Episode 16: Strengthening Your Nonprofit: Free Resources Pt. 1
Struggling to build your infrastructure, qualify for grants, give funders what they’re requesting during the eligibility screening process? Use these free resources to help strengthen your nonprofit, produce “required documents”, and get funder-ready.
LINKS
NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT: St. Anne’s
PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to On Air with Amber Wynn, where nonprofit leaders learned to fuse passion and commitment with proven business strategies to create long-term funding, impact and sustainability. And now here's your host and resident Philanthrepreneur Amber Wynn.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Welcome fam. It's your girl, Amber Wynn. And you're On Air with Amber. Yes. I'm so excited to be here. In this episode, I'm gonna do something a little different. I am going to focus on two resources that I think are very important, especially for startup nonprofits. Now, I think they'll benefit any nonprofit in any stage, but we just came out of our Nonprofit Success Path and I wanna do what I wish someone had done for me when I started my nonprofit, which was, not talk at me, but really share with me the resources that it takes to build a nonprofit. Because listen, we all know that you have the passion, we know that you have the commitment, and we actually know you probably have the skills to deliver the programs. But what gets a lot of nonprofits caught up and derailed is actually building the infrastructure.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
What does that even mean? So what I wanna do in these next couple of episodes is to provide you with some of the tools of the trade that I actually use myself. These two resources that I'm gonna share with you today, I believe will help you and help you grow exponentially and help you solidify your foundation. A lot of people start their nonprofits and the first thing they wanna say is, Okay, how can I get a grant? You don't even have an infrastructure. And what I can share with you is, without an infrastructure, you won't qualify for a grant. So I'm gonna pull you back a couple of steps and I'm gonna set you up powerfully for success by making sure that your infrastructure is solid. Cuz if your infrastructure is solid, then you'll qualify for grants cuz there's a difference between being eligible and qualifying for grants.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
And it starts with being able to meet the requests of your funder. So today's episode, Strengthening Your NonProfit. We're gonna talk about some free resources that you can use as a Nonprofit Founder, Executive Director, to do that. To strengthen your nonprofit organization. The first resource is focusing on strengthening you as a leader. People start nonprofits without a clue as to what that even means. A nonprofit is a business, it's a for purpose business. And so what I want to just really emphasize is if you have no skills in running a business, you're gonna struggle with your nonprofit. If you have no idea what a nonprofit is supposed to do, what a nonprofit cannot do, what needs to be done, then you're gonna struggle. If you don't have skills in accounting, fundraising, marketing, networking, management, you are going to struggle with your nonprofit. One person cannot run a nonprofit. That's called being a solopreneur. A nonprofit is an organization and even if you have no staff, even if you're managing volunteers, you have to manage them. So this first resource is called NonProfit Ready and I feature them as a sponsor. And I try to feature sponsors that are beneficial to my listeners because I want you to be successful. I wanna give you resources that you're gonna need. So let's pause for a second and let's look at the commercial that I typically run for NonProfit Ready.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Starting a new career in a new sector with unfamiliar job titles and new jargon can lead to frustration and burnout.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
What if you had an easy way to get up to speed, to learn the key elements of successful nonprofits, and the critical steps we should all take to maximize our impact? Introducing the Nonprofit Essentials Certificate. Three short interactive courses that cover three critical areas. What makes a nonprofit a nonprofit, how nonprofits raise money, and skills needed to build a thriving career in the nonprofit sector. Interactive exercises and actionable advice from nonprofit experts help bring clarity to key concepts. And the end of the course exam tests your knowledge so you can earn a certificate and badge and then quickly put your new knowledge into practice. The best part, the nonprofit essential certificate is 100% free. Thousands of learners have already earned their certificate making this our most popular set of courses in Nonprofit Ready. Register at nonprofitready.org and get ready to accelerate your impact and your career.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Did you see that? I hope you paid attention. First of all, it's free, but secondly, you're able to get certificates. But the reason why I'm featuring Nonprofit Ready is because for those of you who are just jumping into this space or have even been into this space and you can't figure out why is it you can't get grants, why is it that you can't manage to transition from volunteer to paid? It's because you don't understand what it all means. I mean, and it's just that simple. You don't understand what it means to be a nonprofit or you don't understand what it means to have a seasoned Board. If you did, then you would've made that transition. And it's perfectly fine that you don't know. This resource is gonna help you step up your game and we wanna uplevel you so that as a nonprofit leader you can be the most effective and efficient that you can be.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
