Meet Eric Klein | The CEO of CAN-DO.ORG & Co-Founder of Fighting Chance Foundation

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Klein and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
I don’t think the average person has any idea of how much blatant in-your-face corruption and red-tape exists in the charity world, especially when a disaster strikes. I’d go as far to say it’s the most corrupt industry across the board. When the media cameras stop rolling, so does most of the money and distribution of donations raised by nonprofits with the promise of rebuilding and supporting those impacted. It’s an unchecked and unregulated industry and it pisses me off to have witnessed for 20+ years the big-name orgs take in billions off of the backs of people suffering with no accountability, leaving the affected communities stranded. Thats why when I started my organization CAN-DO.ORG in 2004 I made the promise to have full transparency to our donors and account for every dollar raised. From disaster relief to community revitalization projects, we show donors – concept through completion – the impact they’re making. Since our inception, every dollar donated goes directly to the projects and communities we serve, no salaries and no wasteful overhead. We also aren’t shy about calling out the red-tape and corruption we see. The more donors call for accountability, the bigger sustainable impact they’ll see. Without it, it’s just a lot of smoke-n-mirrors and orgs patting themselves on the back at the expense of the people who need it most. And you don’t have to take my word for it. Pick a community hit by a major natural disaster and then look how much money was raised by thousands of nonprofits to “help” them and then see if that dollar amount even remotely matches the impact on the ground. It’s not even close. That’s why it is so important for anyone in my industry who has the privilege to go into these areas after a disaster strikes, to speak up for the very people we’re there to help. My personal long-term goal is to pass a law in Congress called The Accountability Act. This law would ensure full transparency and accountability throughout the industry—requiring tax-exempt organizations who take in money from the public to prove their donations raised proportionally matches the impact made.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
About twenty years ago my life took an unexpected turn when I was hit by a drunk driver in Los Angeles. The accident happened around the same time as the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka which, at that time, was the largest disaster relief effort in the world.  As I recuperated in bed, glued to the news coverage, I found myself getting more and more aggravated. Why was I still watching survivors desperate for even the most basic supplies? It had been months since the tsunami hit and I was still seeing the same devastation and desperation on TV despite billions of dollars already raised to provide immediate relief. How hard could it be to directly assist those suffering? I decided to go find out for myself. I emptied my personal savings and headed to Sri Lanka to see firsthand how far my contribution could stretch in aiding the survivors and what progress I could make. Turns out, a lot. In just a few months, I had hired locals, rented bulldozers to clear debris from villages, rebuilt fisherman’s boats and bought them new nets so they could get back to work, provided immediate supplies to villagers who had been left with nothing and so much more. That trip I realized, firsthand, how easy it was to make an impact, with not a lot of money.  It also underscored my hunch of the sheer corruption and lack of accountability from the “big-name” organizations we always see on TV.  So that was the start of my new career – launching a non-profit CAN-DO.ORG [Compassion Into Action – Direct Outcome Organization]. We’ve since completed hundreds of disaster relief and community revitalization projects in the United States and around the world. What sets us apart from the other orgs is how transparent and accountable we are with donations raised and the impact we make on the ground. We also involve our donors—providing live updates, streaming footage, and full financial transparency.  Since our inception every dollar donated goes directly to the projects and communities we serve, not on salaries or overhead. Concept to completion. We show the impact, don’t just talk about it. We also aren’t afraid to speak up about the corruption we witness in the industry and advocate on behalf of underserved communities – including the elderly – who are often times forgotten about or left behind. Calling out the BS I witness in the field doesn’t land me on a lot of industry Christmas card lists but it does help me sleep at night, so I’m okay with it.

One of our long-term community projects I’m currently most excited about is right here in Los Angeles.  In 2022, CAN-DO teamed up with community mentor and professional MMA fighter Chase Gibson to launch and build a new non-profit MMA community gym called Fighting Chance. We now offer free MMA and Mindfulness programs for at-risk youth, people in recovery, and other underserved groups throughout the year, as well as donation-based community classes. We realized we needed to focus more on community-based projects here at home during the pandemic. During a time where so many people were struggling for connection and direction, we discovered there weren’t actually a lot of free programs out there like ours available. Shocking given the millions in tax-payer funded dollars allocated each year to support underserved groups, but not surprising to our team, given the lack of accountability we witness following natural disasters. The response since we launched our space has been incredible. Our CAN-DO/Fighting Chance programs aren’t just about fitness, they foster discipline, confidence, and resilience. Most importantly, they provide community support, a sense of purpose and the tools needed to succeed. We’re hoping to raise funds to expand and add more of these community MMA centers throughout the year. If you feel called to support this project and want to see an immediate positive impact in our city, visit CAN-DO.ORG/donate. As always, 100% of donations to CAN-DO go directly to support our specific projects.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Some of my favorite places to bring friends when they visit me in LA are outdoors.  Find a cool trail to hike or take a drive out to El Matador Beach in Malibu which has rugged terrain, hidden coves and the best sunsets. I used to live in NYC and on my first trip ever to LA, which was right after 9/11, I visited El Matador Beach. It was on the cliff side of that beach that I decided to leave my life in NYC and I’ve lived in LA ever since. For music lovers, The Mint and The Troubadour are great spots for visitors. Catch, Petit Ermitage and Gracias Madre are great dinner spots for visitors wanting that classic LA outdoor vibe.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I proudly give my Shoutout to all the local people I’ve met and worked with in the field, who join our CAN-DO.ORG team amid some of the worst moments of their life yet bring the best attitude, hard work and display the true spirit of the human soul. They’re the ones who deserve recognition for their resilience and determination in the face of adversity. Our team finds smaller, forgotten about communities after a disaster hits (earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes etc.) who desperately need resources and assistance. These residents have often just lost everything, and don’t often know where to start. That’s where we step in. We believe in empowering residents to get involved and spearhead their own development initiatives. After all, who knows the needs of a community better than those who call it home?  We have completed hundreds of projects following this model and the results are sustainable because the locals were part of it and continue long after we’re gone. I still stay in touch with a lot of the locals we’ve worked with, including people from my first project in 2004 following the Tsunami in Sri Lanka.  The coolest part?  So many of them have gone on to start their own non-profits and continue to pay it forward in their hometown, using the CAN-DO model of accountability, transparency, and real results.

Website: www.can-do.org

Instagram: @ericklein978

Other: Donate to CAN-DO.ORG –> Venmo @NoRedTape