About Us

Where this all started.

Ripple Affect started with a pretty simple observation: elite athletes have learned things that most people never get access to, and that felt like a problem worth solving.

Our Story

Built on the belief that
everyone has something
to teach you.

Ripple Affect was founded in 2025 by someone who grew up swimming and later studied mechanical engineering. Two very different worlds — and yet the same truth kept showing up in both: the people who've done hard things have knowledge that's worth passing on, if you actually take the time to listen.

This isn't about handing out medals or running motivational assemblies. It's about creating real connections between athletes who've lived something and communities that haven't had access to that kind of experience. Not a lecture. A conversation. And one that compounds over time.

We built Ripple Affect because we wanted to see that happen at scale, in places that don't normally get it. Not for the attention it might bring, not for awards, but because it's the right thing to do and someone needed to start.

Ripple Affect Inc.

What We Stand For

What we actually believe.

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Access over exclusivity

Sport is best when it belongs to everyone. We exist to close the gap between the communities that get access and the ones that don't. That's the whole job.

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Real connections, not photo ops

We're not interested in sending athletes into communities for a day and calling it impact. We build real relationships — the kind that keep producing something long after we leave.

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Small things done consistently

Big change doesn't happen from a single moment. It happens from showing up again and again, learning what works, and letting the results compound. That's how training works too.

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Impact over attention

We didn't start this to be on a stage somewhere. We started it because communities deserve better and athletes have something real to offer. That's the only scoreboard we're watching.

The Team

The people doing
the work.

JD
Jamie Donahue
Founder and Executive Director

Grew up swimming. Studied engineering. Started Ripple Affect because the problem felt solvable and someone had to try.

MT
Maya Torres
Director of Athlete Relations

Former professional soccer player who spent a decade figuring out how to make athlete experience useful beyond the pitch.

RK
Ray Kim
Director of Programs

Ten years building youth programs in communities that don't make headlines. Knows what works and what just looks like it does.

SN
Sofia Nguyen
Director of Development

Has helped nonprofits raise serious money for causes worth funding. Believes donors deserve to know exactly where their money goes.

Our Journey

How the ripple
has grown.

2025
Founded

Ripple Affect is incorporated with a small founding team, a clear mission, and five elite athlete partners who believed in what we were trying to do before we had anything to show for it.

2025
First programs on the ground

Three community programs launch across two states. More than 300 young athletes are reached in the first year. We receive our 501(c)(3) designation. The ripple starts moving.

2026
The network grows

Our athlete partner network grows to over 50 members across Olympic, Paralympic, professional, and collegiate sport. We're now active in 12 communities across the country.

Now
Still going

We're in our most ambitious year yet. More programs, more athletes, deeper roots in the communities we're already in. The work keeps compounding — that's the whole idea.

Get Involved

There's a place for you
in this ripple.

However you want to show up — as a donor, volunteer, athlete partner, or organization — we'd love to have you in it.