The Cathedral Within

This is a classic!  I have read this book several times, and each time it is a source of deep inspiration.  Written by Bill Shore of Share Our Strength fame, he uses the metaphor of cathedral building to drive home the point that nonprofits need to think big in order to achieve a scale that is meaningful and lasting.  He provides several impressive examples of nonprofits who have done this including Pioneer Human Services out of Washington state, and The Chicago Children’s Choir to name a couple.  He vividly illustrates the kind of unrelenting drive and unflagging spirit the founders of these organizations possessed, akin to the obsessiveness that drives any Olympic athlete, which catapulted them to unprecedented size and effectiveness unheard of in the nonprofit world. 
      It seems that the really large insight that these companies had was that to achieve their staggering scales they could not depend solely on fickle donations and uncertain grants.  Instead, they developed for-profit programs designed to help fulfill their missions that often brought in millions of dollars in revenue that they then used to fund their programs.
      A truly great read.  Check it out soon!

The Cathedral Within; Bill Shore; Random House, NY; 1999

The Revolution Will Not Be Funded

This is a very thought provoking book.  It is a series of essays written by a variety of people on how influential grant giving foundations can be on determining the course of a nonprofit organization.  The bottom line is that if a nonprofit does not measure up to the agenda of the foundation, they often risk losing their funding.  The argument that runs through the essays is that any nonprofit that seeks to do something completely radical does not have much of a chance in being funded by conservative foundations.
      I found most of the essayists expectations of receiving funding from sources whom they seek to undermine a bit perplexing.  Obviously, any foundation has a set of objectives they wish to see fulfilled, so for them to not fund a nonprofit that does not fit their model seems reasonable to me.  The radical nonprofit needs to seek monies elsewhere, possibly through a grassroots campaign.
      That being said, it is a bit scary to realize just how much influence the major grant providing foundations can have on the general course of nonprofits.  Many nonprofits are so strapped for cash that they are often willing to distort themselves, conforming to the foundation’s agenda, in order to get the grant.  Thus, they lose their independence and become mere employees of the foundations.  This, obviously is not a good situation for it tends to stifle radical program ingenuity.
      There are lots of good ideas presented in this book, although beware — it is very densely and academically written — but well worth the pain.
      It is edited by INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence; published by South End Press, Cambridge, MA; 2007.

The Fog Lifts

      So by the time March came around, I knew my selling season was over, and I did not have much to show for it.  But that was OK.  I got my feet wet, and I learned a lot as well.  It was now time to throttle back, take stock and do it right the second time around.
      Throughout most of February and March, I did lots of thinking about what I really wanted Moenavi Clothing to be and to do.  I came to the conclusion that the most important thing it could do was to create jobs for former homeless people.  I had spoken with some folks involved with local homeless advocacy groups, who could identify those folks who would be ready to work. I really wanted to be involved in helping any person who wanted to leave the streets find a good-paying job.  This would be the cornerstone of Moenavi’s mission. 
      The jobs would consist of working for Moenavi, probably cutting out patterns or sewing.  People would be trained on the items we donate to homeless shelters, and when they become skilled enough and are producing consistently and with high quality, then they would move to the pieces we sell.  These jobs needed to pay well — not just minimum wage — as well as provide benefits right from the start.
      To fund this, we would use the profit from the sale of hats and other items, but this probably would not be enough, especially early in the game when hat sales would be slow.  But if we could rely as well on money from grants and donations, to supplement the income from hat sales, then Moenavi could fly.
      It became clear at this point that Moenavi needed to become a nonprofit corporation with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.  This seemed to be the ticket.  By becoming a nonprofit, all the money from the sale of the hats could be used to fulfill our mission, since the manufacture and sale of these pieces is directly related to our mission.  With 501(c)(3) status people who donated money to us could take the tax deduction, encouraging large donations.  Also, many grant awarding foundations require that the recipient have 501(c)(3) status, so this would clear the way for additional funds.
      The fog was beginning to lift.  I could start to see a clearer path ahead.  Everything Moenavi would do would support getting homeless people working, getting them off the streets, getting them to feel good about themselves, and getting them to be a benefit to the community.  I knew this was something that had to be done, and I knew it could be done.  The “how” was the problem, and the more I looked into it, the more difficult it appeared to be.  But I was determined to figure it out.
      The first step was to get writing.  I knew I needed a plan, a business plan.  At the very least, I needed a clear mission statement, a detailed description of how the business would achieve its mission, pro forma financials to determine how much money I would need, a solid marketing plan for selling hats, and basic grant research.
      Once I had a plan written out on paper, I could then begin to get others seriously interested in Moenavi from which I would assemble a board of directors.  Then it’s just a short step to incorporate and, finally, to apply for 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.
      The mechanics of putting this enterprise together seemed straight forward.  It would take time and a bit of money, but I felt confident that I could pull it off.  The tricky part was that I did not really know the people I wanted to help.  I had no direct experience working with homeless people.  But I knew I could get this.  Tune in again for more on this.  Thanks for reading!  Stay well and be peaceful.