BECOMING A FOUNDER
Deciding to start your own non-profit is quite the feat. Coming to the conclusion that you have a solution to an issue that is plaguing our world and then having the courage to try to put your solution into action takes a whole lot of bravery and faith.
Faith in yourself
Faith in your solution
Faith in your community
And just plain OLD Fashioned faith
When my husband and I decided to start our own nonprofit this year (2019) we did so with a combined 22 years of experience working in the nonprofit world. You would think it was an easy decision with so much experience both internationally and domestically (USA) but it wasn’t. We had to convince our selves that we knew enough about the issues we wanted to tackle and that we had the tenacity to endure the first years of starting a nonprofit.
As I began the process of founding a nonprofit, I kept looking for sources of inspiration. People who have done it before in both the digital world and real world. I wanted to hear their stories, their struggles and successes. I was looking for the inspiration to keep going through all the hard parts of being a founder. I knew where I wanted to go with my nonprofit but seeing the path as conquerable was difficult. We often hear only of the great nonprofit success stories once they have become giant organizations, but many started with an individual with a solution, who was able to conquer their fears of being a founder.
When I couldn’t find much more than small business coaches online (many of whom are very inspiring) I decided that if I am looking for this kind of content, so are others and then the birth of a second project came to life in tandem with the nonprofit. I call it Making a Nonprofit.
As you follow this blog and my social media posts, I have one hope, that you find the courage you need to embark on living a life of service through the nonprofit world. I truly believe because of my personal faith that we each have the responsibility to be the neighbor that we want to live next door to. Whether that means starting a nonprofit community garden in our neighborhood or founding the next great youth center, it is because of the bravery of people like yourself that so much has already been done in cities, towns, and villages across the world.
—RAQUEL