Читать книгу Nonprofit Kit For Dummies - Stan Hutton, Beverly A. Browning - Страница 21

Here’s a story about a nonprofit dreamer, perhaps much like yourself, who (spoiler alert!) started her own nonprofit and made it sustainable with hard work, self-investment, and resourcefulness.

I (Bev) had worked in the corporate sector of small- to midsize businesses for decades. My supervisors and their demeanor set the tone for each workday. There were good days and not-so-good days in my multiple workplaces. One day, I was approached by a nonprofit executive director who invited me to attend a board meeting. Somewhat perplexed at the invitation to attend a meeting for an organization that I was unfamiliar with seemed an overstretch given my business employment experiences. Yet, out of a wee bit of curiosity, I decided to attend.

I was greeted by the board of directors and the executive director (the source of my invitation to attend the meeting). Everyone seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me. I was asked if I had ever done any volunteer work or served on a board. I shared my longtime volunteer experiences with other agencies and my time as a foster parent. There were lots of smiles around the boardroom table. A board member asked me if I would stay for the entire meeting and listen to their updates on policies, programs, and processes for the Voluntary Action Center of Genesee and Shiawassee counties. At the end of the board meeting, I was invited to join the board of this well-established nonprofit organization. Guess what? I did! Thus began my learning process about nonprofit organizations, how they operate, their mission and vision statements, and clarification on ownership. It was that first experience, which lasted for two years, that made me start to dream about starting my own nonprofit organization. Yes, you read this right! I went on to form two successful nonprofit organizations.