31 Mar 2009 No Comments
Supporting the nonprofit sector: a mini how-to guide
When I returned from a semester of study in West Africa and started telling my friends about what I’d seen there, a lot of them expected me to head straight for a career in the non-profit sector, and some even assumed I’d start my own non-profit. I have tremendous respect for the work of the non-profit sector, and I knew I wanted to be involved. But I wasn’t convinced that, given my experience, starting another organization was the best way to go.
Flickr photo courtesy of JoshC
That’s why this post on “What to do instead of starting an NGO” caught my attention (NGO, or non-governmental organization, is almost synonymous with NPO, non-profit organization). The list of ideas here certainly isn’t exhaustive, but it gets you thinking about how to contribute most effectively to a cause you care about. It could be starting your own non-profit. But it could be deciding to volunteer or fundraise instead, so that an existing non-profit has the resources to provide more services to people who need them. The great thing about these ideas is that it doesn’t require 40+ hours per week to launch them.
As it turned out, one of my first jobs out of college was an internship at a non-profit arts organzation, which was a great experience. For one thing, it showed me that I had a lot more to learn (even more than I thought). And, importantly, it showed me how big a part of the equation fundraising is. I kept thinking about how the non-profit sector might look different if there was more collaboration between non-profit organizations and their supporters.
If you go to your favorite non-profit’s website, you’ll probably see a link that says “get involved” or something to that effect. Most non-profits have ideas about how to connect supporters like you to their work, whether that is setting up a monthly recurring donation, estate planning, shopping a charity gift catalog, or fundraising. Here’s an example.
What are some other ways to support or contribute to a non-profit organization and its work?
Hat-tip Chris Blattman.
