If you hope to start a sustainable nonprofit organization there are many questions you’ll need to answer. For example: Would the IRS approve of our mission statement or should it be tweaked before I submit my paperwork? How much will it cost to run our programs? How many people will we need to hire? How […]
If you’re starting a nonprofit organization you probably have some ideas about how you’ll raise enough money to stay afloat. That’s good because you’ll need to work these into your business model and budget early on. As often as not, newbies to the nonprofit world make assumptions about how money is made that don’t quite […]
If you’re starting a nonprofit organization one person you’ll need in your group of co-founders is someone who can handle the financial aspects of your organization. Now, keeping track of expenses and income sources is almost not certainly what brought you together. You came together to feed the puppies, or shelter the hungry, or cure […]
When you start a nonprofit organization you will find yourself staring at paperwork filled with questions you may not understand. The first few times I did this, I confess I needed to guess at some answers, but it’s really worth understanding the concepts before proceeding or you will get into trouble. Some answers are harder […]
Don’t start a nonprofit organization because it’s easier than starting a for-profit business. Don’t start a nonprofit organization because you want to avoid paying taxes. Don’t start a nonprofit organization because you think you can do this better than anyone else who’s ever tried. Start nonprofit organization when you see a gap in the community […]
Drafting a clear decision-making policy can seem like a low priority when you are starting a nonprofit organization, but that’s exactly the best time to do it. A good decision-making policy can be the difference between an organization that survives and one that fails in a time of crisis, but waiting until that happens would […]
Why invest any energy in drafting a vision statement for the nonprofit organization you are starting? Most consultants and nonprofit leaders seem to want them, but for many it seems like another “touchy feely” document that just isn’t necessary. Isn’t your idea about the nonprofit strong enough to stand on its own? Well, if you […]
Many who want to start a nonprofit organization know very little about nonprofit accounting, and there are some real traps you can fall into if you don’t understand the basics. I’m going to explain one important concept, and I’ll try to make it interesting by including references to donuts and ale. To make it simpler, […]
“There are too many nonprofits out there.” Statements like this should give people who want to start a nonprofit organization some pause. Indeed, the National Center for Charitable Statistics estimates there are 1.5 million of them in the United States, and here in my home state of Oregon there are over 18,000. That does seem […]
Last week, I mentioned five types of work people need to do when establishing a new nonprofit. This week, I wanted to mention a couple of things I see go wrong often enough that it helps me understand why these foundational pieces are so important. When I think about what are the biggest problems that […]