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Starting A Non Profit

What You Probably Won't Find on Google

By Jaylynn SmithPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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I started my nonprofit in 2017 with ambition, but I had no idea I needed much more than that, and still do, to keep the dream alive.

Now, I don't know if there is an article somewhere on how to do this, but when I was looking in 2017, I didnt find one and relied on a few articles smooshed together to make this dream work. Heres the tea:

You need money to make money, even for a nonprofit.

There are a couple of huge misconceptions about nonprofit organizations that I would like to clear up. The first, is there are thousands of grants out there for your organization. There are thousands of grants out there, but there are a limited number of grants for your organization in particular. The idea that you can start a nonprofit and start receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money is a fallacy. One I naively fell for. But don't worry, I got you. To qualify for federal grant money, you really already need to be established as an organization, have money, and consistent donors to be considered eligible for a grant.

There are tons of workshops and articles telling you how to write a grant, but no one will tell you that before you are even to the stage of grantwriting, you really need to have money already.

The second misconception I would like to debunk today is that it's easy to raise money for your nonprofit. Its not simple. It just isnt. Raising money for your organization is a full time job. Its marketing and sales and navigating the internet; basically finding new ways to ask people for money and failing over and over until you find something that works.

I used to get really excited at the prospect of beginning a new fundraising campaign, but if you are a small nonprofit, you'll be lucky if you raise a couple hundred dollars.

I want to be clear that if you are connected out here in these streets, you will probably raise more money than I do on a consistent basis. Having a board, and a team of people can certainly help you with that. But I am not talking to the people who have connections. I am talking to those with a passion to help the community or support a cause and zero money.

Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, and we are in year three now and doing fairly well, but starting a nonprofit from scratch is work. and if you dont know what kind of work it requires, then you can become jilted by the process and give up before you are able to impact the community.

I don't want that to happen so that's why I am here ready to share some of what I have learned with you all so you dont make the same mistakes I did. Or, if you have already made the mistakes, you don't give up, or feel as though you are the only one who started with only your ambition.

Stick with me, I have lots more nonprofit tea to spill for you as the weeks progress.

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About the Creator

Jaylynn Smith

I just want to be heard

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  • Mariann Carroll6 months ago

    I have subscribed cause I am interested in the topics you are writing about ❤️

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