Wanting to have a successful nonprofit that helps the general public is the main goal for anyone who is starting their own nonprofit organization. There are a lot of articles that have been written online that talk about all the reasons why you shouldn’t start a nonprofit and far less that say that you should. One of the main points in the why you shouldn’t do it is that there are already enough nonprofits in the world and half of those nonprofits aren’t up to a professional standard anyway so why bring another into the light when it might not be on the up and up.
Well that’s where you need to know your strengths personally and where you can shine. Now 60% of all start-ups fail in the first year of being in business but that doesn’t have to mean that you should be fearful of starting your own nonprofit. There are some things you need to be aware of and we’ve put together a list of things that you should evaluate before you begin.
Broke Is Broke – For many nonprofits it’s been said that you cannot help the poor without actually being poor yourself. This is very true because you cannot just run to the small business administration and or your local bank and just take out a loan when starting a nonprofit. Instead you really do have to use the sweat of your brow, savings and everything else to get this started. Are you willing to eat mac and cheese and ramen for the next year and some change to ensure that your baby business takes off?
Stress Is The Mind Killer – Stress is hands down the number one thing behind money that can end a good nonprofit start up. You will have stress from all over the place including simple things like being unable to make a picture fit onto your website or an email address is actually where the newsletter link is being delivered to. The best way to beat this kind of stress when it comes to a start up nonprofit is by having a really good to do list. KEEP LISTS! Did we mention to LIST EVERYTHING!
1000 Times Harder Than You Imagine – Everyone keeps writing about the fact that starting a nonprofit is a 1000 times harder than you think. Everything you do during the start up will be a 1000 times harder than it needs to be, wants to be and should be. Everything you do, say and detail during your first year will be a 1000 times harder but it will also be a 1000 times more rewarding if you can actually see everything through to fruition.
Learn To Love Rejection – People are going to tell you no, even your closest friends and family are going to tell you no when it comes to helping out your nonprofit. It’s said that 4 out of 5 people will reject you and your nonprofit idea and you need to learn how to deal with rejection with grace and dignity. Just accept it and move on to the next person.
Boredom becomes Your Friend – If you’ve always wanted to work 80+ hours a week with hardly any pay and sacrifice your social life for a business idea then this is perfect for you. If you hadn’t equated this part of things into your idea then perhaps it’s time for you to understand that you will be overworked, underpaid and have hardly any social life except for that which you’re forging for business sake.
Ready To Answer The Why – There are so many nonprofit organizations and people are going to want to know why it is that you are starting yours. They also will want to know what will set you apart and what makes you so special especially if there are plenty of other nonprofits who are doing the same thing you are. You need to have those answers for people and ensure that you can answer the hard questions because it will help you forge forward.
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Top Strengths to A Good Nonprofit Wanting to have a successful nonprofit that helps the general public is the main goal for anyone who is starting their own nonprofit organization.
