2023 APRIL 10TH

In my profession as a Not-for-Profit Strategist, I always try to guide my leadership clients to high impact, low maintenance activities.?I often see people spinning their wheels and going nowhere. Sticking with the analogy of the "spinning wheels,” there are some recurring success hindering themes I see taking place in the NFP nation today.

Here is my Pro Tip:

When starting a nonprofit charitable organization make sure you do not make these common mistakes.

Start writing grants before you have started any charitable activities.?Most funders want to see a history of providing programs and services before they fund you.?They ask questions such as “How many people did your organization serve last year?”?or “How many people does your organization serve annually?”?This is a clue that the funder expects you to have started some form of charitable activity before approaching them.

Spending money without a budget.?Before you start spending money you must map out all your expenses and do some research on how much things cost.?It is like going to the grocery store without a list or knowing how much you can afford to spend.?You will always walk out with more than you need, over budget and still forget the thing that you came there for.?You do not want to make these mistakes with your funder’s dollars.?Remember, as a nonprofit, we must be good stewards of other people’s money.

Chasing dollars and not sticking to the plan.?This is a biggie.?Many new and established nonprofits make this mistake.?They see a funding opportunity and they change their entire program plan to suit the needs of a particular grant offering.?If you operate like this, you will find your organization is scattered in too many directions, your staff will be stressed, and your outcomes will be minimal.?

It is best to know exactly what your community needs, build your program around the need, and only seek funding that matches your programming.?There is plenty of grant funding out there, you will find a funding source that matches your program.?TRUST THE PROCESS.?In addition, if you are working with low human resources, you do not want to waste time creating programs every 5 seconds…especially when you may or may not get the funding anyway.?You should develop a program outline.?Then shop that one outline to various funders that align with your mission and fund your program area.?This will save you so much time and energy in the end.