Entry Level Hell

If you’ve been job-hunting in Nashville long enough, you’ve probably seen some version of these names float past your screen:

• Zeal TN / Zeal Exec
• Tennessee Fundraising Executives
• Nashville Associates

Different websites and job titles. Same vibes.

They promise impact, nonprofit work, rapid advancement, and uncapped earnings. What they often deliver instead, according to former workers, public filings, and investigative reporting, is a familiar Devilcorp pattern: high turnover, commission-only fundraising, and a business model that retains far more money than most donors realize.

This post lays out what’s publicly known, how the pieces connect, and why job seekers and donors alike should approach these operations with caution.

What “Devilcorp” actually means

“Devilcorp” is not a legal designation. It’s a term used by an OSINT investigative community (including Devilcorp.org and the r/Devilcorp subreddit) to describe a specific business model:

• Direct-sales or fundraising firms
• High-pressure recruiting with vague job descriptions
• Commission-only or contractor pay structures
• Extremely high employee churn
• Frequent rebrands and alternate business names

These companies often market themselves as marketing agencies, nonprofit partners, or entry-level management programs, while funneling workers into door-to-door, street, or event fundraising roles.

Who Is Zeal TN?

Zeal TN, Inc. is a Nashville-based professional fundraising and promotions company. Online, it often appears as Zeal Exec or Zeal Inc., wrapped in mission-oriented language about “creating impact” and helping nonprofits grow.

According to local investigative reporting and public records:

• Zeal recruits people for fundraising roles, often marketed as nonprofit outreach or marketing jobs
• Former workers describe long hours, commission-only pay, and misleading expectations
• Workers have reported being classified as independent contractors despite structured schedules and quotas
• Zeal has been linked to multiple assumed names used for recruiting and fundraising

The alias network

Investigative reporting by Nashville Scene shows that Zeal TN, Inc. operates under multiple assumed names, including:

• Nashville Associates
• Tennessee Fundraising Executives

Each has its own website with polished, nonprofit-sounding language, but none clearly disclose that they’re connected to Zeal TN.

This matters because:

• Job listings under these names often appear independent
• Applicants may not realize they’re entering the same underlying organization
• Rebranding and name-splitting is a known Devilcorp tactic to widen recruiting funnels and dilute negative search results

Public business records reportedly list these names as DBAs associated with Zeal TN, Inc.

Where the money actually goes

The most revealing information comes from IRS filings.

Our Change Foundation & Zeal TN

Zeal TN appears in the 2024 IRS Form 990 of Our Change Foundation, a San Francisco–based 501(c)(3) that operates as a donor-advised fund (DAF) and charitable pass-through.

According to Schedule G (Fundraising):

• Our Change Foundation raised $1.7 million through online sweepstakes fundraising
• Two third-party fundraisers ran these campaigns:
  • Jackpocket Gives LLC
  • Zeal TN Inc.

Here’s the breakdown:

Fundraiser	Money Raised	Paid to Fundraiser	Money to Charity	Fundraiser Cut
Jackpocket Gives	~$1.07M	~$748k	~$323k	~70%
Zeal TN Inc	~$630k	~$567k	~$63k	~90%

Yes, Zeal TN retained approximately 90% of the funds it raised from these sweepstakes campaigns.

This is legal under current nonprofit fundraising rules in many states. But it is far outside what most donors assume when they hear “fundraising for charity.”

How the whole system fits together

Based on IRS filings and reporting, the ecosystem looks roughly like this:

Donors
↓ (online sweepstakes, street solicitations, promotions)
Zeal TN / Jackpocket Gives (commercial fundraisers keep 70–90%)
↓
GetChange Corporation (for-profit tech platform, related entity)
↓
Our Change Foundation (501(c)(3) donor-advised fund)
↓
150+ charities nationwide

Schedule R of the IRS filing confirms that Our Change Foundation is formally affiliated with GetChange Corporation, a for-profit tech company operating at the same address and sharing overlapping leadership.

Again: this structure is legal. But it is not what most people picture when they think they’re “donating to charity.”

Why this matters for job seekers

If you’re applying to Nashville Associates, Tennessee Fundraising Executives, or Zeal TN, here’s what to clarify before you accept anything:

• Is the pay commission-only?
• Are you an employee or an independent contractor?
• What are the expected hours and locations?
• Are you fundraising directly for a nonprofit or for a professional fundraiser?
• How much of each donation actually reaches the charity?

Former workers and watchdog communities describe a significant gap between how these roles are marketed and the day-to-day reality.

Why this matters for donors

If someone stops you on the street or online asking for donations:

• Ask how much of your donation goes to the charity
• Ask who is actually running the campaign
• Consider donating directly to the nonprofit, rather than through third-party fundraisers or sweepstakes

Professional fundraising isn’t inherently wrong, but transparency matters.

The Devilcorp Pattern, Nashville Edition

Zeal TN and its related brands check many of the boxes Devilcorp watchdogs track:

• Multiple business names
• Entry-level job ads with vague descriptions
• High-pressure fundraising roles
• Heavy reliance on independent contractors
• A business model where the fundraiser keeps most of the money

That doesn’t mean every worker’s experience is identical. It means job seekers and donors deserve clearer disclosures than they often receive.

Bottom line

Zeal TN, Nashville Associates, and Tennessee Fundraising Executives are not separate mysteries but different doors into the same operation.

Public records show a fundraising model where:

• Workers take on high-risk, commission-based roles
• Donors may unknowingly give through sweepstakes and intermediaries
• As little as 10 cents on the dollar reaches charity in some campaigns

That’s not illegal. But it’s absolutely something people should know before they sign up or give money. 

If you’re researching similar companies, or if one of these names just landed in your inbox, you’re not crazy. You’re just looking at a very polished version of a very old funnel.