I was watching the news this morning and unlike every other morning over the past two weeks or so, there was no leading Haiti news- in fact, the Haiti Crisis was not mentioned until over an hour into the broadcast. I immediately thought that the public interest and support for this catastrophe is already beginning to fade.

This is very similar to when Katrina hit New Orleans. Immediately after the disaster, people were up in arms and galvanized to help. They promised to be there for the long haul and support New Orleans until it was fully restored. However, once the breaking news headlines vanished so did the urgency to help and rebuild. Now, going on 5 years later, New Orleans is still not the same and there are people (believe it or not) still living in FEMA trailers. That was a crisis that occurred right here in America- so can you imagine how detached people will feel in a few weeks over Haiti? Hell, there is still a vacant lot at ground zero almost 9 years after 9/11.

Haiti has estimated that it will take about 10 years and billions (that's with a "b") of dollars to rebuild there collapsed city. Not to mention Haiti has a history of fund missuses and corruption which will inevitably slow its progress. You add that to the feigning global support and Haiti could be in real trouble.

So, with that being said, I would like those of you who care about this situation to remember that Haiti will need your love and support weeks, months and years to come. If you cannot support or donate right now, they will still need your donations,money, resources and even time as far as five to ten years in the future. Long after the Haiti earthquake is completely off the headline news scroll that country will need our support. Let's all remember that as 2010 progresses.

I am currently pursuing a masters in nonprofit management. This is currently my first semester and I am so very excited as I think this will be an extremely valuable tool in my future career goals. One thing that I think will help me to digest the material will be to try to pass the information on to others and share my lessons. Think of it as getting a masters education for free.

As, I learn it- so will you- without the homework!! Of course the lessons will be condensed but my hope is that the core concepts will get reinforced by me, and I will be able to aid in the development of other nonprofit professionals at the same time.

So, stay tuned and I look forward to sharing the valuable learning nuggets I learn over the course of this program.

In a previous post I submitted I asked if now was the right time to start your own NPO? Within that piece I mentioned that if the there was no place in the workforce for you, then you should make a place for yourself. Seeing that this is my own advise, I think it is pretty profound. As a result, I am following it. I have mentioned that I am feeling frustrated and discouraged by the opportunities being offered in the nonprofit sector. So much so, that I feel that I have to go beyond just looking to join an existing organization- I have to work towards establishing my own organizational mission.

**A little background**
I have been trying to leave my current city for a while now. Honestly speaking this town is just not a place where someone with great ambitions settles down. It's a college town and a capital city- as a result there are a lot of staff government positions and a lot of bartender gigs. Because of the limited career opportunities I have witnessed my family and I have decided that a more metropolitan area like Atlanta would be a better fit for us. We decided that a long time ago- but I still have not found a job- so "here" we still are. My husband is self employed and works from home- but we need two incomes to maintain our lifestyle, so it's pivotal that I find a job before we move. Here in lies the problem. I have been searching for well over a year- and yes I have factored in the recession into this equation- and I have only one interview. I have been told that because of my out of town location, it will be VERY hard to get a position. But as I mentioned before, I cannot move without a job- so you see the dilemna. That brings me to the purpose of this post. I have my career plan- and I know what I would like to do and where I would like to do it- but I cannot seem to find a place in the workforce to support those goals. So, I am going to make my own space.**

Based on the skills I am acquiring I hope to position myself as a nonprofit consultant. Simultaneously, I hope to get C.A.R.E.-to-C.U.R.E off the ground and fundraising. I would like to serve as that organizations executive director. These are lofty pursuits, but seeing as though the nonprofit sector is not making a place for me, I will dream big as I make a place for myself.

This is my version of social entrepreneurship. What is yours?

Based on a previous post I offered about my frustrations within the nonprofit sector, I have decided to re-evaluate my career goals. I think any young professional should outline their goals and update them as those goals change and/or are accomplished.

In order to gain a true and influential perspective on where I see myself in the future I have to evaluate my skills, education, objectives, and experience to ensure that all of those pieces fit together.

Objective ?'s
1) What is my ideal career?
2) What do I see myself doing in 5,10,20 years?
3) What is the objective industry?
4) Do I intend to have an area of expertise?

