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| Thoughts on Establishsing Non-Profits
Posted by Aurelia   on 11/22/2009, 6:46 pm
I would like to start a discussion with my colleagues regarding messages that have been posted on this board seeking advice regarding establishing non-profits. I retired two years ago and sold my small business, which I had for many years; my specialty was proposal writing.
I do not believe we should encourage most individuals to start their own non-profits, and here are a few reasons why:
--Most of the requests I received from people who wanted to start a non-profit were individuals wishing to create jobs for themselves. Furthermore, most of their plans of how they wanted to proceed were not feasible. I could not accept them as clients.
--These individuals had little understanding of the complexity involved.
--Foundations support projects from organizations, not the idea of one person.
--Many people who lose a loved one because of a disease want to start their own non-profit to fight the disease and honor their loved one; foundations will always ask why they could not work with an existing organization.
--Most people have little understanding of the high operative expenses that will be encountered after the non-profit is established. Most recently, an elderly woman asked me to help her raise funds to establish a museum for a particular nationality. She wanted to create a legacy. I suggested she make a donation to a national organization for her ethnic group; I knew the group's practice was to recognize donors in very appropriate and lasting ways. She rejected this. When I explained what I thought her yearly operating budget would be for the museum she envisioned, she said, "well, we will just keep raising money."
This are just a very few thoughts. What do you think?
Aurelia
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