“Software should be about solving problems,” said Scott Brighton, CEO of Bonterra.
Brighton has been finding solutions throughout his 30 years in the tech industry, having served as CEO of several software companies. While the initiatives he has led have taken different forms — from keeping planes in the air to driving improved customer experiences — each one ties into a singular conviction.
“I have a deep belief in the power of software to unlock and amplify the potential of people,” Brighton said.
People have always been central to Brighton’s tech journey. Since stepping into his role as CEO of social good software company Bonterra last year, he’s advanced his people-first vision by helping social good organizations prosper.
“Today, the social good and nonprofit space lags behind the for-profit space,” Brighton said. “By putting our customers at the center of everything we do, we’re going to change that.”
Founded in 2021, Bonterra is on a mission to increase giving from 2.5 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product — a figure that hasn’t changed in 50 years — to 3 percent by 2033. Through its software solutions, the company focuses on “propelling every doer of good to their peak impact,” according to its purpose statement.
Brighton is eager to tackle all that will come with such an undertaking, buoyed by equal amounts of excitement and humility.
“My excitement comes from the opportunity Bonterra has to help customers vastly expand their impact, while my humility comes from a recognition that we have a moral obligation to do just that,” he said.
Below, Brighton shared more about why he joined Bonterra, how the company aims to further support social good organizations and what sets their efforts apart.
ABOUT SCOTT BRIGHTON
Currently residing in Austin, Texas, Brighton received a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Bucknell University and earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Prior to joining Bonterra, Brighton served as president and CEO of Aurea Software, where he oversaw the acquisition and integration of over a dozen companies, including Jive Software. Brighton has also served as CEO of Artemis International and president of Trilogy Software.
On why he joined Bonterra:
The real reason I’ve joined Bonterra goes well beyond my love of software. My wife, Coleen, is the executive director of a local nonprofit in Austin called LEEF, which supports educational equity within our public school district. I’ve had more than a few dinner-table conversations about how remarkably difficult it is for nonprofits to raise money and distribute resources.
On how the company puts its purpose into action:
Bonterra’s purpose is to help our customers measurably increase the impact of every dollar and hour invested in social good and, by virtue of doing so, expand the resources directed at impact. We will do this by making the flow from donation to impact more efficient, by helping donors and doers of good make better decisions and execute more effective programs, and by creating transparency and measurability so that impact can be better understood and more clearly communicated.
On Bonterra’s commitment to its customers:
Bonterra is in a unique position. Within the social good space, no other company combines the market-leading products, great customers and passionate team that Bonterra does. Our opportunity, which is also my focus, is to harmonize our technology and create an integrated solution that will make driving impact both easier and more measurable. We’re committed to focusing exclusively on customers’ needs in the social good space.
Over the coming months and years, we’ll deliver major transformation — through product innovation, services and cross-product integration — that no other company can offer. The end result will be the leading platform not just for doing good, but measuring it and accelerating it beyond the capability of anything else on the market.
I personally can’t wait to see the results customers will achieve.