Skill ?'s
1) What current skills do I have to leverage?
2) What skills do I have to develop in order to achieve my objective?
3) How will I acheive those desired skills?
4) What is my time table for acquiring these skills?

Education ?'s
1) Do I need any additional education to achieve my goals?
2) What will be the cost of that education?
3) Will the future output be worth the time and money spent on that education?
4) Are there any non-traditional training courses, certificate programs I can use?

Experience ?'s
1) What current work experience do I have?
2) What experience do I need to obtain my goals?
3) If I can't gain the experience from current job, how will I gain experience?

what other questions would be relevant to establishing a career plan?

I can tell you from first hand knowledge that while the nonprofit sector does a lot of good work and offers some rewarding life experiences- it can also be very frustrating.

* A little background** I have spent the majority of my nonprofit career working in low level staff positions with no real impact on the overall mission. Don't get me wrong, I am very pleased that my work experiences enlightened me to the nonprofit world. After graduating from college I was in NEED of a job and a state nonprofit agency was the first one to offer one- so there it was, I was a nonprofit worker. My time there was pretty miserable if you directly account for my day-to-day work activities. I was a true "do-girl" required to do all the boring and tedious tasks no one else wanted to do- but it was a paycheck.

The work was awful, but being the avid learner that I am, during my down time I would learn all I could about the organizations processes and mission. I would read up on other departments and ask questions about the various services provided. My initiative was recognized and I was promoted to a not-so low level staff member- but still amongst the bottom feeders on the org chart. Yes, it was an improvement, but my attention span for that kind low level administrative work was about that of a gnat- and I quickly began a search for another position, and I found one too.

My new position was a lot better. Not only did I upgrade from a cubicle to a private office, but I had taken on some real responsibilities. I was an office manager without any management duties. I monitored the budget, paid invoices, secured supplies and "other tasks as required." This little line is in most job descriptions and if you are not familiar- it is translated as "you do what no one else has to." The first few years were great. I had my general duties and I had a supervisor that took me under her wing and was showing me the ropes of the industry and the corporations mission. I was learning a lot and gaining valuable work experience. Then, my mentor decided to leave- and I received a new boss. This one was not so engaging and not at all interested in cultivating my career goals. As a matter of fact- he ended up reducing my job functions. While this was frustrating, I continued and continue to learn all I can about the industry and about the services offered. But I also began to look for work again. This time without much luck.

You see, I am older now, with greater family obligations. I am also more educated and have about 5 years of entry level work experience under my belt. But I seem to only be able to find the bottom of the barrel kind of opportunities. And yes, I know we are in a recession- that is weighing heavily on my analysis- but overall I am not seeing much room for growth in the sector. Most agencies want some management experience- but how can you gain that experience if no one will give you an opportunity to gain some? They want advanced degrees- but then tell you you are too qualified. It's all very frustrating.

I have read some great advise on how to jumpstart your nonprofit career- and most of it is great- in theory. But no one has tackeled what to do when your proactive actions go unnoticed and you cannot find viable employment worth the time and money you have invested in yourself. What to do then??

So, I say again, I am frustrated with the sector. I am eager to make a contribution and begin a meaningful career- I just haven't been offered the opportunity.

Feel free to vent your frustrations as well.

If you read the first installment you know that there is plenty of work to be done prior to seeing your brainchild fully develop. It was discussed that you must find your motivation and passion before embarking on any brainstorming. Once you have found that driving force, you can then begin formulating ideas. Remember, not all ideas are good ones, and only a few will be realized.

Once you have your ideas it is time to begin planning. This is when you will put together that detailed business plan- that covers every aspect of your venture/organization. This item should be professionally crafted because if done well, you can use this as a tool to solicit donors, investors, or community support.

That brings us to the next step. Your brainchild is currently a toddler and in order to bring it to the next development level, you will need to get your idea up an running.

In order to get of the ground you should set up a team. A successful team will ensure that your venture is supported and ensure that you don't burn out from doing everything yourself. This team could be just a partner or a complete group/board of individuals. Make sure that the people you bring on your team compliment your weaknesses. If you are not good at raising capital, make sure that someone on your team is. You need to determine what roles each team member will play and how decisions will be made- this will eliminate a lot of bickering and confusion in the future. Everyone needs to have a clear understanding of their roles.

