pic from Spear.  Check out his pics.

The beginning of a nonprofit starts with a grassroots effort to build adequate support or an overwhelming amount of support that needs to be organized.  It is the same for creating any business model.  The biggest mistake is not taking the time to develop a business plan and a strategic plan to implement the business plan. 

There are many benefits to starting the effort of a business out of one’s home, but eventually there is a need to balance the success of the business and one’s personal life.  It also takes a well-organized, disciplined individual to accomplish work at home. 

The creation of a nonprofit board that is involved in providing priorities and direction can help in the measuring of whether the individual is disciplined enough to balance a work at home effort and the goals of the organization. 

pic from Jacob Covey

The great majority of non-profit organizations are started with the lofty goal of a cause such as improving or enhancing the lives of a specifically targeted group in their community, with services ranging from child day care for low income mothers to group homes for mentally disabled individuals to saving the environment.  The leadership of the founding individuals of a nonprofit for a cause are the first donors to the nonprofit, volunteers and expected members of the philanthropic nature expected to be reached by the nonprofit.  These non-profits serve a much-needed function around the state or country by picking up where government programs or causes often fall short.  Many of these organizations are small, serving a very specific segment of communities, allowing them to the opportunity to truly get to know who their clients are, what the communities needs are and how best to serve them. 

Extraordinary people with an extra-ordinary desire to improve communities run these non-profits, and who often dedicate and donate much of their free time their whole lives towards helping the cause.  A number of these organizations have donors who wish to remain anonymous.

 pic by Robin Hutton

All in the eyes of the beholder on how to solve a problem.  Just might get the decision maker to find a permanent solution. 

Many behavior problems are not caused by the education system but certainly influence the ability of teachers to deliver an education to all students effectively. 

The partnership of public schools with nonprofits experienced with behavior issues or other problems a student has have been shown to really make a difference.  However, it is not done enough or automatically.  It is time to step up to the plate and offer your services to schools.  When schools fail to recognize the problems of students the PTA is a good place to start to let parents know what supports you can offer as a nonprofit. 

However, I am waiting to see someone trying to use the Principal’s office as a classroom to get attention for a student in need. 

pic by Caveman

Charter schools as government entities should not be seen as a threat but a leverage to obtain more resources for education from the charitable community.

Charter schools make educational outcomes for each student more transparent and increases the leverage for a higher quality standard all entities must reach. 

The days of shorter school days, shorter school years and the lack of parental choice is coming to an end.  The question is a matter of when will we see local government opening to the reality of the facts.  Will the chains of resistance come down on their own or will it take drastic action by the voters to finally be heard.

Nonprofits have an opportunity to make inroads into education where school districts are failing to educate students.  Nonprofits need not be overwhelmed by the number of failing students.  Start small and build to your capacity. 

Photo by: Wirefly

A nonprofit organization focused on fighting local child abuse launched a holiday gift drive this week to benefit abused, abandoned and neglected children.

Promises2Kids has placed more than 300 bins at office buildings, schools, grocery stores and restaurants throughout San Diego County to collect new unwrapped gifts. The collection will run through Dec. 14, culminating with a gift drive at Walmart on Shawline Street in San Diego from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day.

The nonprofit said 12,000 gifts were delivered to foster children across the county last year.

To read the entire article, please follow the hyperlink to the Sign on San Diego web-page.

Photo by: vi4kin

Here is a great example of the progress of non profit organizations world wide.  Russia’s President Dmitri A. Medvedev has called for tax incentives and other measures to help Russia’s non profit groups which have come under government pressure as of late.  The President is trying to promote policies that will help to modernize his country.  Now he knows that the policies will not alleviate all the problems but it will sure help with some of them.  He is trying to keep his main goal of supporting non profits in the sector and hoping to get more talented  and philanthropic people to help.To read the entire article, please follow the hyperlink to the New York Times web-page.

Photo by:  keso

There has been talk of News Corp. threatening to leave the google index and Googles problems trying to index out of print books.  But, all of these problems are related to the commercial status.  If they were considered a non profit the majority of these problems they seem to be having would go away.  The interesting thing is that Googles founders once believed that the site should be a non profit search.  But there has been talks about this very idea possibly coming true.  If Google were to take on its status as non profit search engine, it would basically make them unstoppable.To read the entire article, please follow the hyperlink to the ZDNet web-page.

Pic by PBS Hawaii.org

There is a trend that industrialization brings to developing nations that just might surprise you.  First the world had the G-7 and now we have the G-20.

The expansion of nations to create the G-20 has nicely identified those nations to watch the replication of the surprise path to wealth.  Family size gets smaller and families become richer.  The developing nations within the G-20 are creating an opportunity of economic growth that will create conditions for businesses to grow and to lower world poverty by a large margin.  International nonprofits should look towards the G-20 and decide whether their mission should move on to another country or focus now in these developing countries to get the biggest impact for their dollar.

The G-20 is made up of the finance ministers and central bank governors of 19 countries:

• Argentina
• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
• China
• France
• Germany
• India
• Indonesia
• Italy
• Japan
• Mexico
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Turkey
• United Kingdom
• United States of America

The European Union is represented by the rotating Council presidency and the European Central Bank, it is the 20th member of the G-20.

Photo by: darkpatator

You can get your cabernet and pinot from North Carolina-based bartender Doc Hendley, but you’ll also get a side of water and some sobering news.

Wine to Water, Hendley’s nonprofit, raises funds through wine tasting events in order to bring clean water to people in developing countries. It was after traveling the world and learning about the global water crisis that the 30-year-old realized he could combine his bartending and people skills by hosting eye-opening wine tastings at the venues where he worked.

To read the entire article, please follow the hyperlink to the Huffington Post web-page.

Now that’s taking ones passion and making an impact.

Photo by: mtsofan

A San Francisco nonprofit has been found to be misusing federal and state taxpayer dollars and the State Inspector General has ordered them to repay it.  The “Economic Opportunity Council of San Francisco” was awarded a half-million dollars to help weatherproof needy families’ homes.  But they were using part of the money for things inside their own company.  They have not yet paid the back the money but have agreed to meet with state investigators to discuss the situation.To read the entire article, please follow the hyperlink to the Capital Public Radio web-page.

While the article may place a negative light on the use of these monies to weatherproofing, it should be promoted by other nonprofits the benefits.  The amount of money that is projected to be saved by reducing the amount of energy lost and the reduction of the consumption of fuel will far exceed the intitial costs.