Episode 26: How Dr. Jonathan Donath Facilitated over $29 Million in Charity Through Daily Giving

Description

In this episode of the What It Takes Podcast, host Tuli Kraus sits down with Dr. Jonathan Donath — chiropractor, entrepreneur, and founder of Daily Giving — to talk about building a successful practice from scratch, starting a nonprofit with zero experience, and why giving tzedakah every single day might be the greatest business decision you ever make. Dr. Jonathan Donath runs a thriving chiropractic practice in White Plains, New York, where he specializes in severe neck and back conditions, helping patients avoid surgery through hands-on, drug-free treatment. But outside the office, he's the president and CEO of Daily Giving — a non-profit that has distributed over $29 million to more than 100 Jewish organizations worldwide, funded entirely by people giving just $1 a day. What started as an epiphany in a shul parking lot after watching a YouTube video about a near-death experience turned into a global platform with 24,000 givers across 51 countries — distributing over $24,000 every single day to orphans, widows, cancer patients, poverty relief, kiruv, Torah, and more. In this conversation, Dr. Donath opens up about what it's really like to run two full-time operations simultaneously, the business mistakes he made early on, why he almost gave up in the first few months of Daily Giving, and the mindset shift around maaser that he wishes someone had told him at 21. If you're interested in entrepreneurship, nonprofit building, chiropractic as a career, the power of giving, or simply building something that actually matters, this episode will leave you inspired, challenged, and probably ready to sign up for something. 💡 In This Episode, We Cover: ◼️ How Dr. Donath chose chiropractic over traditional medicine—and built a practice from zero ◼️ The real salary numbers behind owning vs. working in chiropractic ◼️ Why going out-of-network was the best decision he ever made ◼️ The near-death experience video that sparked the idea for Daily Giving ◼️ How he grew from 100 signups to 24,000 givers across 51 countries ◼️ The operational reality of running an $8.8M/year nonprofit with a small team ◼️ Why every dollar donated goes directly to tzedakah—with overhead funded separately ◼️ The maaser habit he wishes he’d started at age 21 ◼️ How he hires, the personality tests he uses, and why warmth can’t be trained ◼️ The mindset of “failure is not an option”—and what it actually costs you to believe it ⏱️ Chapters: 0:00 From Minneapolis to White Plains — The Road to Chiropractic 10:13 Building the Business — Overhead, Patients & the Golden Handcuff Trap 26:51 The Near-Death Experience Video That Changed Everything 36:29 What Daily Giving Actually Is — How $1/Day Moves Millions 49:42 From 100 Signups to 24,000 Givers Across 51 Countries 1:04:27 Hiring, Personality Tests & Building Teams That Work 1:08:07 Maaser, Mindset & the Cheat Code to a Better Life 🔗 Connect with Dr. Jonathan Donath Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdonath/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjonathandonath/ 🔗 Connect with the Host - Tuli Kraus Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackbird.recruiting/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tuli-kraus/ United Refuah United Refuah offers an affordable alternative to traditional health insurance through a health share program, with a monthly cost of just $500. For the first 10 listeners, use code Blackbird to get the third month free. https://unitedrefuahhs.org/ Blackbird Recruiting Hiring the wrong person is expensive — not just financially, but culturally. Blackbird Recruiting helps growing companies hire people who actually perform, so you can spend less time filtering résumés and more time building your business. If you’re serious about scaling with the right team, visit blackbirdrecruiting.com to learn more.