SALT Outreach started with two volunteers serving 15 to 20 unsheltered individuals twice a month with food to now 35 employees serving 200 people per day with 12 different services. SALT Outreach runs a mobile drop-in center for people experiencing homelessness. SALT Outreach was operating with a small budget of less than $10,000 for about 5 years. Eric worked full time, sometimes three jobs at a time, while also going to school, and acting as the executive director for the organization. In 2016, SALT fundraised $15,000 which included a capital campaign for its first trailer, a clothing a hygiene trailer called “Change.” In 2018, SALT fundraised a total of about $60,000 which included its second capital campaign for a shower trailer which was launched at the end of the year. This was the year SALT Outreach launched its mobile drop-in center once per month with five different services (showers, clothing, hygiene, food, and haircuts). In 2019, SALT raised about $90,000 and started operating its mobile drop-in center twice per month. In 2020, SALT raised about $360,000 and started operating its mobile-drop in center three times per week. In March of 2020, when the pandemic hit Central Florida, SALT went from operating three times per month to three times per week, increasing the number of people it served by 300%. In 2021, SALT raised about $1,050,000 (not including in-kind donations) and by the last quarter of that year moved to five days per week. Included in that $1,050,000, Eric led a capital campaign for a laundry trailer for $90,000, and end of year online campaign that raised over $250,000 in just 45 days, and raised over $600,000 in grants. In 2022, SALT raised $3,000,000. From August 2020 through March 2022, SALT has been involved in helping to end homelessness for over 1,000 people. In 2023, Eric would have helped raise an additional $3,000,000+ with $1,000,000+ already committed to 2024.

Throughout this time, SALT has never had a full-time fundraiser. Eric ended up transitioning full-time with the organization on April 1, 2021, as the executive director and manages fundraising, grant writing, and the executive director’s responsibilities. Eric has grown a passion for helping others scale their non-profit organizations, teaching them to avoid the mistakes he has made along the way.

Eric received his bachelor’s in social work, masters in non-profit management, certification as a Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP), and certification as a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). Eric also received recognition as “Man of the Year 2021” from Orlando Family Magazine, was one of the four finalists for “Central Floridian of the Year 2021,” and received the Nonprofit Management Alumni Achievement Award 2022 from the University of Central Florida. In 2023, Eric received the Inaugural Thomas C. Chatmon Community Champion Award at the 30th anniversary of the Central Florida Continuum of Care, the Homeless Services Network (HSN).