This is the first post in Cadence’s four-part series on starting your own non-profit or charity.
Should you commit to doing good? At Cadence there’s only one answer to that question: Yes!
Should you do it through starting a non-profit or charity? That’s a bit trickier to answer.
Every day, we work with passionate individuals to help launch new non-profits, charities and foundations focused on making a meaningful difference in the world. We can attest to the fact that starting a new entity can be an effective way to make a sustained impact in an area of need.
However, starting something new is also a huge commitment that comes with a unique set of challenges, industry-specific regulations, and at-times, thorny social issues. That’s why we’ve put together a list of our top 6 questions to ask yourself before launching a new non-profit or charity.
1. Have you identified a unique problem?
It’s happened to all of us. We hear a heart-breaking story or see an act of injustice and think: what can I do? This empathic response to suffering is what infuses our imperfect world with humanity.
However, in our experience, charities work best when they operate with a specific, realizable mission that guides their decisions. Rather than look to solve a vague problem, such as “ending poverty in my city” or “helping new mothers”, a successful charity designs its activities and services to relieve a particular condition of poverty or new motherhood.
You also have to consider whether or not there are other people doing the work you feel drawn too. If you’re passionate about helping refugees find housing in your city, for example, can you identify anyone else doing something similar you could support or collaborate with? Or is there truly a gap in the system that needs to be filled?
2. Have you done your research?
As a rule, societal challenges are more complex than they appear on the surface. A problem like hunger, for instance, may seem entirely solvable at a first glance; you may find yourself thinking, “Well, I just need to create an entity that connects people to food.”
But if you haven’t researched the social and cultural issues surrounding the challenge—like flawed food distribution systems, the root causes of poverty, or systemic inequalities—it might not be time to launch a venture. Once you understand the landscape in which the problem you want to solve exists, then you can identify an appropriate, scalable solution to tackle that problem.
3. Do you have the right skills (or know people who do)?
Though the skills it takes to run a charity or non-profit can vary based on the mission, size, and scope of the organization, suffice to say that it always requires more than good intentions.
Some common skills you or people you work with will need are:
An ability to network and galvanize people around your idea either to garner donors, supporters, advocates, volunteers, or staff or to build the community buy-in you need for your organization to be effective
Skills that generate funding, like fundraising, grant-writing, or event planning (and the budgeting and operating skills to actually use the money effectively)
Other skills you will likely need on your team are public relations, accounting, project management, compliance expertise (Cadence can help with that!), and, above all, patience (see question 6).
Before you decide to launch, interview other founders for what skills they relied on when launching their organizations. If you don’t have them, do you know someone who does?
4. Are you the right person for the job?
In addition to having the right skills and disposition to start a charity, it’s important to honestly explore whether you’re the appropriate person to start this particular charity.
For example, if you are a non-Indigenous person wanting to reach out to Indigenous peoples, consider whether there are people within the community who might be better suited to tackle this type of work. Or, if your goal is to reach people overseas, consider whether you have clarity about the needs and issues people face in a country very different than yours.
You may conclude that it would be better to wait to launch a new entity until you have a partner or co-leader with a deeper understanding of the community you hope to reach. Other times, you may realize the best way to help a community is to uplift and advocate for those already doing the work within it.
5. Do you feel called to do it yourself?
There are many types of people in this world, all of whom have a place in the charitable sector: some as founders, some as sustainers, some as supporters.
Sometimes a person may feel called, deep in their soul, to act on their convictions to do good in the world through starting a charity. At Cadence, we honour that strong sense of purpose: we’ve felt it ourselves in the work we do. Once you’ve identified a problem, done your homework, and can honestly say you’re the right person for the job, then there’s just one more question to ask….
6. Are you in it for the long haul?
Finally, one of the most overlooked qualities new non-profits or charities absolutely must have is patience. Many of the legal and compliance processes required to launch a new benevolent venture are time consuming and involve some amount of red tape.
Many of our clients have identified unique problems they are uniquely qualified or called to address. They’ve done the research, galvanized their supporters, and are ready to … wait until the CRA gets back to them.
Doing good takes time. And it usually involves paperwork. Make sure you’re secure enough in your commitment and your mission to see the process of launching your benevolent venture through to the end. Good fruit takes time to ripen.
So, should you start your own non-profit?
If you mostly answered yes:
While there are many charities and non-profits already operating in Canada, we know there are still unmet needs and areas of growth in our society.
If you can answer “yes” to most or all of these questions, it just might be time to press GO on your benevolent venture (and we’re here to help you when you do!).
If you mostly answered no:
Starting your own non-profit or charity is just one of literally hundreds of ways you can make a positive impact on your neighbors, your community, and the world.
Donating, advocacy, volunteerism: Check back soon for Cadence’s Top Ways to Do Good (Without Starting a Non-profit or Charity).
If you’re still not sure:
We’ve got you covered. Many people might have the right idea, but not the manpower. Or they have the community backing but not the technical expertise. If you think you might be ready to launch your own benevolent venture, call Cadence for a no-obligation conversation about where you’re at, what you need, and how we can help connect you with right the tools and people to get started.
