Yep, life sure does get in the way! It's been a whole year since the non-profit opened and lessons are a plenty! So lets just get started shall we? I'll start with just three today:
1. There Really Is No I in TEAM! GASP!!! - Our non profit did not get here alone! It took the dreams, passion, and hard work of many in order to get us to where we are today. (Which in the grand scheme of things isn't really all that far! More on this later in the week.) We created a simple and clear mission that people in our community could relate to and easily support. And support they have! Families have come together to help us keep our doors open, help us keep the place clean and neat, donated supplies, helped us organize events and activities, and allowed us to pay the rent when things were tight. We will just call them...VOLUNTEERS!! We don't pay them to do this, they do this because they are invested in our mission, and they truly care about what we are trying to do in our community. It is so important that this type of support continues throughout the life of a non profit because if you lose volunteers, you lose support, you lose everything. Period!
2. Sometime There Are Hard Choices - Non profit life isn't always easy. As a founder, there are difficult choices made every day. Things that may seem simple to some can be excruciatingly difficult to the non profit founder or director. Take for example the simple idea of hours of operation for you non profit. Most businesses are 9-5 Monday thru Friday. But what if you are the only one to run the facility, and you have a family, and perhaps other responsibilities outside of the non profit world? (You need a life right?) Your schedule in this case will probably revolve around YOUR life, not the lives of the community you are trying to serve right? But is that the right decision? Will the general public understand? Will this cause some in the community to not be able to take advantage of the services offered by your organization? It could. This is truly something to take into consideration. There is a reason they say "if you want to get rich, don't go into non profit business" right? It takes a HUGE amount of selflessness to start one, and even more of your time and effort to run one. It may be a better solution to find someone else to run your organization. Someone who can afford to be there during hours that best fit your community needs. It's not about you in the end is it?
Which brings me to my last lesson for today:
3. The Mission Must Come First!!! - Why have you started your non profit? Who are you trying to help, or what areas are you trying to serve? Whatever the mission, you must make it the main focus of all decisions made regarding the organization and the way it is run if you want to stay true to that mission. People are watching!! They take notice of EVERYTHING you do when you are running a non profit. Think about it. In our world today, how many organizations can you truly trust anymore? People take advantage all the time. If you are going to become invested in an organization, you want to know they can be trusted, that they are honestly doing what they say they strive to do! You want to make sure they follow the mission they created and that they are following through with the rules and regulations they create. If they are not, then what does that say about that organization? The mission of an organization is it's foundation! It should tell you what the organization is all about and what they are passionate about. The actions of it's people should follow that mission throughout it's existence!
There are many more lessons of course, and I could go on just about these three for days! However, I think I will just leave it at this for now. And stay tuned. This is just the tip of the iceberg! This is a journey I want to share because we have done so much right, and oh so much more wrong!!! And there should be someone out there willing to tell it like it is! And that's what I plan to do!
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