After your team is established you need to decide on a work space. Now, if you are going at it solo, it may be sufficient to just carve out a place in your basement, garage or bedroom. But make sure if that is the case, you pick a place where you can focus and actually get work done. Also, if working out of your home, you might want to communicate with family members or roommates about when you plan to work and lay down some basic ground rules for when that work is taking place. If you there is a team of people working together, renting or leasing a work space would be the best avenue. Once the work space situation has been figured out, your brainchild has entered it's childhood phase. It's slightly more independent, but still requires more guidance and development in order to become a fully functioning adult.

Your next step towards that aim would be to generate funds for your mission. I will briefly touch on this subject because this is much more detailed than I can lay out in a simple plan- but I will give you the basics. First you must know your needs. Before even thinking about finding cash, you must identify why you need the money, what you need it for and how much? You must also determine what can and cannot be accomplished without money.

Once you have a concrete plan (one that should have been detailed in your start-up business plan) you can begin soliciting. You will most likely experiment with several different fund generating models before you decide on one that works. You will most likely end up with a combination of resources and methods that satisfy your needs. These combinations will generally consist of a hybrid of equity, debt and grant funds. It will depend on the scope and size of your mission to determine how much of each pot you will need and what will work best. Please keep in mind that this phase is generally the slowest and the most frustrating. Those who are involved in fundraising often take the rejection they receive personally- but please don't. It just means that that particular investor or donor just wasn't interested in your particular idea. Take it for what it is, and move on.

OK, so you have survived the fundraising phase and welcomed your brainchild into adolescence. It's almost adult, but still needs to become a bit more worldly and gain more wisdom before it can be set free as an adult. In order to gain that worldly experience, your brainchild has to become exposed to the world- that requires social communication and networking. This step can make or break your idea or organization. Without proper communication, you will not be able to perform any number of functions, especially those outlined in your mission statement. Your message should effectively integrate social, environmental, and economic elements in a clear and unforgettable manner.

You need to understand your audience and be able to speak their language. Your pitch should be concise, present the problem or need, and then lay out the solution. It should highlight the benefits and value you can bring in a passionate way without seeming to ramble or elicit too many cliches. Simple ways to broaden your reach would be to join social media sites and networks that allow you to control your message and who it reaches. Start a blog, publish web casts, join networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. These user generated methods are a very influential that have in some ways surpassed more traditional communication tools.

Contrary to popular belief, the world has never been changed by a single individual or idea. In most cases, the individual or the idea acts as a trigger for the change. In order to achieve a massive tsunami of change the idea has to be connected to a network that is vulnerable to the seed that is being planted. Many people embarking on a social venture feel they lack the kind of network that is required to initiate that change. This is absolutely not the case, you most certainly do know enough people who could help you make a difference. It's like a chain link. Through your immediate contacts, you can be introduced to another set of contacts and on the chain goes. But is all starts with you. You are your own network. And you have to work that network if it is going to work for you.

Here are some tips to make networking a success:
1. Know what you can do for others- know what you can offer others and how you can benefit them, this makes creating a winning relationship much easier.
2. Get out to events- you never know who you might meet.
3. Ask good questions, but remember to listen as well- nobody enjoys someone who seems to have a case of diarrhea of the mouth.
4. Share your passions- Don't just sell your idea all the time. Talk about your personal passions and motivations, this makes the interaction more personal.
5. Know your subject- You have to have a sound knowledge base in order to be able to carry on a meaningful conversation. This comes from researching your field and becoming more knowledgeable.
6. Follow Up- Don't just stick those business cards in a drawer and forget about them, follow up will phone calls or emails.
7. Offer accessible contact information- make sure individuals have your information- and not a home number that you never answer, but a method that you regularly check and use. If you prefer to communicate via email, make sure that is known.

Now, just like aging and personal development are an ongoing process, so too is networking. People have very short memories and you and your idea can be easily forgotten. So, you have to continually learn about your field and passions. You have to continually network with your circle and expand it. You must never feel content that you have reached everyone because you most certainly have NOT! Social ventures are cyclical. You will always need more funds (hopefully- because that means you are doing some things right), you will always have more people to help and you will always need to share your vision and commitment to change the world with others. Keeping those thoughts in mind will go a long way to make sure that your brainchild grows into a thriving success.