So if you don't already know, tap into NonProfit Ready. It's a free resource. You can get badges, which then you can, like they said, you can put it on LinkedIn, but you can also put it on your website. You can put it in your bio so that Funders know that you know what you're talking about. You've, you've gotten some type of organization to say, yeah, this person knows this basic information, this intermediary information, and is proficient in nonprofit management. But more importantly than the labels is you having the information. I want you to have the confidence that you understand what it takes to run a nonprofit. Cuz once, no one can ever take that information from you and once you know you can leverage that information so that you can move and be agile. I have a lot of people who don't know a lot and so I'm doing a lot of educating, which is fine, but you can do that on your own.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
You can take these short courses, you can get the information that you need, you can refocus and then you can make your nonprofit powerful in your community. And that's what I really want. So that's the first resource, right? If you don't understand what a nonprofit can and cannot do, if you don't have the skills, you're gonna struggle. So go get you some skills. You can do it on your own time, you can do it with your own pace and you can do it for free. Nonprofit Ready. That's the first resource. The second resource; the first resource focused on you, the individual as a leader. The second resource focuses on your organization. During the pandemic, there were a lot of money out there to support small businesses and to support nonprofits that the majority of the nonprofits that came to me didn't qualify for the money because their infrastructure wasn't tight.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
What does it mean when your infrastructure's not tight, Amber? The first thing they ask you for is an annual budget. The second thing they ask you for is three years worth of financial statements. Most of my people couldn't provide three years worth of financial statements and some of them had been in operation for 10 years. What? What does that mean? That means that they didn't have the system in place that could produce that. It doesn't … when they ask you, when a Funder asks you for three years of financial statements, they're not saying, you need to give me something that shows you made a hundred thousand dollars. They're not asking you that. They're asking for financial statements to see how you manage your money. Those financial statements, the balance sheet, the profit and loss statement. It could say for fiscal year 2020, we had $5,000. They're not asking you for a specific amount, they're just trying to see if you have systems in place that track your finances.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Because if they're handing you over $50,000, $250,000, they need to know that you are following generally accepted accounting practices, GAAP so that they know their money's being regulated. So you could raise from a fish fry and a bingo night and donations $5,000 and that's all you need. That's perfectly fine. But can you produce the financial statement to prove that? Most people can't because they're like, well, I haven't gotten a grant. But if you've brought money into your organization, it just needs to be tracked. So this next resource is called Wave Apps. It's another free resource. Let's look at the commercial and then we'll come back and talk a little bit about why I'm even highlighting it.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
This is you and this is your business. From invoicing your first client to your 10th client to your hundredth client. You'll need to get paid quickly. Pretty soon you'll be ready to hire some help and you'll need to pay them. As your business grows. Wave is there to grow with you.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
So this resource is Wave apps, and it's actually a software that I use for my business, <laugh> and for anyone who knows me, your girl is not a big fan of the numbers. I mean, I like to see them coming in, but in terms of managing eh and during the pandemic, in order to qualify for some of the resources out there, I had to provide for them just like anyone else, my Profit and Loss Statement. And because I use Wave Apps, I went in and I looked and it says, there's a tab that says Reports. And sure enough it said Profit and Loss Statement. And I was like, say what? I click the button and this whole page comes up and it's like what time period? And I'm like, January to December, click, and it self populated. When I tell you your girl almost broke down into tears, I was like, Go Amber, Go Amber.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
