It’s a Chimed Life™: Meet Jonathan Kurup, Social Impact Partnerships Manager
Jonathan Kurup’s (he/him/his) journey to his career in social impact began before his first job: “It started with my upbringing,” he says. "Growing up first-generation, low-income in a predominantly underserved community, I knew what it was like to take advantage of nonprofit services. I stood in line at food banks and received gifts from my mom's church."
Jonathan’s childhood experience instilled in him a strong sense of community and pride—and sparked his interest in public service. He got involved with his local city government’s youth programming and immersed himself in community work before going to college. After college, he took the first job he could get: “I was working retail in a management training program,” he explains. “I was crushing it—I had 12 staff, 2 branches, and was the top revenue producer, but it just didn’t feel like ‘me.’ When my dad passed away, I quit and doubled down on my interest in public service and joined the military.”
Jonathan enlisted in the Army Reserve, where he served three years on active duty and four years in the reserves. After his time in the military, he became involved in the nonprofit space, advocating for workforce development for those experiencing homelessness.
He moved from nonprofit to nonprofit, including a community foundation doing corporate social responsibility work, building out strategies for big tech, and grant-making work. Then he held social impact roles at Cisco, Starbucks, and Salesforce. Today, Jonathan is Chime’s Social Impact Partnerships Manager.
A drive to be civically engaged
For Jonathan, the drive to help others isn't just a career choice—it's a calling. "My number one motivator in life—other than food—is to help people, and always feeling a connection to my work, regardless of the job I'm doing," he says. His approach embodies the old adage that if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life.
Over the years, Jonathan has developed a deep love for social impact and partnership work, drawn to its potential for creating meaningful change. As his career took him to large corporations, he came to appreciate the level of accountability that comes with his work: "I like working in a space where companies are doing good because it's good—not because they want to market their efforts or it's required of them," he explains. "I know I'm in a seat of privilege where I can do good in an authentic way by leveraging resources few others have access to."
When people reach out to Jonathan on LinkedIn seeking career advice, he tries to never say no. "I remember what it was like breaking into the space, so I try to be generous with my time and advice when I can be," he shares.
His advice for those interested in social impact work is threefold:
- There's no single path to social impact. Whether through government, environment, community, or corporate social responsibility, the key is finding the route that feels authentic to you.
- Impact can come from any role. You don't need a social impact title to make a difference. It might be as simple as sponsoring a veteran's golf tournament or rallying your team to volunteer for a cause you care about.
- Find your own voice. "I have my own reasons for being into this work, but everyone is passionate about different causes. Know your passion, own it, and it'll be infectious! In my experience, I've learned that most people want to do good, so it's easy to bring people along."
"I have my own reasons for being into this work, but everyone is passionate about different causes. Know your passion, own it, and it'll be infectious! In my experience, I've learned that most people want to do good, so it's easy to bring people along."
His path to ChimeⓇ
While Jonathan had heard about Chime, it was learning more about our mission, ethos, and potential that ultimately drew him in. "Chime is in a space of expansive growth and success, and I wanted to be in a position to do social impact work as the company grows—that’s the best way to ensure impact is a part of the fabric of a company,” he says. “Based on what I knew before joining, my work would be an integral and intentional part of Chime, and that was exciting to me."
"Chime is in a space of expansive growth and success, and I wanted to be in a position to do social impact work as the company grows—that’s the best way to ensure impact is a part of the fabric of a company. Based on what I knew before joining, my work would be an integral and intentional part of Chime, and that was exciting to me."
In his role as Social Impact Partnerships Manager, Jonathan oversees three key areas:
- Employee Engagement: Helping Chimers get involved in their communities and support the places where they live, work, and play.
- Strategic Partnerships: Connecting with partners to amplify Chime's brand and maximize impact, particularly in areas like financial education.
- Member Activism and Advocacy: Leveraging both member voices and Chime's platform to drive benefits for our community.
The excitement in Jonathan's voice is palpable when he talks about his work. He particularly enjoys the volunteering aspects, where he gets to meet and connect with people across Chime while seeing and feeling impact firsthand. "Many aspects of these programs are new for Chime; we're excited to innovate, bring new partnerships and programs into the fold, and build this important muscle for our company—with no telling where it could go," he says.
A unique position for impact
Jonathan’s excitement comes partly from his own drive, partly from Chimers’ enthusiasm, and partly from the position Chime is in to drive meaningful change.
“Chime is set apart by how naturally suited its products are for the communities it serves,” Jonathan says. “Our existing initiatives, like our Financial Education commitment and ZogoⓇ partnership, address inherent community needs and stay ahead of the curve. We're seeing government policy pushing financial education into high schools and Chime is already there, partnering with local communities to bring financial literacy to students—and that's something to be really proud of."
Since joining Chime, Jonathan has been particularly impressed by the organic volunteerism he’s discovered. "No one has to ask Chimers to get involved—they do it naturally,” he says. “There's passion across the company, and I'm just here to put my hands around it and help us achieve impact in a more unified way."
As Jonathan hits the ground running in his role, he sees unlimited potential for Chime's social impact work. "As a fintech and disruptor, Chime is so different from other organizations in many ways, which puts us in a unique position,” he explains. “We're working to establish ourselves as a leader in the social impact space, and I believe we're poised to have a massive impact. I'm excited to see what we accomplish in the year ahead!"
"No one has to ask Chimers to get involved—they do it naturally. There's passion across the company, and I'm just here to put my hands around it and help us achieve impact in a more unified way."
To learn more about Chime's work in our community, visit our Community Page.