Nonprofit start up misconceptions with Dr. Victoria Boyd
4/22/2024
““Most of them they’re just thinking about paperwork. But there’s a whole lot more to starting a nonprofit than paperwork. That’s just one tiny little element. I back them up. I make them start thinking about marketing, branding. Is there a need? What is your niche? What problem are you really solving and are you really focused on the right why to start this organization.””
In episode 96 of Mission: Impact, Carol Hamilton and Dr Victoria Boyd discuss:
The misconceptions about starting a nonprofit
Why a program logic model is a better place to start for new organizations than a business plan
Some of the key questions nonprofit founders need to ask themselves as they get started.
Episode highlights:
07:34 - Common Misconceptions about Starting Nonprofits what to focus on instead
16:22- The Logic Model as the heart beat of the organization
25:29- **Defining your Unique Value Proposition
27:39 Building shared leadership intentionally
Guest Bio:
Dr. Victoria Boyd
Author, Trainer, Consultant, and founder of The Philantrepreneur Foundation. Host of the Nonprofit Corner Podcast.
Important Links and Resources:
The Philantrepreneur Foundation - https://drvictoriaboyd.com/foundation/
Nonprofit Corner Podcast: https://nonprofitcorner.org/home
Related Episodes:
Episode 17: Program Evaluation with Wendy Wolfe
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Carol: So welcome Dr. Boyd. Welcome to Mission Impact.
Dr. Victoria: Oh, thank you. Thank you for having me on. I'm so excited. I love sharing to the nonprofit world, but just, I just, I'm a teacher. Hey, that's what I do.
Carol: So. That leads me to my very first question. Um, what drew you to the work that you do? What, what, what would you describe as your why or what motivates you in terms of the work that you do with nonprofits?
Dr. Victoria: And it really didn't start with nonprofits initially. I taught dance for 28 years and. I was in a public high school, semi performing arts high school, and I was always in fundraising mode. And also being in the arts, I tended to participate in a lot of organizations that were arts centered, Michigan Dance Council and different things.
And I ended up serving as executive director, president of the board. Many different administrative roles, and I learned a lot of the gaps, or I saw a lot of the gaps that were happening. And so after I left teaching, after 32 years, I was still in nonprofit mode. I. And I moved to Nevada, from Michigan, and I actually saw that the nonprofits out there were a little bit behind in terms of just strategies and how they thought about it.
And it was the nature of the community because we have the big. Conglomerate. Okay. The casinos that were giving out a lot of money, and so nonprofits really didn't learn how to structure. I ended up teaching nonprofit management at UNLV for about eight years, but I still saw gaps of what they still needed to learn.
In a university setting, there's a set curriculum and that's all they teach. And so I ended up creating courses that I felt that there was a need for and that sort of mushroomed into a whole nother stratosphere. And because my passion is to see individuals. Reach their full potential, whether it's when I was teaching in high school or what I'm doing now.
Now it's focused on helping nonprofits or the founders that want to start those things, reach their full potential, giving you the tools, strategies, tips and ideas, the insights that will help them think about building sustainability and success. So that's sort of how I got here.
Carol: I love it. I love it. Yeah. And you actually mentioned those founders, you, you, it seems like you work with a segment of the sector that I don't generally work with. I'm not generally working with organizations. Right. As they start out, I'm often working with a new executive director who comes in and wants to do a strategic plan or, An organization, maybe they've been around for 25 years, but they've just recently shifted from all volunteer to staffed organization, those kinds of transitions. So generally they've got a history. But I, I'm curious, um,
Dr. Victoria: Yeah.
Carol: For those folks who see a need, they wanna address it, they wanna start an organization. What are, what do you see as some of the big misconceptions about what it actually means to start a nonprofit?
Dr. Victoria: Yeah. Most, most of them when they seek me or I'm referred, they're just thinking about paperwork.
Carol: Hmm.
Dr. Victoria: But I'm like, okay, there's a whole lot more to starting a nonprofit than paperwork. Um, that's just one tiny little element. And so I back them up. I make them start thinking about marketing, branding. Is there a need?
What is your niche? What, what's the problem? Are you really solving and are you really focused on? The right reason why you wanna start this organization. Some, I've, I've been the, I hate to say it, the naysayer or the, the killer of dreams, but sometimes you have to, what can I, I, I bear the sword, but, um.
