Starting a non-profit can be extraordinarily fulfilling. Sustaining one can be extraordinarily challenging.
In this post, Delquanda Turner offers her thoughts on doing both these things well. Whether you are a future or current Executive Director/Founder, this Series post has something for you.
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Delquanda S. Turner
There are I believe five questions that a person considering starting a non-profit organization should answer. Your answers to these 5 questions will help you determine if you should launch a non-profit now, and, if so, it’s structure and Mission. In some situations, a delayed start is the wisest thing for you to do.
Ask Yourself These 5 Questions
- Is there an unmet need?
- Can I fulfill my passion to the fullest by planning and starting a non-profit?
- Can we make a difference in addressing the need?
- Can we be accountable and fiscally responsible?
- Is the need researched?
If you honestly answer all of these questions, you’ll know if channeling your passion into a not-for-profit organization makes sense. To start a 501 (c) (3) based only on passion, which some do, isn’t a strategy for success.
Do the Research
The research that a prospective non-profit organization founder should do can take many forms. Beyond the quantitative research information available from the federal government (e.g. U.S. Census Bureau), there is qualitative research, including:
- Focus groups with potential constituents
- Community mapping
- Collaborations
Relationship-based research can be invaluable in shaping your Non-profit start decision.
Sustaining What You’ve Started
To avoid starting a non-profit which can’t achieve sustainability, an Executive Director must run an organization which exercises sustainable governance. The foundation of a non-profit which can successfully sustain itself lies in, I feel, four things:
- Mission, Vision, and Values
- Strategic Plan
- Bylaws
- Roles and responsibilities
Even if you’re already the Executive Director/Founder for a non-profit, not having all four of the sustainable governance pillars in place may explain some of the challenges you are now facing.
Learn
- Non-profit organizations and passion are synonymous. That’s why and how almost all nonprofits are conceptualized. Now do the hard part, the due diligence, to make sure your passion isn’t wasted.
- Research quantitatively and qualitatively.
- Sustainability comes by following the rules of the road.
- Mission – Strategy – Bylaws – Roles & Responsibilities
Grow
“The Pursuit of Happyness” is a phenomenal story and movie based on the real life of Chris Gardner. It harkens me back to one simple reality: In life, everything we do is not about what we necessarily want to do in the moment, but it’s all about what we need to be doing to get to where we want to be in life.
You saw a need. It pulls at your heart. It implores and beckons you to want to solve a problem. That’s the passion! Now it’s time to do the WORK, the stuff you may not fully enjoy, to make sure that your passion is truly sustainable. So, as your Mom might have told you when you were a child at the dinner table, eat your peas first. Do what you least like to do first and get it out of the way, so you can get to the parts that bring you the greatest joy.
Sustainability is on oft-used term in the Non-profit world. The title of a very popular Beatles hit: “The Long and Winding Road”. In many ways, for a nascent non-profit, the path which leads to the door of Sustainability is often not paved with gold, but is instead at times ‘long and winding’.
Growing a business, growing an organization, is hard work and there will be obstacles. That is why, from the outset, you should strive to follow the 4 Pillars of Sustainability – as outlined by Delquanda Turner in this post. Internalize these pillars and see them through.
And lastly, please remember this: It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. Turner’s many years of experience led her not to just tell you how to start a nonprofit, but how to start AND sustain a nonprofit.
If the need is truly unmet, if you have truly done your due diligence, defining the mission, crafting a vision, and exhibiting the right values will give your organization a sturdy foundation. A Strategic Plan will pave the road that you must travel to develop and grow properly. The By-laws, roles and responsibilities you put in place will enhance your organization’s structure. Your non-profit’s volunteers, board members, and staff members will then have a clear path to follow.
And in the end, here are some words to live by:
Follow your passion, do the due diligence, and fix what is broken; with your nonprofit, make it right.
I heard a NCAA Coach say yesterday ‘I can coach execution, but I can’t coach effort’. In successfully launching and running a non-profit, your passion (effort) is likely sufficient, but your ability to execute your organization’s Mission isn’t quite as robust. Winning takes both effort and execution. The potential of a well-executed Strategic Plan can work wonders!
- Do you have one?
Better outcomes, and true sustainability, can be had by Executive Directors with proven execution and effort.
Turner’s insights on sustaining what you have successfully started shouldn’t be ignored. Her thoughts on the critical role of community members in crafting plans will be the topic of the next post in this Series.
Your Outcomes Well
Better outcomes through Best Practices (Non-profit leaders)
Photo credit: markuso/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Photo credit (Will Smith): xclusivetouch
Photo credit (quote): KushAndWizdom
Your Outcomes Well
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