Have you ever had an idea to create something, but just didn't know how to go about bringing it into existence? Or have you ever seen some form of injustice or societal ill, and wanted to do something about it- but just didn't know how? If so, you probably are lacking focus about where to direct your energy. Let's face it, there are no shortages of causes to get behind and there are always issues that will need addressing. But where do you fit into this picture and how can you make sure that your voice is heard?

First, you have to secure your motivation. There has to be something driving your actions and causing you to persevere when things get tough- and they will! In order to do this you have to find out what motivates you as an individual. What are you passionate about? What energizes you into action? Be sure to know that there is no right or wrong motivation- well being motivated by greed or the exploitation of others would be wrong- but you get the idea. You have to be in touch with who you are and what you are capable of.

As part of your personal evaluation ask yourself these questions:
Do I want to do this? (whatever "this" may be)
Do I have a specific purpose/goal?
Am I realistic about my capabilities?
Am I prepared for the long haul?
Can I motivate others and take the lead?
Can I make decisions that will affect other people?
Am I flexible enough to learn from my mistakes?
Am I easily discouraged?
Am I determined and prepared to keep going when things get tough?

Once you have confidentally answered all of those questions, you can focus on a mission statement that will be the starting point for your particular idea. At this point your "voice" is at its infancy. It's alive but it's small and fragile; and in order to grow it will require nurturing and development.

The next step in the development process would be preparation. By this stage you should have fully analyzed your motivation and established your mission. Now you have to prepare an idea that will work to satisfy that mission. Keep in mind that not every idea will be a successful one, frankly only a handful will be nurtured into something worthwhile. As you generate ideas, write them down. bounce the ideas off your peers or partners. Regardless of the method of generating the idea, once a viable idea has been captured a plan has to be established to bring the idea from infancy into adulthood.

So, you have a mission and an idea to execute it. Now, you have to create a detailed plan to execute it. Planning will ensure that your idea is brought into reality. It helps you move away from the theoretical framework of your idea and allows you to focus on the impact your idea will have on society. The plan should be laid out in a clear and concise manner, so that it can also be presented to community leaders, investors, donors or other stakeholders for support of your aims.

A good plan should have the following elements:
1. An Executive Summary - this is an overview of your full plan. It helps explain the ful concept before you explain it in detail within the plan.
2. The Problem- What is the problem? What causes the problem? and why is solving this problem improtant?
3. Vision and Mission- what is the future of your idea? What change in the world would you like to see?
4. Solution- What is your solution? What population will you be serving? How are the outcomes of your actions going to ultimately lead to your overall mission.
5. The Team- Who will you need to help execute this mission? What are your advisory needs? Who will be your core staff?
6. Target Market- Give details on the target group or cause of your idea.
7. Competition- who is providing similar services?
8. Financial Plan- Create a start-up budget; include fundraising efforts, grants, donors; revenue-expense projections, cash flow projections.
9. Implementation- Document how your thoughts and plans are going to be brought into action.

OK, now that the plan has been established what to do next? Right now, your idea is in its toddler phase. It's in motion, but it still pretty shaky and definitely not self sufficient. Now you have to get your plan off the ground- but how?

Stay Tuned to find out...

Ok, so you have launched a website! That's a start in promoting your brand, but that is not enough! The tedious task of forming the website and mapping out the information may be complete, but now the hard part begins...getting the word out so people will visit that website and utilize your services. Seeing that C.A.R.E-to-C.U.R.E is at this point in its development, I feel that there would be no better first-days-lesson than to go over successful marketing and communication efforts of social ventures and nonprofit organizations.

Spreading the word about your organizations positive impact and service capabilities will do nothing but enhance your reputation as a professional, credible, and stable organization. It also won't hurt your financial goals either. Producing effective communication will definitely assist your organization spread its mission, and reach critical audiences that will assist in fufilling your vision.

In order to have a sucessful communication tools there are some simple steps that an organization or social entrepreneur should follow to ensure that the appropriate message is being conveyed. Those steps include:

•developing a central message
•identifying target audiences
•using social media tools effectively
•pounding the pavement
Developing a Central Message

In order to tell someone else what you can do for them, you (as an organization) need to know how to describe yourself. You must think through your message - what do you want to say? What is your vision for the future? How would you describe your services? All of these questions, and probably many more should be answered before you embark on producing a brochure, website, newsletter or even a business plan.

