When I decided to create a nonprofit, I knew I wanted its purpose to be built around creating the most positive change possible in the world. For years, I thought about how to approach it strategically, almost like building a business. I thought in terms of return on investment (ROI), but instead of dealing with dollars and easily measured outcomes, I focused on something I attempted to quantify as “units of positive change.” What could I do with my resources to create the greatest number of these “units”—or in other words, the most impact for every dollar spent? That’s why I came up with the name Maximum Difference Foundation (MDF).
After a lot of reflection, I realized that focusing on children would offer the best ROI. Why? Because if you can help children early on, they will spend their entire lives making a positive impact on the world. It’s also easier to shape positive habits in young children compared to adults or even teenagers. When you invest in a child’s development, the ripple effects are incredible—each dollar spent can yield exponential results over time. A big investment, like $1,000, could yield 2,000 units of positive change, and so on and so forth. This became the foundational philosophy for MDF, with a mission to make the biggest difference possible with the resources we had.
The next step in realizing MDF’s mission was deciding how to achieve these goals on a broad scale. Looking around, I saw a definite gap between parental behavior and their desired outcomes for their children. For example, many parents, especially in lower- and middle-income households, unconsciously rely on how they themselves were raised, without stopping to explore whether there might be more effective ways to foster their own children’s growth. With this in mind, MDF focused its efforts on raising awareness about the art and science of good parenting, encouraging parents to read books, attend seminars, and explore other resources that promote nurturing, evidence-based child-rearing techniques. Through advertising and sophisticated awareness campaigns, MDF has sought to motivate parents to adopt these practices, with the ultimate aim of creating happier, healthier children—and, as a result, happier, more successful adults.
In first-world countries like the U.S., parents often start treating their children more like adults earlier on in their lives, giving them the autonomy to make choices and understand cause and effect. This style of parenting, which promotes responsibility and independence, contrasts with more traditional approaches practiced elsewhere in the world. I believe that when children are empowered to think freely and understand the consequences of their actions, they grow into more successful, creative, and resilient adults. It is this focus on long-term development that has always driven our efforts at Maximum Difference Foundation.
My central theory is simple: if parents are motivated to learn the art and science of good parenting and apply better techniques than many do currently, their children will grow into happier adults, who will naturally become more successful. Happier adults tend to do better at work, get promoted faster, and have a higher likelihood of becoming entrepreneurs—individuals who can create an outsized impact in the world.
I should also mention that when people donate to MDF, a significant portion of those funds go toward supporting other nonprofits whose operations align closely with our own mission, expanding our reach and maximizing our impact. For example, MDF has partnered with organizations like Doctors Without Borders, the National MS Society, and Amnesty International to help provide medical aid, shelter, and other forms of humanitarian assistance to those in need. By working with these well-established nonprofits, MDF has expanded its reach and continued to apply the same philosophy of “units of positive change” across different areas of impact.
But ultimately, every effort of MDF has been about making the world a better place in the future. With every dollar, with every action, we aim to create as many “units of positive change” as possible. Now, in 2024, more than two decades after I initially founded the organization, Maximum Difference Foundation continues to enact our mission to foster the most positive change we can in the world. Whether it be through motivating parents to raise happier, self-developed children through reading, learning, and therapy, or partnering with other like-minded organizations with a global reach, all of these efforts have been in the name of making the maximum difference.