Nonprofit Organizations: Defining Impact

by | Mar 25, 2021 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

“If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.”

– Anita Roddick
Angry Person trying to sleep with mosquitos near his head

The introduction of my dissertation begins, “More than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations support the public and private interests of individuals in the United States (Urban Institute, 2013).” While this statement was based on my research back in 2014, the premise behind the statement remains. Our society relies on nonprofit organizations to fill the gap in services where the government doesn’t reach.

We have a long way to go to address the inequalities in our societies, but nonprofit organizations, big and small, are making an impact!

Recognizing our fellow citizens’ plights or personal experiences, the empathy in us wants to do something about it. Many go a step further and decide that a nonprofit organization can resolve an issue, but can it?

Maybe.

Why maybe? Nine times out of ten, there is already a nonprofit providing the service you hoped to provide. Ensuring your mission is unique is one of many steps to creating a successful nonprofit.

Starting a nonprofit is easy. It’s sustaining the nonprofit that is the challenge. A sustainable nonprofit has:

  • A viable Purpose
  • A strong Mission & Vision Statement
  • Articles of Incorporation
  • Bylaws
  • Program Policies & Procedures
  • An active Board of Directors
  • A Fundraising Plan
  • A sensible Budget
  • A website

…..and the list goes on.

The National Association of Nonprofit Organizations & Executives (NANOE) estimates “30% of nonprofits fail to exist after 10 years. According to Forbes, over half of all nonprofits are destined to fail or stall within a few years due to leadership issues and the lack of a strategic plan, among other things (Ebarb, 2019).” The bottom line is it is not enough to have an idea. Starting a nonprofit is investing in your community. You can start a nonprofit and hope your good idea is sustainable with a solid foundation to build on. Or, you can hire IMS to ensure that the impact you make on your community is that of a mosquito – determined to hit your mark!

References:

Urban Institute. (2013). Nonprofits. Retrieved from http://www.urban.org/nonprofits/index.cfm

Ebarb, T. S. (2019). Nonprofits Fail – Here’s Seven Reasons Why. Retrieved from https://nanoe.org/nonprofits-fail/

Posted by Dr. Drena Valentine to LinkedIn on March 26th, 2021.

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