#345- Cinderella Nonprofit: How a Brooklyn Debate Coach Went Viral and Raised $1.3 Million in 48 Hours with DiCo

This week’s episode of Nonprofit Lowdown is straight-up magic. 🪄

I sat down with my friend DiCo, Executive Director of the Brooklyn Debate League, and their story is nothing short of jaw-dropping.

One minute, they're a public school teacher running debate club on Fridays. The next? A viral Humans of New York post, a GoFundMe that raises $1.3 million in two days, and suddenly they're leading a movement to bring speech and debate to all kids—especially those from historically excluded communities.

In this episode, we talk about:

💥 The power of speech & debate to literally change lives

💡 What it’s like to scale a nonprofit overnight

🤝 Why asking for help isn’t weakness—it’s strategy

🔥 And how DiCo built a powerhouse network just by being kind (seriously)

I left this convo so inspired, fired up about the future of youth leadership, and ready to help scale this thing to the moon.

Important Links:

Upcoming Events: https://www.rheawong.com/events/ 

My Big Ask Gifts Program: https://go.rheawong.com/big-ask-gifts-program 

My Book, Get That Money Honey: https://go.rheawong.com/get-that-money-honey 

My Newsletter: https://www.rheawong.com/