Logan Altman has done good. Not only is the 2013 Santiago Canyon College graduate being recognized by the Community College League of California in its annual list of distinguished alumni, but he is also a decade into simultaneously forging a name for himself in both the corporate and nonprofit worlds as the chief impact officer for Doing Good Works.
A thriving company in merchandising, marketing and branding campaigns for major corporations, Doing Good Works also cycles profits into nonprofit endeavors, including its own 501(c) 3, Foster Greatness, launched in 2019 to assist youth and those exiting the foster care system.
As one of the top do-gooders for a company devoted to good deeds, Altman said he is blessed to be able to branch beyond career and corporate goals to something more substantive. He is accomplishing what he first set out to achieve.
“I wanted to do more than branding,” Altman said. “I wanted to transform lives.”
Altman was introduced to social enterprise businesses, whose bottom lines are less about profits and stock prices than supporting societal goals, when he met Doing Good Works founders Scott Henderson and Jordan Bartlett.
At the time, Altman was creating a name for himself as a marketing and promotional projects executive. And yet, he felt something was missing.
“I asked myself if there was anything else,” he recalled. “It wasn’t fulfilling.”
Although Altman was active in charity and nonprofit work through his church, he wanted to do more.
A chance conversation with a friend in 2015 changed everything.
The friend urged Altman to look into social entrepreneurship, a form of all-boats-rise capitalism with a conscience.
Not only that, the friend also arranged a meeting with Henderson and Bartlett, who were in the nascent stages of putting together Doing Good Works.
marketing team, attends Goodwill’s ribbon cutting of its new Foothill Ranch store and donation center. (Photo courtesy of RSCCD Communications)
Although scammers and frauds have infiltrated the world of social enterprise, legit companies can be uplifting for all involved.
Doing Good Works is a state-certified Public Benefit Corporation, meaning it undergoes rigorous assessments of its actions and their impacts on the communities they serve.
While contemplating the creation of Doing Good Works, Henderson and Bartlett studied the plight of foster care youth and young adults leaving the system. That provided the raison d’etre for Doing Good Works.
“The whole goal is to make money for our mission,” Altman said.
According to local and national data sheets, foster kids have staggeringly high instances of attempted suicide, incarceration, addiction, homelessness rates and low education. They are twice as likely as U.S. war veterans to experience PTSD and most were removed from homes where they suffered abuse and had parents with alcohol or drug dependence.
After hearing Doing Good Works’ cause and plan to support it by entering the $28 billion promotional merchandise industry, Altman recalled, “I said, ‘You sold me!’ ”
The foster care goal had special resonance for Altman.
As a youth, he volunteered to wrap and pass out Christmas gifts to foster kids through his church. Altman recalled being puzzled and saddened by the subdued reaction from the fosters when receiving the gifts.
Altman says he later came to understand, “They didn’t want a present, they wanted the presence of a loving family.”
Since its launch, Doing Good Works estimates it has donated nearly $4 million to underserved communities, including more than $1 million in 2024 in employment, education and wraparound support to youth affected by foster care. The company has also provided about $75,000 in unrestricted grants to support unique student needs.The goal of Foster Greatness, the company’s nonprofit, is to become the largest resource and community hub anywhere for those in foster care.
A glaring obstacle for those leaving foster care is the difficulty they face trying to obtain benefits, resources and just basic information.
The nonprofit created what it calls a lived experience-led platform where foster youth can connect with others with similar backgrounds and share.
Interest in the platform has exploded to 2,000 members and drawn interest from the United Kingdom, where Foster Greatness was asked to help create a similar program.
In addition to just providing community, akin to the families many never had, Foster Greatness stages regular seminars and webinars on subjects ranging from tax credits to parenting support.
“We are in their back pocket,” Altman said of the tools that can be found in members’ phones. “Whenever they need help, they can reach into their back pocket.”
During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Altman was asked by several health care organizations to which he had provided promotional merchandise if he could procure personal protective equipment.
Altman worked his global supply chains and logistics connections to help deliver 20 million medical face masks, gowns and other materials to support pandemic relief efforts.And again, during the Palisades and Eaton fires, he pulled together a task force that donated about $13,500 worth of critical supplies, from first aid kits to clothing to blankets for local nonprofits and aid groups.
Altman credits Santiago Canyon College with helping set his path and giving him the foundation that led to a degree in business from California Baptist University and into his career.
In high school, Altman had no idea of his future path, he said. One day, he decided to go on a school campus tour of Santiago Canyon, a college he said he knew nothing about.
His first recollection? Parking. Unlike most colleges, Santiago had ample available parking for students.
“That was a big check box,” he said with a laugh.
Learning about other equally important benefits such as class availability and size, he was sold.
Later, Altman said he was impressed by the faculty and how all were committed to students on a personal and authentic level, all of which helped set the basis and standard for his future.
In the past 10 years, Altman and Doing Good Works have run a raft of awards. These include being a Greater Irvine Chamber’s “40 Under 40” honoree in 2024 and ASI/Counselor’s 2020 Bess Cohn Humanitarian of the Year. He is also a founding board member of the Santiago Canyon College Alumni Association & B Local Orange County.
However, all that pales compared with what he describes as his “mission” of helping foster kids live better lives.
“My vision is to see stats dramatically improve (for foster youth),” he said, which he said is his “next forever.”