Dave’s life changed forever on a hot, August evening in 1969. Huddled together with his brothers, he learned from their local pastor that his parents had been in a devastating car accident and his father had been killed. With his mother in serious condition, Dave found himself suddenly alone at only 9-years-old. 

His young mind was flooded with desperate thoughts, what would happen to them, where would they live, and who would watch over them. They were moved from family to family for a number of days and he was left wondering at each stop if this was the home where they would settle. Dave and his siblings could have become another statistic of victims to tragedy and dysfunction if it wasn’t for one family who chose compassion over comfort. 

The Davises were faithful members of the church where Dave’s father pastored. The Davises didn’t have a lot of money. They lived in a trailer with their two children. But, they chose to open up their small home to Dave and his siblings. As Dave stood at the door of their trailer, Mr. Davis spoke these life-changing words: “Welcome! You are with family, and this is now your home.” This family would not know until decades later the millions of lives that would be impacted as a result of their one sacrificial act of compassion. Dave and his brothers, Hal and Steve, all went on to found organizations that impacted communities across the nation and world with tangible aid and resources.

Nearly forty years later, Dave was personally presented with a choice much like the Davis family. After he and his wife Kristy became certified foster parents, they met a sixteen-year-old girl named Barbara. She had been in foster care for many years and was desperately in need of a safe home. As she nervously approached the house not knowing if this would be her next home, Dave was able to speak the same life-changing words he had heard all those years ago. “Welcome! You are with family, and this is now your home.” Dave and Kristy went on to adopt Barbara who is now a college graduate and happily married.

 Dave’s story is an example of the impact of compassion and its powerful rippling effect. Dave carries this message of compassion to every sector of society: business, government, church, and charity so that the ripple effect can be seen in communities around the world. 

Donaldson has advised leaders around the globe and appeared as a guest on numerous Christian and secular television and radio programs and has authored several books including Relentless – Pursuing a Life that Matters and co-authored with former White House official, Stanley-Carlson, A Revolution of Compassion (The President's Faith-based and Community Initiative). Dave’s newest book CityServe: Your Church-based Guide to Compassion is co-authored with Wendell Vinson and includes forty leading experts in community-based and global compassion. Dave is also the co-host of The Influencers Podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network that interviews influencers around the globe to focus on solutions to the world’s greatest social challenges. 

 A veteran of Washington, D.C. for more than a decade, Dave has coordinated White House briefings and roundtables between clergy, faith-based organizational leaders and government officials. For several years Donaldson served on a Health and Human Services (HHS) National Council for Mental Health and Substance Abuse (SAMHSA). Dave hosted the first ever National Summit on Foster Care and Adoption with the United States Children’s Bureau. He has served on numerous boards including Vanguard University and the National Football League (NFL) sanctioned Courage Awards, which honors NFL players who have shown courage on and off the field.

In 2016, Dave retired from Convoy of Hope to launch CityServe International (CSI) to train and resource local churches and non-profits to help people move from dependency to sustainability. CityServe Affiliates nationwide are now effectively addressing systemic poverty, addictions, foster care, job readiness and other areas of need. In addition, in 2021 CityServe Affiliates delivered over $424 million dollars of donated products such as home furnishings, diapers, schools supplies and other items to under resourced families. CityServe also established a National Grant Center to provide effective funding solutions for its network of churches and programs. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic CityServe formed a Faith-based Collaboration that delivered over 14 million food boxes to nutrition insecure people as part of the USDA Farmers to Families program.

In 2022, CityServe launched CityServe Europe partnering with one of the largest networks of churches in Europe to serve children and family refugees in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine War. With CityServe Europe, local churches will be resourced with hot, nutritious meals, emergency relief supplies, and connections to shelter so they provide help and hope to the most vulnerable.

In 2020 Dave also founded “Neighborhood to Nations” to serve as the government relations arm of CityServe which includes Advocacy, Training and the National Grant Center.

Dave currently serves as an advisor to Produce Alliance Foundation, a critical part of the solution set to provide hunger relief, grow jobs, and strengthen local economies, particularly in underinvested rural and urban communities. He is also a member of the National Faith Advisory Board, which was formed by Pastor Paula White-Cain with involvement from former President Donald J. Trump, to partner and bring together a diverse coalition of faith leaders to amplify their voices to impact our nation.

Dave earned his Master’s Degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, with a focus on “Developing and Implementing Social Programs in a Cross-cultural Environment.” He and his wife Kristy reside in Northern California and have four adult children.