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.
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!
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