5 Mindset Shifts You Need Before You Start a Non-Profit
When starting a social endeavor, I know a lot of us start out with an idealistic view of changing the world.
I did!
While this idealism is necessary to keep us passionate and motivated to move forward in our work, I want to talk about realism in today’s blog.
I strongly believe every social entrepreneur that has been successful at building and running their own non-profit organization has had to adopt a specific mindset consisting of the following mindset shifts:
1. Create a strong vision
Creating a strong vision is so important. Although this non-profit is YOUR baby, you need public support to help you along your journey. A strong vision allows others to understand where it is you’re heading. A good vision not only keeps you focused and steady on what lies ahead, but encourages others to follow you such as your board of directors and donors.
2. Attach daily activities to goals
When you’re running a non-profit, it’s easy to get caught up in the weeds with unimportant details causing us to become overwhelmed and behind. Attaching your daily activities to your goals will help you to set your priorities straight and move the needle forward each and every day.
When I feel as though I’m getting off track, I’ll sit down and write out WHY I’m doing every single thing in a day. If there’s a task I see that doesn’t truly align with my goals, I put it aside for another time.
To do this, you need to outline some goals first. Don’t have any goals yet? My Unleash Your Purpose course can help you to flesh out that idea of yours and set strategic goals to further you along the process of starting your social endeavor.
3. “Non-profit” does not determine your income
It’s not uncommon to hear people say “oh, you’re a non-profit, so you don’t make money.” But, this is NOT TRUE.
It’s unfortunate hearing others say this because non-profit organizations are businesses too and you’re an entrepreneur. Running a non-profit doesn’t make you any less than someone running a for-profit business. Just because you’re doing a good thing doesn’t mean you should not be compensated for your hard work.
So, run your non-profit like a business and change the connotation in peoples’ minds. Rather than using the term “non-profit,” I like to use the term “social impact business.”
Yes, nonprofits may receive their funds in multiple ways, whereas, a for-profit business is based on a customer/product relationship. It’s a difference, but not a bad thing!
If you want to find out how you can monetize your mission and earn an income from your business, I have a second course that I would highly recommend.
My Unleash Your Profit course is designed to help you create a roadmap towards creating a social endeavor that is profitable and sustainable.
4. Focus on relationships, not social media
Actually build relationships with your customers and donors.
Don’t bombard your followers with information on social media until you know what it is they want to hear about and why they feel connected to your organization.
People become loyal to organizations they can relate to and resonate with. So, find out what information your audience wants from you.
Additionally, make sure to build relationships with your followers BEFORE asking for any donations from them.
If you ask for donations from your followers on social media, most of them will not act (it’s better to ask one-on-one)
You don’t want to make it seem as though their donation is more important than the connection they have with you
5. Know your role
As founders of a non-profit organization, I would say our main responsibility is to connect our purpose with our people.
With every non-profit organization, there is a specific population out there that will resonate more so with your mission than others.
It’s our job to find the right people, and learn how to connect with them so that they see value in our mission.
“A donation is so much more than just that.”
My final tip for you all is this: As you work to adopt this mindset, don’t get too hung up on the little things. Still follow your passion, but find a balance between the two!
Do you have anything to add to this list?
In what ways have you had to change your mindset to find success?