I didn't do anything but push a button. But the point being is I didn't have to figure out how to create this Profit and Loss Statement. All I had to do was connect this software to my bank and it tracked all the transactions. It made it so where there was debits and credits and whatever you need in a Profit and Loss Statement. And I'm like, what else does it do? Well, it helps you to walk through setting up a Chart of Accounts, a Chart of Accounts are basically your budget line items, the things that you spend money on. And if you saw in the commercial if you need to pay bills, it even has it so where you can do payroll. All in this app and it's free. Now, you may want to use QuickBooks or whatever system in terms of employment, you may wanna use ADP, whatever.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
You may need to grow into that. For nonprofits just starting their organizations, I always say do what you can do until you can do better. I use Wave Apps because it is streamlined. Even your girl can understand it. When it comes to technology, I tend to gloss over. So if I can understand it, I'm telling you you'll be able to do this. But more importantly, this is the foundation for consistent funding in your organization. If you don't have a system that can show to Funders that, number one, your finances can be tracked, can be produced in a report or whatever, then you're not gonna get funded. And I'm gonna repeat this again. Having financial statements doesn't mean that you have thousands of dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in your account. Having financial statements means that you can prove to a funder that you track them, that you can provide a report, that they can see what's going on in your finances.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
So Wave Apps is a free resource that I'm gonna encourage you to sign up for and to just start practicing. They have tutorials but it's really simple. You'll set up all of your line items. What do you buy? Well, who do you pay? And this is going to powerfully position you to be successful in terms of receiving funds. If they ask for a Balance Sheet, if they ask for a Profit and Loss Statement, if they ask for your transactions, if they ask for a Chart of Accounts, all of that is in this free resource. And I just want you to be in the position where you don't miss out on money. Cuz so many people missed out on funding opportunities during this pandemic cuz they just didn't have the resource. So that's what I have to say in terms of the two resources that I wanted to focus on today. The first one focused on you, the individual getting you the skills that you need so that you can manage people, so that you can manage your organization, you can manage your finances. And then the second one is actually building out your infrastructure in your organization. And I started with the financials cuz that's what every Funder's gonna ask for.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, I'm gonna share more resources in upcoming episodes. But those are the two basic foundational resources that I would recommend for anyone just coming into this field, the nonprofit sector. Or if you're stagnant, if you're struggling and you can't figure out how to fund your organization, it's because you don't have enough information. Go ahead, get you some more information. Go ahead, build your infrastructure and then you'll start to see some movement in your organization. All right, so now we're at the point in the episode where you get to ask a question. So Ask Amber. And the question for today is, how do I build my infrastructure when I don't have the money? And this is a very poignant, and I think it's a good question, right? You just started your nonprofit organization and I'm telling you, you've gotta invest. And I'm telling you, you've, you've gotta put money in.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
And it's true, you do have to put money in. But the reality is, and it just is what it is, you may not have a lot of money. If you are self-funding your nonprofit, first of all, I want you to know you're not the only person. Most people who come to me, they're not getting a salary. They're actually taking money out of their pocket from their day job to run their nonprofit. And what I would say is, you just need to shift, just a little bit. Think about it this way. I have people who will host a fundraiser, a gala or silent auction or whatever, and then they take that money and they put it into the nonprofit. I'm gonna ask you to think about things differently. I'm gonna say, the way you build your infrastructure if you don't have money, is to maximize your fundraisers, is to pay attention to where you put the money that you do have coming in.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
