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Dan Austin  

Founder of 88Bikes

Dan Austin is in the business of Joy-Based Philanthropy. The founder of 88bikes—which endows bicycles to girls throughout the world, especially the heroic survivors of sexual slavery—Austin has dedicated his life to helping these courageous girls transcend and thrive.

Founded in 2006, 88bikes works on a simple principle: for every $88 donation one girl receives a bicycle. All bicycles are purchased locally and any labor for transportation, assembly, or assistance is hired locally. Austin and his volunteers return to run repair clinics and lead bike rides. But bikes are just beginning of Austin’s work: 88bikes’ Seamless Possibilities program curates dressmaking workshops with formerly-trafficked girls in Southeast Asia. Each girl sews a beautiful dress for herself under the mentorship of an LA-based costume designer. The rigorous, weeklong workshop is followed by a fun soirée (all of the girls get bikes too, of course!). 88bikes curates mural painting in India, collaborates with a surfboard NGO in the Philippines, and partners with celebrated NGO FAIR Girls by fusing bike rides with artisan jewelry trunk shows: all of the jewelry made by formerly-trafficked girls in FAIR Girls’ JewelGirls program. According to Austin: “Our goal is generating the most amount of overall joy in the universe. Bikes, dresses, surfboards, murals—whatever it takes to help these courageous girls transcend.” For Austin, Joy-Based Philanthropy has no limits.

The name 88bikes was inspired by the organization's first project, in which Austin and his team raised money to purchase 88 bicycles for 88 children at an orphanage in Cambodia. ($88 is also the average cost to build a bicycle in a developing country.)

Austin is also an accomplished filmmaker, best known for his feature documentary "True Fans," which chronicled his bike journey across America with his brother and his best friend. A book of the same name was also published, a stage play premiered in November 2013, and a musical version is in development in New York.

Speech Topics

Work and Serendipity

Dan Austin’s paradigm-shifting nonprofit, 88bikes, was an act of sheer serendipity. His breakout documentary feature, True Fans, which toured internationally—and inspired a stage play, a musical, and a book—was originally just a side project. When he chose to cast the Haitian streetkids in his documentary film Petionville as heroes instead of victims, he was fired by the foundation that hired him, but finished the film on his own, honoring the kids’ lives and stories. Petionville led to several high-profile collaborations and was the inspiration for 88bikes’ first project. In this upbeat, energetic talk, Austin discusses the role of serendipity in building a career. He shows how work can be an adventure, and how every job, no matter how pedestrian, can be have meaning. He demonstrates how the greatest leaps are almost always unexpected. (And the not-so-greatest leaps too: like his very short-lived rap career!) Social Entrepreneur, Author, Award-winning Filmmaker, Artist, New York City Bike Messenger, Art Class Model and nearly sixty jobs more, Austin’s talk provides guidance and levity to new graduates as they enter the job market as well as those looking to blaze a fresh path. By alchemizing talents, abilities, and interests, anyone willing to re-envision what they thought they knew, ask themselves what they want most, take a risk, evolve, work hard—even get fired—can fuse work, ambition, and serendipity and develop a vibrant, self-curated career.

The Incredible Journey of 88Bikes and Joy-Based Philanthropy

Dan Austin's Joy-Based Philanthropy is changing the way we think about giving. This new movement embraces something many NGOs overlook: that happiness is a need, on par with food and shelter. NGOs shouldn't offer simply sustenance. They should offer transcendence. 88bikes’ explosive success proves that by raising the bar, donors will also show more enthusiasm. According to Austin, “We all want to do more than just help our fellow human beings survive, we want to help each other thrive.” From Cambodia to Serbia to Washington DC, Austin takes us to the places where 88bikes works. We meet the heroic survivors of sexual slavery and witness how something as simple as a bike enhances their inspiring (and undimmed) ambition and hope. Austin offers hard-won tips on starting a foundation from scratch and making it as a social entrepreneur. "People don't want to give aimlessly," Austin says. "They want to support someone and know that their contribution is making her happy." Austin's organization—and this talk—offer irrefutable proof.

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