Ben's Bells

What Ben's Bells does

Ben's Bells is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2002 by Jeannette Maré and headquartered at 40 W Broadway Blvd in Tucson, Arizona. The organization educates communities about the practice of intentional kindness through a portfolio of programs delivered to K-12 schools, workplaces, and community organizations. Its flagship offerings include the Kind Campus school program, Kind Colleagues workplace program, Camp Kind summer programming, school assemblies, speaking engagements, and group bell-making sessions known as Bellings. Tangible products anchor the model: handmade ceramic bells hung in communities as findable symbols of kindness, Kindness Coins sold in themed packs, downloadable and purchasable Kind Notes in English and Spanish, and Kindness Murals installed in three standardized designs across Tucson, Phoenix, Connecticut, and beyond.

The organization generates revenue through a diversified nonprofit model: tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations (Tax ID 76-0779755), unit-priced product sales through an e-commerce storefront and Shop Kind retail locations, quote-based speaking fees for school and corporate engagements, and signature fundraising events such as the Millions for Tucson raffle, in which the Jim Click Automotive Team donates vehicles as grand prizes and over 120,000 tickets are distributed annually via a network of Southern Arizona 501(c)(3) partner organizations. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on thousands of annual volunteers, school and corporate speaking engagements, earned media from public art installations, and an email newsletter distributed via Constant Contact. Co-Executive Director Autumn Rentmeester leads operations alongside the founder, and a Science and Culture Advisory Council supports the research-backed programming that distinguishes Ben's Bells from generic kindness initiatives.

Name

Ben's Bells

Legal name

Ben's Bells, Inc.

Website

https://bensbells.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ben's Bells is a Tucson-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2002 that delivers kindness education programs and tangible kindness tools (ceramic bells, Kindness Coins, murals) to K-12 schools, workplaces, and community organizations across Arizona, Connecticut, and beyond.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Kindness Education Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing (33991)

SIC

Greeting Cards (2771), Costume Jewelry & Novelties (3960)

akta.pro primary industry

Greeting Cards, Wrap & Party Supplies Retail (CRALAJAE)

Keywords

• Kindness education programs
• Community art studios
• Ceramic bell ornaments
• Nonprofit education services
• Workplace kindness training

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Sale of kindness-themed products including Kindness Coins (10-pack), In Memory of Coins, In Honor of Coins, Kind Notes, and other kindness tools available through their online shop and retail partnerships.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations supporting the organization's mission to educate communities about kindness. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Tax ID: 76-0779755).
3. Speaking and Program Fees: Revenue from speaking engagements at schools, corporate events, and conferences where education team members deliver presentations on kindness science and practices.
4. Community Fundraising Events: Raffle events like Millions for Tucson generate significant community fundraising, with proceeds supporting community outreach programs. The Jim Click Automotive Team donates vehicles for raffle prizes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ben's Bells is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates community art studios where volunteers produce handmade ceramic bells, Kindness Coins, and related kindness-themed products. The organization delivers kindness education programming for schools, workplaces, and communities, including assemblies, curriculum integration, murals, speaking engagements, and summer camps, supported by donations, product sales, and fundraising events.

