Читать книгу Nonprofit Kit For Dummies - Stan Hutton, Beverly A. Browning - Страница 33

Ask yourself whether you’re the right person to start a nonprofit organization — and try to answer honestly. Undertaking this endeavor requires both a heart (for helping) and a head (for helping efficiently and effectively). If your organization offers a service, especially in the health and social-service fields, do you have the educational background, qualifications, or license necessary to provide those services? In addition to being professionally qualified, you need to consider whether you feel confident about your management, fundraising, and communication skills.

When starting and working in a new nonprofit organization, you need to be able to stretch yourself across many different skill areas. You may be dressed to the nines one day to pitch your project to the mayor or to a corporate executive, and the next day you may be sweeping the floor of your office or unplugging a clogged toilet. In other words, you need to be versatile and willing to take on just about any task that needs to be done. Nonprofit founders work from the boiler room to the boardroom. Visionaries do whatever it takes to start and manage a nonprofit organization.

When potential donors are evaluating grant proposals, they certainly look to see whether the organization’s leadership has the background, experience, and knowledge necessary to carry out the proposed program. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to be an experienced nonprofit manager, but try to assess your background to see how you can apply your experience to the nonprofit you hope to start.