In 2019, The Soul Project was not a nonprofit – it was a question.
Founder Kristie Dean began sharing women’s stories online – what she thought would be a short, 12-week storytelling project. Instead, it became more than 200 stories and an organic community built around resilience, belonging, and authenticity.
There was passion. There was purpose. There was need.
But there was no structure.
As Kristie shared on The Brighter Futures Podcast – “Passion does not create long-term impact.”
By 2021, The Soul Project had momentum, but it was still a one-woman passion project. Kristie wasn’t on payroll. There were no employees. There was no long-term roadmap. She described those early days as survival mode, focused on getting through the next three months.
That’s when The Soul Project became a Rodman for Kids Charity Partner.
At first, Kristie thought it would be about the Ride, but what she found was something much deeper.
She found:
- A framework to build around
- A community of leaders to learn from
- Professional development and shared resources
- Strategic guidance at a pivotal growth moment
- And perhaps most importantly, belief
“It was like I was free falling,” she shared. The Ride gave her something to work toward – a milestone. But the real impact came from everything surrounding it.
In fact, she said, “I actually think the Ride is the least impactful part of it.”
Because what sustained The Soul Project wasn’t a single event. It was year-round partnership.
Over the last five years, that partnership helped The Soul Project move from survival to strategy.
Today, Kristie is the full-time Executive Director with four part-time staff members and The Soul Project’s programs are expanding.
Soulful Girls Club – a program designed to create inclusive spaces for teen girls with intellectual and developmental differences – has grown from one gathering to three Friday night programs each month, free for families.
That growth didn’t happen in isolation.
It happened because Rodman for Kids invests in strengthening youth-focused organizations – not just helping them for a day, but walking alongside them year-round.
When organizations gain structure, community, accountability, and belief, they gain the capacity to expand. And when organizations expand, more kids are served.
The Soul Project’s growth is not just a story of one nonprofit finding its footing; it’s a story of what happens when partnership is intentional.
Because of Rodman for Kids and The Soul Project’s 5 year partnership, more girls have found spaces to belong, more families have found community, and more young people have built resilience and confidence that will shape their futures.
When Rodman for Kids strengthens organizations, organizations like The Soul Project move from survival mode to thriving mode. And when they thrive, brighter futures follow.