About Kjerstin

Kjerstin Erickson, 26, is the founder and Executive Director of FORGE, an international nonprofit organization that uses a unique social entrepreneurship model to facilitate community-driven peacebuilding in war-torn parts of Africa.

Kjerstin started FORGE in 2003 as a junior at Stanford University. In 2004 she stopped out of Stanford to grow the organization into an internationally-recognized NGO serving upwards of 70,000 victims of war each year. In addition to being an Operational Partner of the United Nations, FORGE's work has been profiled by leading media outlets such as CNN and Fast Company. In September, FORGE was honored by former President Bill Clinton and Queen Rania of Jordan at the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative.

An avid blogger and pioneer of 'radical transparency,' Kjerstin has become a leading voice in the social entrepreneurship space. She maintains a popular blog on the Skoll Foundation's SocialEdge website, and is a contributor to the Huffington Post. Her social media efforts have been profiled in outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, and Smart Money Magazine. In 2009 FORGE was honored with the Jenzabar Foundation's "Social Media Leadership Award” and was a finalist for the Agape Peace Prize

A regular speaker at conferences and events both nationally and internationally, Kjerstin has received numerous awards for her service and leadership. She has been named one of America's "Top 40 Leaders Under 40" by the New Leaders Council, a "Top 10 College Woman" by Glamour Magazine, and a "Person You Should Know" by CNN. In 2008, Ms. Erickson belatedly attained her degree in Public Policy from Stanford University, with a concentration in Global Development Solutions.

Q & A with Kjerstin

Why are you interested in taking a Thrust Fund loan?

With the unrestricted capital of a Thrust Fund loan, I can build the dynamic and robust fundraising apparatus needed to grow FORGE from a hand-to-mouth mid-sized nonprofit into a thriving, scaling force for global peacebuilding. I believe so deeply in FORGE's potential to radically transform the way the world deals with violent conflicts, that I'm more than happy to give up this portion of my future income to those who will help me watch it fly. Once FORGE is stable and sustainable, I look forward to pursuing other ventures that creatively combine both social and economic returns.

Some people may think that it's crazy to give up a percentage of your income for the sake of scaling a nonprofit venture. But to me, it makes perfect sense. As a human being, my life is naturally diminished with each life that is lost to war or disease, or fails to reach its potential because of poverty. So it makes sense to me to give up a decent portion of my income for the opportunity to see less of that in the world. I want to make people think about the skin they already have in the game of social change. And if there is an opportunity to make a return on that investment, all the better!

What would you do with the money?

I plan to invest the majority of the funds directly into FORGE - into the capital investments necessary for us to build out a dynamic and sustainable funding mechanism. I plan to hire executive staff, invest in systems infrastructure, and expand our brand potential. Unfortunately, the traditional philanthropic markets are not set up in a way that is conducive to raising true growth capital. A Thrust Fund Loan is the perfect alternative.

Once FORGE is comfortably established, I plan to use the remainder of the funds to prepare for my next venture (something in the social enterprise space).

What do you see yourself doing in 5, 10, or 20 years?

In 5 years, I see myself being midway into the build-out of a social enterprise company – currently I'm interested in the intersection of entrepreneurship, trauma rehabilitation and recovery, and alternative approaches to health and wellness. In 10 or 20 years, who knows! The only thing I'm really certain about is that I want to always be my own boss.

What is your favorite part of starting a new enterprise?

The rush, the vast expanse of possibilities, the way it challenges you to push beyond your comfort zones and reconsider everything you were once confident about…the way it alternatively tears you down and builds you up, forces you to grow and change and learn and adapt at a 10x pace, and ultimately reconstitutes all of your preconceptions of not only your own boundaries, but the world's.

Besides your current venture, what are you passionate about?

Being outdoors, what makes people tick, health and wellness, great books, higher consciousness and various paths to access it, football, alternative education, race dynamics, food, the psychology of persuasion, my family.