If they say, well, I wanna, create a job for myself. Well, no, that's not why you need to start a nonprofit. Yes, a job or a position might come down the road, but if that's your primary reason for starting it, no, let's, let's back up. But also just, I really enjoy helping them have those aha moments.
That when I start talking about, okay, this is, I call it before, during and after. Before is before you file any of the paperwork, that's where you should be doing your logic model. I've been working with the small business development centers. Score. And a lot of them, because those counselors are from the business background, they tell 'em to start with a business plan.
They're not ready for a business plan. They don't, they don't even know what those terms mean. They need to start with the program plan because that's where they want to have impact and they need to understand what that will be. And so if they start with at least. The framework, the outline of a logic model, they then can then create their purpose statement.
They then can create a good name for their organization. They can use the outcomes of that framework to recruit board members. And so it's rethinking where to start. And the other type of individual that comes to me, they're just confused. They don't know where to start, what to do, and I just said, let's have a discussion.
I don't, you don't even need to worry about that. I can handle that for you. But then, once all of that paperwork is done, now you're in the meantime. So what are those first next steps? What are the priorities that you need to think about your website? becoming, and building those programs out, building your board and what are gonna be some of your fundraising strategies.
So that's the during and then afterwards it's ongoing support. What is your fundraising plan? Marketing strategies, how do you do? Use a Google grant. So I covered a spectre but it's still for what I call the infant organizations. They're new in their structure, they're still developing, but they need that guidance to get them where they need to go.
Carol: Right, which is
Dr. Victoria: So
Carol: critical at that, that beginning, beginning point with those kinds of. Infant organizations.
Dr. Victoria: My initial, 'cause they said, well, how much does it cost? I said, do you want financials, realistic or I said, if realistically, to launch a nonprofit, you need at least $5,000 at least, because you gotta build a website. You need, you need my services. Well, and you need to, to, pay the fees for state filing and IRS and there's just some startup things.
And do you have a local, do you have, I. All of these little things, how are you going to launch your program? so that's just a starting point of, I, I call that the baseline, at least 5,000. You need to aim toward 20 though, as a startup. So that's, it's great working with them because I love seeing them get excited about this new entity that is growing.
And then I love helping them continue.
Carol: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. And I mean, even before that, now, before jumping into building a logic model or thinking about, what is your program structure, I've also gone on podcasts and, and, and been that dream killer where I'm like. Do you need to start this organization? else is already addressing the problem you're solving, wanting to solve? What work is already happening in the community? Can you go join forces with
Carol: and, and then, and then think about whether it's really, really necessary to create another organization. And every community is different, obviously. Not as but I think, one of the things that's been brought from. The whole push to have organizations, nonprofit organizations act more like businesses is to, well, what's your competitive edge? Well, we actually, as nonprofits, the less we're in competition with each other, the better, the more we're complimentary in the program that we offer
Dr. Victoria: Yeah, absolutely. And that a lot of that. Philosophy is the name of my foundation, Phil Entrepreneur. Even though you're in philanthropy, you need to think like an entrepreneur. But that's more what my point of view is. I. Marketing, are you really creating good marketing? Are you creating revenue streams?
Are your fundraising diversified and, and a wide range? And how are you communicating your message? Who is your target audience? And they don't really think about it, you have two separate target audiences. You have who you serve. Or what is your reason? But then you have, who wants to follow you?
Who, who would be interested in what you do? They're not necessarily who you serve, but where will you find supporters? And so they have to think of it. From an entrepreneurial viewpoint of how to do all that. No, they're not in competition, but they definitely have to prove and show the impact that they have in the community, and that becomes the core of their message across all elements, the marketing message, the program development, and outcomes, and how it's structured and how they do the evaluation.
Recruiting board members, they want to, what's the why? What's the impact we have? Show me. And so there's a thread that goes off through it. No, you don't act and, and function as like a business, but you are a for purpose business and there's certain elements that still need to follow that framework.
Carol: Yeah, for sure. So one of the things you mentioned was a logic model, and that's something that I, I help organizations out with, to really break down. Um, so in your case, you're, you're helping them take an idea that's in their head and really, map out what are all the parts of it. Can you tell folks a little bit more about what a logic model is and how that can be helpful. A new founder is getting started.
