I taught a management and leadership course with a focus on the nonprofit sector. In this course, there is one thing I make clear to my students every semester which is people who start nonprofits and people who give to those nonprofits have one thing in common: a passion for the cause. I go on to tell them we become passionated about causes for various reasons with one of those reasons often being because it hits home - because we have been impacted one way or the other and sometimes that “way” is lived experience.
Now that you're thinking about a cause that hits home for you. Think about what you would do, give, risk even to end the suffering of those impacted. Think about the number of degrees you would have if only it meant you could resolve the issue of someone you personally knew. I would not only be an educator but a medical doctor, a lawyer, a mechanic, and, on a good day, a construction worker. Keep in mind, this comes from someone who never saw themself going to college. If I still have your attention, you're wondering what the point is.
I'll tell you.
Although the reason(s) in which you want or wanted to start a nonprofit may not be because you were directly impacted, once you begin the journey of start-up you are the face, it is your story to now tell, and that can be challenging especially if it is a lived experience and don't allow lost to be apart of that equation! It's nearly impossible to get the words out.
Over the last two weeks, I have met with multiple professionals in the sector who have started nonprofits and I realized when asked "Why" or "What's the story?" I found and find it still difficult to tell. While everyone knows the stats around housing insecurity and hear about the number of families impacted by food insecurity, it's no longer news. So many of us are a paycheck away from being on the street with the growing costs of living and, yet, it's not news. However, Meryl's Safe Haven is looking to be an option for families who find themselves in Worcester, MA. While this cause is bigger than us individually, it is the name of the organization that makes the story difficult to tell. Meryl's Safe Haven.
My aunt Meryl was a big personality and, man, did she miss her calling to be a host of something, anything, really because she could talk! In fact, it was her love for talking on the phone, when I was younger, that allowed my cousins and I to throw our beets in the trash. A little gossip here and there, I'm sure, but it was a good talk: how are you?; I was talking to someone about you and I might have an opportunity for you (even if you aren't looking); how are the kids?; what size are they now?; I just put something in the mail for them. If she knew you, she cared for you. Her story has, partially, become mine to tell and I find it challenging as I continue to navigate grief.
The connection to nonprofit start-up is this: As the ED/CEO/President, you will be expected to tell the story of your organization. You will need to navigate the "Why?" and if you're too close to the story, you may need to identify a different face of the organization that isn't yours until you can tell that story. In my conversations, I have been told and am constantly being told I NEED to tell this story and I don't disagree but it doesn't lack its challenges. I was also reminded that I should be working to create a strategic plan - DO THIS! It's especially necessary if you believe you will be looking into foundations and grants for funds but, more importantly, you need to ensure you get yourself out of the weeds and, if/when necessary there is a blueprint of the big picture that will help to avoid mission drift and carry your "Why" even on the days you are challenged by it yourself.
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