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Launching A Non-Profit? Here Is The Best Advice From 6 Leading Social Entrepreneurs

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"Don't take advice of someone who has not had your kind of trouble." - Sydney J. Harris

Whether you've already launched a social venture or are considering doing so, it's important to take the advice from others who have been successful before you. Below, I've included an all-star list of non-profit leaders' best advice to help you get started:

Jordan Wagner, Co-Founder of Generosity.org and Generosity Water

Street cred: Generosity.org has raised over $4.7 million dollars, which has brought clean water to more than 415,000 people in 19 countries

Jordan Wagner, Co-Founder of Generosity.org (credit: Generosity.org)

"Know that your mission will change the world. Take the time to be intentional about what you’re creating and who you’re doing it with. Write down your core values as an organization and make sure they’re applied to every decision made -- no matter how big or small -- maintaining the integrity of your core values will ensure your story is clear to all stakeholders. We’ve found that people connect to other people through their stories. Find the people whose stories show us why what you are doing matters. Using photography and video to "show" instead of "inform" why your mission matters is the most compelling way to authentically engage people in your cause. We're regularly bombarded with statistics and information, but a personal connection to another human being is what moves us to act."

Eddo Kim, Founder/CEO of The Supply

Street cred: Eddo holds masters degress from both Harvard and Columbia. The Supply has offices in Nairobi, Kenya and San Francisco, CA and is working to grow to 100 schools by 2020 throughout East Africa.

Eddo Kim, Founder/CEO of The Supply (Credit: The Supply)

"No money, No mission."

"Someone once confronted me with this sobering statement as we were going through one of our most challenging fundraising seasons two years ago. As we pursued new funding opportunities, we were presented with one that would have filled our immediate financial gaps but would have also significantly disrupted our ongoing programs by threatening the trust we had established with our stakeholders. We nearly went for it, but ultimately turned it down. Looking back, we're glad we clung to our core values, reaffirming our commitment to place our mission first before anything else. Since that time, we've re-established sound financial footing to keep up with our ongoing impact. In conclusion, "no money, no mission" is not necessarily a false claim, but an incomplete one. These challenging seasons of "no money" are prime opportunities to strengthen your mission by reflecting on your "why's" and "how's", re-connecting with your core values, and as a result, re-fueling your engine of change for the long haul. And that refined and authentic passion for your mission will certainly attract the donors you were seeking all along."

Erica Greve, Founder/CEO, Unlikely Heroes

Street cred: counts many celebrities including Selena Gomez, Ian Somerhalder, and Jesse McCartney among UH supporters, homes in the Philippines, Thailand, Mexico, and the USA provide restorative care and education to victims of sex slavery.

Erica Greve, Founder/CEO of Unlikely Heroes. (credit: Unlikely Heroes)

"When you build a non-profit you are actually building a legacy. My goal was to create an organization to address a specific need, but to do it in a way that it was scalable. I never wanted the success of the organization to be tied to me as the founder. I truly believe that you have to educate and empower the people you hire to be just as knowledgeable, competent and capable as you are. There is no need to overcomplicate your administrative procedures because when you do that you really start to become encumbered as an organization. You run the risk of turning into a rigid bureaucracy. The whole point of a social start up is to be able to see the problem and respond to it quickly.

A social entrepreneurial start-up isn’t just about serving people in need, that’s just one part of it - it’s actually about asking a question much bigger than ourselves and then going out and building an organization that can become the answer to that question."

Janne P. Kouri, Founder/President of NextStep

Street cred: Former All-American Georgetown University football player, featured on Good Morning America and CNN.

"Your donors are the life-blood of your organization. Make sure you thank them and thank them often, at least six times a year. A tax letter is not enough; hand written notes, creative videos, photographs, gifts, and phone calls go a long way in ensuring their continued support. Your donors have many great causes to chose from, make sure their generosity does not go unrecognized and make sure they understand the impact they are making."

Stephen Ishmael, Founder/CEO, Two Feet Project

Street cred: has spent over 3 years total in the Nairobi, Kenya area, TFP mentors hundreds of African youth through sports leagues and health initiatives.

"I learned very early on that I needed a clear understanding of the things I was willing to sacrifice to achieve the goals of the organization. Most people have a clear understanding of what they want to achieve, but very few have as clear an understanding of what they're willing to sacrifice to reach those goals. Starting a nonprofit takes a huge time commitment and a lot of the time you're doing things you don't necessarily enjoy but need to be done. If you don't have a clear understanding of the things you're willing to sacrifice you'll just end up extremely frustrated and oftentimes resenting the work. For me, I knew I had to be willing to sacrifice daily relationships with friends and family for long durations and move overseas. For some it might be needing to sacrifice free time, or pursuing a relationship. For those launching nonprofits you'll have to make sacrifices that are costly. The sooner you know what you are and aren't willing to sacrifice the better off you'll be."

Jeremy Vallerand, President/CEO, Rescue: Freedom International

Street cred: Rescue has served more than 32,000 people in 9 countries, over 1400 donors in 2014, organizes annual "Climb for Captives" mountain climbing adventure that raised over $200k in 2015 for Rescue: Freedom.

Jeremy Vallerand, President of Rescue: Freedom International (credit: Rescue: Freedom Intl.)

"Know what motivates you, and never lose sight of that. I spend my time combatting human trafficking, specifically sex trafficking. It’s hard to think of anything more horrific and exploitative than being forced to sell your body for sex. But it’s not the horror of exploitation that drives me. What motivates me is the fact that we are able to help boys and girls escape from slavery and live vibrant lives. Watching them pursue their dreams is what keeps me going. I often say to our team “It is not the injustice that drives us; it is the magnitude of hope.” When we fixate on the problem it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged. The problem might give us a sense of urgency, but the problem won’t sustain us. Chances are you’re like me… you’re not driven by the problem, but by the fact that you believe there is a solution. Never lose sight of that."

 

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