This is a very important step because a concise central message can definitely set you apart from a similar organization. The Enterprise Foundation, Inc. offers several questions that if answered will help determine the content of your central message.

Do you want to:

1. Enhance your credibility?

2. Raise Money?

3. Showcase your mission and the quality of your services?

4. Promote awareness of your work within the community?

5. Position yourself to communicate with public officials or community leaders?

Identifying a Target Audience

There are many people that attribute to the sucess of a nonprofit organizations mission. However, if you don't reach those key role players, your organization may have difficulty achieving its goals. That being said the next thing to work on, after you clarify your message, is who you want to deliver that message to? There are several groups of people that could prove to be beneficial- starting with the residents of the community to which the services are being provided.

Community Residents are the closest people and the ones most likely to use your services. Explaining your services in a clear and direct manner could have your organization busy in no time. Just make sure you have most of the answers to thier questions ready, and you are capable of following through.

Volunteers are another gold mine. They can be an invaluable addition to your team and also your biggest cheerleaders. In order to attract them you should advertise the various opportunities available for volunteers. Go to schools and churches and leave information for their review.

Finally the media can reach many of your targeted audiences with one article or news story. Providing them with accurate information will help them do thier job- which is to keep up with events and new issues emerging within their community. Make sure that you provide them with successful initiatives, and the needs your organization is serving. Organizational background information would also be helpful within a press release.

Using Social Media Tools

We already mentioned that the website has been created, but as many young social changers are aware of there are many other avenues at your disposal. In order to reach that younger market, establishing accounts with mediums like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube and Brazen Careerist are helpful tools to network with large groups of people and link up with individuals who share your passions. Keeping these interfaces current with upcoming events, publications and organization news can ensure that you establish a reputation as a serious player in your field and gain you a strong following.

There are also the more traditional media tools that can also be helpful, for example:

•radio advertisements
•television public service announcements
•newspaper advertisements
•billboards
•Op-ed and letters to the editor
•Newsletters
Pounding the Pavement

All of the resources mentioned above are helpful especially the social media tools that are at your disposal. But nothing beats the good ole fashion method of pounding the pavement. Social media sites are great, but there are apart of a cyber reality. In order to be a sucessful NPO or social entrepreneur there must be real life people that you serve- and the only way to do that is to meet them face-to-face (IRL). This is when the more conventional tools like business cards, printed stationary, flyers, brochures and fundraising packages come in real handy. In order to make your presence felt in your community you have to go out and meet with the people- pass out your cards, put up flyers, mail out donation letters, and press packets. You need to have professional stationary with a logo and contact information. There needs to be pamphlets and brochures with relevant bits of information that you can hand out to people you come across. Technology is great, but when you are in the business of helping people, you need to actually interact with the people to be effective.

During some reading about young nonprofit leadership, I ran across a statement that made me go Hmmm....

The statement was mentioned in a chat session when a participant asked the panelist if young nonprofit leaders should start new nonprofits, possibly creating organizations that offer a better way of issuing goods and/or services? The panelist responded that due to the current poor economy, they would not recommend anyone start their own nonprofit because the money is just not there. Instead, the person was advised to bring their ideas and expertise to existing nonprofits who need them.

While I agree that the economy is bad and resources are defintely dwindling- I don't necessarily want to discourage anyone who has a goal and sound plan they wish to implement. I want emphasize a SOUND plan. Depending on the nature and scale of your mission, there is always the possibility that you can be successful. Let's take the recent tragedy in Haiti for example. I am pretty sure that we were still in a recession "like" economy on Tuesday when the earthquake occured. Yet, in the wake of that disaster over $7 million has been texted to relief organizations for assistance to that country. That being said, if the cause is meaningful enough there are always going to be individuals who give, even if they too are struggling.

More importantly than funds, a person seeking to start-up a new NPO has to consider if they have the time and dedication to make it a success. It's easy to fill out the incorporation paper work and file it with the state. It's even fairly easy to get a 501 (3)(c) designation from the Fed's. What's not easy is setting up a SOUND communication and marketing campaign to get the word out. What's not easy is establishing a faithful following to support your cause. What's not easy is (when the time comes) cultivating the relationships and planning the events needed to support your cause. And it's definitely not easy to get like minded, hard working people to help you and remain committed.

