Six Reasons Not to Start a Nonprofit

Occasionally I will get an email asking how to start a nonprofit organization. There are several great resources online that can help, but before I get to that I always kindly caution them on a few points.

It is very time and labor intensive to start a nonprofit. You should be certain that this is the right path for your endeavor before moving forward.

Here are 6 reasons not to start a nonprofit

1. There is already an organization filling that need.

If you are seeking to fill a specific need in your community, first contact other organizations with a similar mission. For example, say you find out that the grocery store throws away all its bakery goods at the end of the day. You’d like to get that food into the hands of people that really need it. Contact your local food bank or other assistance nonprofit. Volunteer to coordinate the pick up of the leftover foods. The same rings true for many causes seeking a national or international audience, do research to find out what organizations are already working in that space.

If the mission you’d like to tackle requires funding (as many do) if you can start as a “project” under an existing NPO it may help you with getting grants and other funds. Foundations are more likely to fund projects under established nonprofits. You can also use this time to learn the ropes from experienced nonprofit professionals. Then later once you have a solid foundation you may decide to go out on your own.