Chezuba: Sukhendra Reddy Rompally on the Future of Skill-Based Online Volunteering
What if you could change the world without leaving your desk? Sukhendra Reddy Rompally, the Founder of Chezuba and a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, is making this a reality. By building a global marketplace that connects skilled professionals with non-profits across 62 countries, Sukhendra is digitizing the social impact sector. His platform, whose name means "Thank You" in Burmese, is proving that technology can be the ultimate bridge between corporate expertise and the urgent needs of the world’s most vulnerable communities.
Sukhendra's journey into social entrepreneurship began at IIT Hyderabad, where a volunteering stint in Malaysia ignited his passion for helping others. "I saw the power of using your skills to create impact," he recalls. After a gap year spent experimenting with startups in Russia and working in the gaming industry in Taiwan, the idea for Chezuba hit him while backpacking in Myanmar. Today, Chezuba serves over 4,200 NGOs and has a network of 82,000+ skilled professionals ready to donate their expertise.
The Marketplace for Impact
Chezuba operates like Uber or Airbnb, but for social good. "On one side, we have NGOs that need specialized help—like web design, translation, or grant writing," Sukhendra explains. "On the other side, we have professionals who want to give back but don't have the time to travel to a village. We leverage the internet to ensure that a graphic designer in New York can build a logo for an education NGO in rural India."
The Role of the Corporate Sector
While individuals provide the skills, corporates provide the sustainability. Chezuba offers a specialized SaaS platform for multinational corporations to manage their employee engagement and CSR mandates. "Millennials are looking for companies that are socially conscious," Sukhendra notes. "By giving employees a dashboard to volunteer online, companies can track their collective impact, improve branding, and fulfill their social responsibility mandates simultaneously."
He believes that this synergy between capitalism and social good is the only way forward. "Economies move forward because of capitalism, but non-profits ensure that progress is holistic. Chezuba is the beam that joins these two pillars, ensuring that wealth creation and social upliftment happen in tandem."
Institutionalizing Ground-Level Impact
One of the biggest challenges in the social sector is the lack of organization. With over 10 million NGOs worldwide, funding and talent are often concentrated at the top. "The government can set the rules, but NGOs do the implementation," Sukhendra asserts. "Whether it's hygiene education or literacy, ngos have the 'skin in the game.' Chezuba's mission is to institutionalize this impact by capturing data points and setting up frameworks to measure qualitative and quantitative success."
Looking at the future, Sukhendra sees technology moving social work up the Maslow's hierarchy of needs. "As basic needs like food and shelter are met through better infrastructure, NGOs will shift focus to individualistic career development and mental health. Technology will be the core driver of this evolution."
Sukhendra's Roadmap for Future Impact Leaders
- Start with Yourself: Before you look for a problem to solve, understand what you are willing to sacrifice. Spending 80% of your time on self-discovery is more important than data points.
- Embrace the Bumpy Ride: The first year is 'cool,' but the third year is where the grit shows. Be prepared for the worst-case scenario and keep pushing.
- Leverage the Internet: Digital tools have democratized impact. You no longer need to be physically present to save a life or build a community.
- Find Your 'Why': Don't do it for the money or the freedom. Do it because you want your work to be your life and your life to be your work.
The Vision for 2030
Looking ahead, Sukhendra aims to make Chezuba the one-stop destination for global social impact. By 2030, he envisions a world where every person has a digital "impact profile" that sits alongside their professional one. For Sukhendra, success is not just about scaling a for-profit enterprise; it's about restoring equality and ensuring that resources are distributed where they are needed most.
Chezuba at a Glance
- Network: 4,200+ NGOs across 62 countries.
- Volunteers: 82,000+ skilled professionals from 100+ countries.
- Legacy: Featured in Forbes 30 under 30 (2020) for Social Entrepreneurship.
About the Guest
Sukhendra Reddy Rompally is the Founder of Chezuba. A graduate of IIT Hyderabad, Sukhendra is a visionary social entrepreneur who has dedicated his career to leveraging technology for social good. Before launching Chezuba in 2017, he worked with tech startups globally, gaining deep insights into the marketplace model. Sukhendra is a vocal advocate for systemic change in the NGO sector and is a recognized leader in the global "Impact Networking" movement. He continues to mentor young founders and remains a passionate traveler and community builder.
Chezuba is an online platform that facilitates skill-based volunteering opportunities for non-profits worldwide. By providing a digital marketplace for impact, Chezuba enables professionals to contribute their expertise remotely while helping NGOs and corporations manage and measure their social impact more effectively.