Duncan Campbell, Founder of Friends of the Children

Cause an Affect

Duncan Campbell, founder of Friends of the Children, grew up tough with mom and dad most often drunk or in jail, and he used that as motivation to become one of Oregon's most successful entrepreneurs with starting + growing a timber investing company Campbell Global and then starting Friends of the Children, Oregon's #1 Most Admired Non-profit for the past 5 years in a row. Duncan has story after story about perseverance and optimism in the face of bleak obstacles, but the current story playing out in his life is legacy and significance (success is secondary). The innovative Friends of the Children model of paid professional mentors matched with a small group of the most vulnerable children started in Portland as just an idea, backed by research, and has changed thousands of kids (and families) lives over the past 26 years. In just the past 7 years, Duncan has grown the impact of this model from 5 city chapters to 21 cities and growing. Each city requires a minimum $1.5M investment and a long-term commitment to the work.