At this point, we’ve talked about what you need to start a non-profit. Now, we’re going to go over a few simple ideas for starting your non-profit.

Over the years, some of my clients have been discouraged from getting started because they felt that they needed a half-million-dollar annual operating budget to even consider starting their 501c3 nonprofit and making a difference. Although that works fine, it is not necessary.

It is perfectly acceptable to start small – but it doesn’t mean you have to stay small (unless you want to of course). Even if your overall goal is to build schools, operate internationally, have multiple locations, and a multi-million dollar budget to fund significant research – you can still get started right where you are and grow from there. Here are just a few ideas for ways that your nonprofit can start small but still make a difference:

Host a Lecture Series 

You can sign up as a volunteer at a nearby school, library, university, church, community center or large corporation. Offer to share your story and resources to benefit their audience and to inspire them to make positive decisions. Remember, you only have to be one step ahead of a person to encourage or help them.

Volunteer

Think of a cause that you are passionate about

(e.g., feeding the homeless, mentoring children, supporting cancer research,

helping students afford a college education, etc.) Find existing charities online that focus on the areas that you care about. Contact them and ask if your 501c3 nonprofit can partner with them by volunteering at their upcoming events or projects. Remember to follow-up if you do not hear back from them within a reasonable time. Many nonprofits are run by volunteers and have minimal paid staff. 

You may need to call back if you do not get a response after your first inquiry. Do not take their lack of responsiveness personally but allow your passion to fuel your commitment by following up.

Be a Mentor

You don’t have to be a celebrity to be a role model or hero to a child. There

are students in need of an after-school mentor that will encourage them to stay in school, make good decisions, and stay committed to their dreams. Your 501c3 non-profit can contact local schools and community centers to find out how you can get involved. You can then recruit other volunteers to be mentors on behalf of your non-profit as well.

Donate Money

You can agree to give a portion of your salary or income to your 501c3

nonprofit to benefit a cause you are passionate about. I personally believe in tithing (giving 10% to a church that makes a difference in the community) as well as giving to local nonprofits. This is something I’ve done for years.

You can also encourage people you care about to get involved by sharing the charitable work your nonprofit is doing with your friends and family and encouraging them to join you. This can multiply the impact that you are making in the community.

For example, giving back is so important to me that I’ve found ways for my entire staff to participate as well. As a firm, we donate to various charities throughout the year. Sometimes we share our charitable efforts with clients and supporters to encourage them to join in.

Oftentimes we give and never even tell other people about it but we feel good knowing that we are making a difference. We also sponsor a charity each year and we volunteer throughout the year as a team. This is just one example of how you can encourage your family, friends and even co-workers to join you in a philanthropic endeavor.

Donate In-Kind Goods

Your 501c3 nonprofit can collect and donate food, clothes, toys,

hygiene items, etc. to a local children’s hospital to brighten a child’s day, a nursing home, a homeless shelter or provide them to military troops overseas. Instead of selling your used clothes, etc., you can choose to give away your old clothing each time you purchase something new to someone else in need. You can also sell items you’re not using and use the proceeds from the sales toward supporting your 501c3 charity.

Offer Services

You can contact a school, church, community center, hospital, nursing home, hospice, retirement community, and volunteer to offer professional services for free during the holidays through your 501c3.

Be a Resource

Share information you have learned with others that are trying to get where you are. You will find that it will come back to you and you will go farther than if you kept all of your information to yourself. Brand the training, webinar, ebook, etc. that you offer under the name of your 501c3 nonprofit.

Start a Campaign

My husband and I decided early in our marriage that we wanted to start

a charitable tradition for our family. We collected clothing and purchased new toys and books and launched our annual “Clothing & Toy Drive for the Homeless.” Each year, donate items to a local charity or homeless shelter around the holidays to make a difference. Again, you don’t have to be a billionaire to mobilize your family and even friends to do something to make a difference through your own 501c3 nonprofit.

Involve Your Family

Consider taking the time to build a relationship with your family (parents, siblings, spouse, and children) and ask them to get involved with your 501c3 non-profit. Ask them questions. Listen to their interests. Then offer ways that are meaningful to them that they can volunteer and get involved. Speak kind and encouraging words to them and inspire them to reach their goals as you collectively give back to help others.

Encouraging Others 

Once you are giving back to others through your 501c3 nonprofit, be sure to encourage those around you to do the same. When you inspire others to give back, it increases the impact you are making. For example, if you begin collecting canned food to donate to a local Homeless Shelter to feed people in need, you may be successful at providing food for a few families. However, if you post a video on social media sharing with your followers online that you are committed to supporting the local Homeless Shelter in your area and

encouraging them to also donate, you are now impacting hundreds if not thousands of families. Share openly with your supporters the causes that you believe in and the things you value. This will allow them to connect with you not only as an individual but to know that by supporting you, they are supporting something greater that will have a lasting impact on society and the world. You will find that you will attract people that will enthusiastically support your efforts because they believe in the difference you are making.

If everyone used their gifts and talents to encourage one other person to make a difference, the world would be a better place. By taking the time to read all this, you have done just that because a portion of all proceeds are being donated to 501c3 charitable non-profit organizations. 

So thank you for helping me make a difference!