Jim Hake was a successful entrepreneur — founder of Access Media and twice named a “Technology Pioneer” by the World Economic Forum. But after 9/11, he decided to use his skills to develop a new approach to philanthropy. He founded the nonprofit Spirit of America in 2003, working with members of the U.S. military and Foreign Service to identify needs and distribute humanitarian aid in crisis zones around the world. “You can think of SoA as a philanthropic rapid response team — one that offers humanitarian and economic assistance at the request of our troops and in support of our nation’s interests,” writes retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, one of many illustrious members of SoA’s advisory board.
To date, Spirit of America has funded over 1,600 various projects in 114 countries, including delivering essential aid to earthquake victims in Syria; providing Afghan refugees with clothes, food, and toys; helping to rebuild schools in Mozambique; supplying U.S. military security partners in Honduras with personal protective equipment during COVID-19; and empowering young women in Iraq through sports. The organization has also delivered over $64 million in non-lethal aid — body armor and helmets, medical supplies, surveillance drones, vehicles, and more — to Ukrainian soldiers. According to the Ukraine High Command, SoA’s work is estimated to have saved the lives of over 4,500 soldiers and thousands more civilians.
Jim is a firm believer that American service members and diplomats can act as “social entrepreneurs,” backed by philanthropy instead of venture capital, to effect positive change around the world. SoA is the only nonprofit recognized by Congress and approved by the Department of Defense to work alongside deployed troops, but it took a literal act of Congress and reshaping of DoD regulations to make that happen. “SoA would not exist without the brilliance, the vision, and the grit that is Jim Hake,” says Jim Coulter, MBA ’86. “He left a successful business career to deliver impact and a set of values the world urgently needs today. As the GSB taught us, he challenged conventional thinking and approaches. He took chances. He created possibilities.”