So, if you're serious about making a go of it there are some must do items:

- Create a SOUND business plan (SOUND= realistic, detailed, and complete with financial projections)
- Solicit for other founders, board members, and community support
- Create a marketing plan & budget
- Brainstorm for-profit/commercial ventures that your NPO could use for extra income
- Don't expect everything to fall into place overnight. Just like a baby needs time to grow before it's born, a new business needs time to grow before it's fully realized.
- Use your free resources/social media tools (e.g. facebook, twitter, blogspot, linkedIn, etc.)
- Join professional associations in your field and finally,
- Network, Network, Network, and Network- spread the word to everyone you meet!! (You can read more C2C communication tips here.

In this economy, when everyone is screaming about unemployment, I think the last thing we need to do, is decide that starting something of your own is not an option. If the workforce does not have a place for you, then by all means create a place for yourself. Will it be easy? NO- Not at all! Could you fail? Absolutely! Will it be rewarding? Most Definitely!

What is a a "Social Venture?"

You will sometimes hear them referred to a entrepreneurial organizations, social enterprises, or social entrepreneurship. A social entrepreneur is similar to those working in the nonprofit sector. They see a problem and have the ability to visualize solutions. They are unique and driven individuals who question the status quo, exploit new opportunities, refuse to give up and are intent on remaking the world for the better. While traditional entrepreneurs are concerned with profits, social entrepreneurs are concerned with making a living while fostering social change.

Technically, these are legally formed for-profit entities, with one or more owners who have a formal right to control the firma and who are entitled to its residual earnings or net assets. Furthermore, these organizations are designed to serve a social purpose while making a profit. Having a social purpose involves a commitment to creating value for a community or society rather than just wealth for the owners or personal satisfaction for customers. For-profit social ventures measure their success in terms of social impact. This creates a "dual bottom line," where the entrepreneurs have to both financial and social objectives that guide thier decision making.

People may be drawn to this form of business entity because they want to see if they can make a good living, while still doing good works. Others may be drawn to this sector because they see a gap or limit to what the public or nonprofit sector can do that will be best served by a for-profit model.

When embarking on a social enterprise, one must consider whether to set up shop as a nonprofit or a for-profit. Entrepreneur.com published an article that outlines the benefits and possible drawbacks to establishing your social organization within the for-profit model. Some of which I have outlined below.

Profits:

Pros-

• Any profits earn can be received as gains for the owner(s).
• If the company is incorporated, the stakeholders can possibly receive stock and dividend payouts

Cons-

• Most social ventures do not make much money, so due to that fact most people are better off forming a nonprofit

Tax Deductions:

Pros-

• There are no real tax benefits to this structure

Cons-

• While possible, many social ventures cannot elicit the same assortment of donors as nonprofit organizations (seeing as most people who donate desire to use the donation as a tax deduction).

Raising Capital

Pros-

• While they can't offer tax breaks, for-profits can offer investors the opportunity for financial returns, ownership stakes, or equity.

Cons-

• As previously mentioned many of the fundraising and donor participation is limited due to the lack of a tax break; so for-profits have to rely on more traditional methods like angel investors or start up loans

Hopefully, these tidbits can help you determine which model is best for your intended goals.

That is Correct! It stands for:

Community Action Renewal Efforts -to- Create, Uplift, Restore & Energize

Welcome to the C.A.R.E.-to-C.U.R.E information blog!!

This is a new organization with two branches of service. I will do my best to explain the mission and goals of the entities and what I hope for with this blog and overall.

C2C's hope is to further advance the for-profit social venture so that it may aid in the development of nonprofit organizations through consultant work, training workshops, and fund development. I hope to use that medium of social change to ensure that NPO's are able to fulfill their missions.

The second branch of C2C is an NPO that addresses community and economic development within the Southeastern region. Our areas of concern are affordable housing, green initiatives, job training, and teen mentoring.

It is my hope that C2C will become a useful resource and informational tool for those seeking information on nonprofit development and social entrepreneurship. I welcome all nonprofit professionals and up and coming leaders in the field to stop by and offer the comments, opinions and expertise.
Please visit our website: care2cure.org- there is a discussion forum available and various other tools and information.

Also you can follow us @care2cure on Twitter and become a fan of ours on facebook.