Guest Writer: Gloria Martinez, WomenLed.org
Starting a business is always exciting, but with so many tasks on your to-do list, it can soon become overwhelming and downright stressful. Nonetheless, if you dream of launching a nonprofit, you shouldn’t let those challenges stop you. Instead, try these four tips from Shining a Light for a smoother start.
Delegate the Tasks You’re Unfamiliar With
When you’re starting a nonprofit, you may want to accomplish as much as possible by yourself to avoid adding more people to your payroll, as you may worry that it could eat up your earnings. But this mindset can quickly backfire if you end up stressed out about managerial and administrative tasks you don’t have much knowledge about. So for nonprofits and for-profits alike, it’s often more beneficial to hire an expert who will do the job correctly the first time around in much less time than it would take you to do it yourself. You may also prevent costly errors by getting a professional CPA, tax accountant, or lawyer to get your company off the ground.
Choose Your Board Wisely
When you ask people to join your board of directors, think first of their strong suits and what position you’d like them to hold to make your nonprofit a thriving success. Find individuals who are great at seeing the big picture and who have experience, expertise, and connections to help you grow. Beside a chair, vice president, secretary, and treasurer, look for marketing and fundraising experts to add to your startup’s board of directors. They will steer your social enterprise in the right direction and attract the funding you need to really have a positive impact around you.
Go Digital and Go Paperless
Digitizing your records and documents and making them easily searchable can greatly alleviate your and your team members’ stress. Simply use an online tool to scan, save and store all your important paperwork on your computer and in the cloud. If you’re looking for a tool that will allow you to save files as PDFs that you can then split, merge, edit and organize at will, check this out. You’ll be able to share them with stakeholders by using content management software at your office, keeping you and your team members more productive.
This technology stores information in electronic folders, eliminating the need for physical paper files that can get lost or misplaced, saving you time, headaches, and, ultimately, money. Everyone involved in a project will have direct access to data, updated in real-time, which is the best way to keep your nonprofit running without hiccups, miscommunications, or delays.
Take Time for Self-Care
Launching your own venture often requires working long hours and dedicating most of your time to it. But it’s important to prevent burnout by taking regular “time-outs” for yourself. Don’t forgo practicing a hobby you enjoy just because you feel you’re too busy running your nonprofit; having a creative and relaxing outlet is vital for your mental health and well-being. Fuel your body and your brain with the right stuff. Caffeine and sugary snacks will only give you a temporary boost of energy and can interfere with your sleep, so make sure you take time to consume healthy, balanced meals. And don’t forget regular physical activity, especially if you spend long hours in front of your computer, to prevent common ailments such as back, neck, and shoulder pains as well as eye strain.
Get your nonprofit off and running by surrounding yourself with the right individuals. Rely on experts to help you launch your startup and use digital technology to streamline processes. Also, make self-care a priority so you can keep doing good for others while being gentle with yourself.
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