Here’s a TED Talk by Silicon Valley community leader Nipun Mehta about intrinsic motivations — fun, learning, growth, and building community without paid memberships or corporate donations.

I learned after college that it’s possible through volunteering at ServiceSpace. Co-founder Nipun scaled this global nonprofit without much money.

How does this relate to my experience in Austin? There are a lot of underfunded nonprofits and social causes similar to where Silicon Valley was before its boom. Many could grow using this playbook: