself wondering whether Busted Foundation might one day return, this time without the mountain of paperwork that once threatened to overwhelm it.

Perhaps that's the greatest takeaway from this conversation.

Sometimes innovation isn't about creating something entirely new.

Sometimes it's about removing the obstacles that have been standing in the way all along.

And when those barriers disappear, more people are free to do what they wanted to do in the first place:

Serve others.

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