What do I mean by that? So if you have a fundraiser and you raise $5,000, where are you gonna put that money? I'm gonna encourage you to put it into something that's going to give you more money. So for example, let's just say you just got your 501c(3), then you probably don't qualify for a grant. Take that $5,000 and pay someone to create a corporate sponsorship package cuz that's marketing money. And now you have this professionally designed corporate sponsorship package that will then bring you in more money. If you've been in the game a couple of years, have a fundraiser to cover the cost of a grant writer because a grant writer is going to write you 1, 2, 3, 4 grants and then you're gonna get money in. Take that money and then do something else with it. A lot of the times people have these small fundraisers, bring the money in, and it goes right back out. Invest the money that you generate into something that's gonna bring you in more money.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
And that's how I start. When I started my nonprofit, I paid someone $2,000 to actually incorporate, and you probably can get it cheaper, but I knew this person and I knew that it was a guarantee that I was gonna get approved, but I didn't have $2,000. I saved up three months of money and then I paid. That's how you're gonna have to do it in the nonprofit. You're going to have a couple of fundraisers and then you're gonna apply that money to something that then is gonna generate you money, right. So I have a whole bunch of fundraisers that you can do. It's in a workbook that I have called Funding Resources workbook. I'm gonna put the link in so that you can look at it. Some of the things you can do right away. Some of the things don't require any money. Do those things.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Do five of those small, no investment things so that you can create a source, a pool of money, and then use it to then pay for something that's gonna generate more money. It's like a little staircase. And that's my strategy for nonprofits who don't have a lot of money. Do things where you don't even have to invest money to get money back. Stack your chips so that you can afford a grant writer, stack your chips so that you can afford a consultant who can create a corporate sponsorship package or who can create a fund development plan. That's the strategy you want to use. Create money to then fund something that's gonna give you more money. So that's my answer for how to build your infrastructure when you don't have the money. All right. Now we're at the time where we're gonna focus on a nonprofit in the community who's doing amazing work. They've been around for 110 years, actually. I remember them when I was in Catholic school. And they just support young women in the community who really, really need their work and their help. So let's take a look at this nonprofit, it’s called St. Ann's.
Speaker 5 (21:37):
The family advocates are awesome and they're so helpful and they genuinely want you to grow as a person and help us succeed. And they've done that for me and many other girls. My kids are happy. We have a place to sleep every night, and that means a lot to
Speaker 6 (21:53):
Me. It was like 10, 11 my first time that I lived on the streets. And in a lot of ways, St. Ann's became my family. We were the ones that were there through the rough time when I wanted to cry. So I felt so much better and relaxed and safe. Now that I'm here at St. Ann's, I do feel like I'm helping somebody and that I'm giving back.
Speaker 5 (22:13):
I love St. Ann's.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
I love St. Ann's too. And if you're interested in supporting an amazing organization that's been a mainstay in LA County, then you can reach them at www.st annes.org And so as I wrap up this episode, I just want to share with you One Minute Mindset Minute. And it's just to think outside of the box. Over the next couple of episodes, I'm going to share with you opportunities for you as a nonprofit leader, for you as an Executive Director, a Founder, to tap into some new opportunities. And I just need for you to think outside the box. There's no need to recreate the will because there's so many things being done outside in this world that you can leverage. Some people say steal, I say leverage, and you can put your own spin on it and make it yours. If it works for your organization, then do it.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
But I want you to think outside of the box because thinking outside of the box is gonna help you to grow not only as a leader, but in terms of your organization. I'll share with you some of these resources, but get on the internet, do a Google search, look at other organizations that are like yours, look at other organizations that are not like yours and see how you can leverage some of the things that they're doing. But most importantly, look at how you can grow yourself as an individual, how you can grow yourself as a leader. Because when you grow yourself, then your organization's gonna grow. If you think outside of the box, you're gonna hire people in your space who think outside of the box, and that's just gonna be a win-win for the people that you serve. So I'm looking forward to sharing with you some more resources that you can leverage to grow your organization for long-term, consistent, outside funds and for long-term impact and sustainability in your community. Until then, you guys have an amazing day and I'll speak with you soon.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave a review on iTunes. Head over to www.amberwynn.net/podcast for the links and resources mentioned in today's podcast. See you next time.
