FACTS ABOUT BECOMING A NONPROFIT HERO
I’ve just finished reading an excellent article on Twitter posted by the President of GoFundMe, Juan Benitez. An article posted from his original story on Medium. I strongly suggest that you read the entire article, particularly if you have previously donated too, or intend to do so in the future.
“Online crowdfunding, like any other industry, has a responsibility to ensure the safety of their community members. That is why GoFundMe and Indiegogo joined forces to co-found the Crowdfunding Trust Alliance, whose focus is to make online fundraising even safer. We are working diligently to listen, learn and drive any necessary changes within the industry that can bolster the safety of our campaign organizers and donors”.
As the Director of a nonprofit organization who has used both GoFundMe and Indiegogo in our efforts to raise funds, the establishment of the Crowdfunding Trust Alliance is much needed. Confidence in online crowdfunding is imperative to both the individual campaign and the smaller nonprofits who depend on the generosity of others to fund our projects. The cause, your content and credibility are necessary, but without the donor’s confidence in believing in the honesty of the industry, we will fail.
The truth is very few campaigns actually reach their goal. Initially, friends, family and past donors who trust in your integrity will give small donations. Convincing strangers to give is a much harder task and takes time. Doing it organically without paid advertising requires you to wear many hats. Nothing I’ve done in business has required the dedication it takes to be asking for help from strangers. Convincing people that the rewards are far greater for helping others than receiving a physical product requires kindness, compassion and empathy, the same qualities you expect from those who give.
I believe in the good in people, without that belief you’ll never be a successful small nonprofit Director. By sharing a common interest in helping others in need is the basic premise of The Spirit of Humanity.org. Our philosophy is simple, the more donations received by the charitable organization or individual seeking to help others in any capacity, the more help the needy will receive.
The process of getting nonprofit status is arduous, expensive and lengthy, especially for the small organization. Large corporations have tax specialists, corporate attorneys and other experts. Start-ups generally are forced to do it themselves. My experience has taught me the larger the nonprofit, the less their recipients will receive. The experts, marketing and perks going to CEO’s cost money, consequently the needy suffer. Our philosophy is to make sure the highest percentage possible goes to the people in need.
We do this by all being volunteers.
We started by giving free services to nonprofits in the form of advice, website development, photo and video posting. In time after receiving our nonprofit status, we phased out the free services and started our own project campaigns. More than three years later, we’ve finally learned what it takes to be successful in crowdfunding. That does not mean we’re there yet.
Terrell Kaucher
Director
The-Spirit-of-Humanity.org