Product overview

Ben's Bells is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of kindness education programs centered around its core products: ceramic bells and kindness coins. The organization provides educational programs including Kind Campus (schools), Kind Colleagues (workplaces), Camp Kind (summer programs), and Speaking Engagements. Physical products include ceramic Ben's Bells ornaments, Kindness Coins (standard, In Memory, and In Honor versions), and Kindness Murals (Flower, Tree, Cactus designs). The organization also offers Tools for Kindness including downloadable Kind Notes in multiple languages, phone/Zoom backgrounds, and activity guides. Additional offerings include Bellings (group sessions), Assemblies (school presentations), and the Celebration of Kindness annual event with the Millions for Tucson raffle. All offerings are designed to educate communities about the benefits of intentional kindness and help develop awareness and compassion through education, visual reminders, and ongoing practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ben's Bells Ceramic Ornaments Colorful ceramic ornaments hung in communities throughout the world as symbols of kindness for people to find and take home. Made by thousands of volunteers in studios, each bell represents the efforts of an entire community coming together.
• Kindness Coins Handmade ceramic coins that serve as tools for practicing kindness. Each coin comes with a tag reading 'This is a Ben's Bells Kindness Coin. Thank you for sharing your kindness. Pass it on.' Available in standard, In Memory, and In Honor versions, sold in 10-packs through Shop Kind retail locations and the online store.
• Tools for Kindness Educational resources including Power of Kindness guides, #BekindChallenge materials, downloadable Kind Notes in English and Spanish, phone backgrounds, and Zoom backgrounds for virtual settings, designed to support kindness practice in daily life.
• Kindness Murals Kindness-themed mosaic murals installed in communities, created by students, local artists, and community members. Available options include Be Kind Flower (6ft x 6ft), Kindness Tree (8ft x 7ft), and Kind Cactus (8ft x 4ft). Custom mural inquiries available via email.
• Speaking Engagements Educational presentations delivered to groups of any age in settings including team meetings, conferences, classrooms, and corporate groups, in-person or virtually, using knowledge of the science of kindness and personal storytelling.
• Kind Campus School-based program that helps students develop awareness and compassion through kindness education and visual reminders integrated into the K-12 campus environment.
• Kind Colleagues Workplace kindness program that brings intentional kindness practices into professional environments through education, tools, and ongoing practice to improve workplace culture and team dynamics.
• Camp Kind Summer camp program focused on teaching children kindness skills through experiential learning and community connection.
• Bellings Group bell-making sessions where participants create ceramic bells together, fostering community connection through collaborative art-making.
• School Assemblies School assembly programs that introduce students to the science of kindness and inspire the practice of intentional kindness in educational settings.
• Celebration of Kindness Event Annual community event celebrating kindness, including the Millions for Tucson raffle that supports community outreach programs with grand prizes including donated vehicles.
• Kind Notes Downloadable and purchasable notes including Kind Notes, Thank You Notes, I'm Sorry Notes, and Valentine cards designed for practicing kindness through written expression. Available in English and Spanish versions in sets of 50.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dozens of community murals installed across Tucson, Phoenix, and Connecticut areas since 2009
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Jim Click Automotive TeamflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2026Jim Click Automotive Team sponsors the Millions for Tucson raffle, donating vehicles (such as the 2026 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X Roush Edition valued at $55,000) as grand prizes. 100% of raffle ticket proceeds support Ben's Bells community outreach programs. The raffle is a major annual fundraising event involving over 120,000 tickets sold by Southern Arizona 501(c)(3) organizations.
• Marshall FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2009Marshall Foundation partnered with Ben's Bells and TUSD's Community Transition Programs to bring world-renowned mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar from Philadelphia to Tucson in December 2009. This partnership resulted in the first large-scale Kindness Corridor Mosaic Art Mural using the Zagar Method.
• TUSD Community Transition ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2009TUSD's Community Transition Programs partnered with Ben's Bells and Marshall Foundation for the inaugural mosaic mural project in 2009, working alongside Isaiah Zagar and community members to create public kindness art.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of TucsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoys & Girls Clubs of Tucson is the official sponsor organization for the Millions for Tucson raffle, which is a community-wide fundraising campaign benefiting charitable 501(c)(3) organizations in Southern Arizona.
• Isaiah ZagarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld-renowned mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar taught his Zagar Method and worked alongside students and community members in December 2009 to create mosaic art installations in Tucson.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kindness.org: Kindness.org is a 501(c)(3) that runs kindness challenges and kindness-based education programs targeting individuals, schools, and workplaces. It competes directly with Ben's Bells in the kindness-curriculum and awareness-campaign space, with a stronger digital/app distribution model.
• Random Acts of Kindness Foundation: The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring kindness in schools, workplaces, and communities through educational resources. It is the most direct peer to Ben's Bells given overlapping kindness-education mission, school/workplace programming, and community-engagement model.
• Life is Good: Life is Good is a purpose-driven brand that runs the Life is Good Kids Foundation, channeling apparel/product profits into children's optimism and well-being programs. It is comparable to Ben's Bells as a nonprofit-supported, product-sales-funded positive-psychology mission targeting children and communities.
• Project Happiness: Project Happiness is a nonprofit providing social-emotional learning and well-being curricula for schools and communities, with classroom and experiential programming. It is comparable to Ben's Bells because both deliver kindness/wellbeing education to K-12 and community audiences through structured curricula.

Regional players

• Random Acts of Kindness (community programs - Tucson): Local Southern Arizona community programs that host kindness drives or supply kindness kits offer a regional comparator to Ben's Bells' Tucson-anchored community programs. Comparable because they overlap in geography and kindness-product distribution, though smaller in scale and brand recognition.

Emerging players

• Greater Good Science Center (UC Berkeley): The Greater Good Science Center studies the science of happiness, kindness, and altruism, and publishes educational content and programs for educators. It is comparable to Ben's Bells as a research-driven kindness/wellbeing education resource, though it operates primarily through content rather than community programming.

Others

• DoSomething.org: DoSomething.org is a youth-focused nonprofit that mobilizes millions of young people around social-impact campaigns. It is comparable as a similarly structured mission-driven nonprofit engaging K-12/young-adult audiences through programs, though its focus is broader social action rather than kindness education specifically.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Boys & Girls Clubs of America is a large youth-development nonprofit providing afterschool programs and SEL/wellbeing content. It is comparable as a similarly structured youth-focused nonprofit with school and community partnerships, but at vastly larger scale and broader programmatic scope.
• Points of Light: Points of Light is a nonprofit focused on volunteer engagement and civic service across the U.S. It is comparable to Ben's Bells in mobilizing volunteer-driven community impact and offers a relevant structural parallel for scaling volunteer-powered programs nationally.

Broad incumbents

• Born This Way Foundation: Born This Way Foundation, co-founded by Lady Gaga, is a nonprofit focused on youth mental health, kindness, and community-building, with large-scale donor-backed programming. It is comparable as a youth-mental-health/kindness nonprofit but operates at a much larger national scale with broader celebrity-driven brand reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=35ngaORLsak
• Facebookfacebook.com/BensBells
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bensbells

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ben's Bells