Launching a Legacy: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Starting a Nonprofit

Starting a nonprofit organization can be a rewarding way to give back to your community and support a cause you are passionate about. However, the process involves careful planning, understanding legal requirements, and meticulous organization. This guide shared to the FAMCare blog by Sharon Wagner from Senior Friendly, outlines key steps to set up a nonprofit, ensuring you start on a strong foundation.

From The Heart

The impulse to care for one another is at the heart of the nonprofit movement. Over the years nonprofits have grown to proportions no one could have imagined or predicted. The nonprofit sector has become a significant portion of "big business". A quick glance at some of the most well-known charities in America tells quite a success story:

Fish

• In 1992, the Atlantic cod population on Canada's northeast coast collapsed under fierce fishing pressure to less than 1% of its historic biomass. This collapse was the largest fisheries collapse the world has ever seen.
• Nearly 80% of the world's fisheries are already fully exploited, over-exploited, depleted, or in a state of collapse. Worldwide, 90% of the stocks of large predatory fish, such as sharks, tuna, marlin, and swordfish, are already gone!
• Greenpeace lists: “Atlantic Halibut, Monkfish, all sharks, and Blue Fin Tuna” as overfished species.
• Globally, the share of fish stocks which are overexploited (we catch them faster than they can reproduce to sustain population levels) has more than doubled since the 1980s, and this means that current levels of wild fish catch are unsustainable.

The term "fourth estate" refers to the press and the news media and comes from the traditional European concept of the three estates of the realm: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. In our American democracy the three branches of government (Congress, Supreme Court, President) are joined by a free, independent press (our Fourth Estate) that advocates and informs on behalf of the citizens who have granted the power to govern to the other three “estates”. For our "fourth estate" to protect the people from their elected government's impulse to grab more power by governing behind closed doors, our press and news media must maintain its integrity, remaining independent and financially robust. However, since the decline of the industry’s ad-driven business model was hastened by the Great Recession, more than half of newspapers have shuttered across America and the industry has shed more than 20,000 jobs.

Our correspondents from the nonprofit sector tell us that most Americans are unaware of the dramatic impact that nonprofits have on the American economy. They say big “for-profit” business gets all the attention and economic acclaim while nonprofits are relegated to the insignificant “do-gooder” class of amateur “not for profits”.  This misperception has a deleterious effect on nonprofit’s ability to attract professional management and career orientated college graduates. Our correspondents tell us that our recent overview of the nonprofit sector failed to highlight nonprofit’s vast economic impact on the American economy. Let’s remedy that.

With over ten million nonprofits on a mission to create a positive impact in their communities globally, and every resource they invest needs to count. When it comes to non-profit case management software, the key question arises: Does it yield a return on investment (ROI)?

Let's explore the benefits that far exceed the ROI for non-profit software solutions in human service agencies that take the leap.

Millions of non-profit organizations, often rooted in local communities and driven by a desire to create positive change, have a remarkable capacity to bring about worldwide change. Despite their small beginnings, these organizations can grow to influence global affairs and drive meaningful change in areas as diverse as poverty alleviation, healthcare, education, and environmental conservation.

In this blog post, we'll explore how non-profits and social services transition from their local roots to become global change-makers. Further, we will explore how technology, such as case management software solutions, plays a pivotal role in this transformative journey.

A non-profit organization is an important part of any community. It spends a substantial amount of time and effort solving global issues and making the world a better place. However, mistakes can be made in any organization. When a non-profit makes certain errors, it can significantly reduce their efficiency.  Since non-profits play a significant role in a community's safety net, we are going to look into 3 common mistakes made by these organizations.  

Are you a nonprofit looking to raise awareness for a cause you support? Maintaining awareness of the cause you support is crucial for securing donations and attracting volunteers if you run a nonprofit organization. So, if you want to promote awareness for a cause, here are the best things you can do to succeed! Five of the most ingenious techniques to raise awareness of your organization's cause are listed below.

Social media presence is an important factor that is directly tied to the success of a social service agency. It enables social service agencies to spread the word about their existence, raise awareness about their initiatives, and attract more individuals to donate and volunteer with them. 

Therefore, boosting social media presence should always be a top priority for a social service agency.

Below are a few expert tips to help boost your social service agency’s social media presence. Enjoy!