Dr. Victoria: Absolutely the logic matters. I call it the heartbeat of your organization because it, it, it's, it's veins and arteries go into all the other different departments. I know I'm visualizing here, but, but as the heartbeat. It's, it's, it, it guides, it follows your mission statement, but the mission statement evolves out of your programs.
Think about it. You, you want to start this nonprofit because you wanna solve this problem. You wanna change the world in some way. And so what you're saying is that you wanna have impact. In the community by, and that is, if you do this, this will happen. And that's really the framework of what a logic model is.
It starts with what's the change, what's the impact? That theory of action, that's at the end. What. Outcome and impact do you want to have? And then you work backwards. So how are you gonna achieve that? Because there, there's long term, intermediate term and short term. So for example, if you're doing a training program, if that's one of your uh programs, what do you want them to walk away with after that training?
And it's not just what they're gonna learn, but how are they gonna take that learning into action? That's the intermediate. Result and then in the long run by implementing or changing how they act, make decisions, whatever that learning that they got in the action, what is the ultimate outcome that will happen because of that?
Okay. I'll use an example that I use all the time. A woman's program. TR trying to improve their literacy to get better jobs. So they take a workshop to improve their job application skills. Okay? So now they take that knowledge and apply for different jobs using those skills, and the outcome is that they have better jobs, more income, and they're able to be a vibrant part of the community and with stability.
Income. I'm, I'm making that up real fast. So, but those are just the outcomes. Then you back into, okay, so what are the inputs? Okay, you need to have a workshop. Oh, we need to have space. We need chairs, we need a facilitator. We need, we need, we need, we need all of these things to do that workshop.
And so those are called your, excuse me, that's your output that you're gonna give a workshop. You need all of these things in curriculum material, and it's going to be for women that need better jobs. Those are the participants. Then you look at the inputs. Okay, so as an organization, what do we have to put in there?
We need money. We need a venue. We need a pro or someone to teach this. A facilitator. Um, are we going to need grants and materials? Do we need equipment to print out this? Is it virtual? So do we need a computer to present this? So it's looking at all of the elements. Now that input also helps you create the budget for it because, okay, so in order to do this activity, what is required?
That's where the program budget evolves. And so now you're looking at the finances at the end of the outcomes. If you're the marketing department, you take that language and create your messaging to create donor appeals and things like that. So each. Separate element. You have the problem statement, which is, that's where you start.
And it is, it's, it's a chart. It's really mapped out. So you, I say you start,
Carol: part of it, of helping people
Dr. Victoria: yeah. It's a visual representation of a roadmap. So you start with the problem statement over there on the left hand side, and then you jump all the way to the right hand side where you have the outcomes. Skipping all that input and output stuff.
First you decide what it is. You wanna do it? The analogy I use is if you're going on vacation, you pick the loca where you're going first before you decide what type of clothes. Do I need some swimsuits or ski gear? Am I flying or driving? What are we gonna do there and how much money is it gonna take to do this trip?
That's a good way of just framing what a logic model does for you and, and what we do every day. We, if we're planning trips, we start with where we're going first. Yep. The end in mind and then back. And that's exactly what the logic model does. But most people. Haven't looked at it in a, I'll say a framework form.
They know they wanna do this, but they don't think about if this will happen, if I do this, this will happen. And that's called the theory of action. Do this. If this happens, this will happen. And, and it helps them really clarify what they're doing now. The logic model won't be the overall thing. You might have several different programs and you know what?
If you need to teach literacy to get a better job, you need to teach life skills, financial budgeting. Those would all be different programs, and so you, you, it's a framework that once you get the. Of really pulling it out and using it. It really, really helps to visualize and it can be used across the entire organization to help everyone first be on the same page, but actually have tools to use in their own departments.
Carol: And then once you've done that, I think, especially helpful when I think at that very beginning stage where, you have maybe one person or a few people who are coming together wanting to do something, they are able to make sure that they're all in agreement of what are they assuming in each of these stages of like, what if
Dr. Victoria: Yeah.
Carol: that,
Dr. Victoria: Yeah. Those were assumptions and factors. I didn't get into all of them.
Carol: No, no, I was just gonna say, but then even further down the line, to come back to it later and, either say what's changed and what, what needs to be updated or, know, from we're
Dr. Victoria: And that's that. Yeah.
Carol: are we
Dr. Victoria: Yeah. And that's why the evaluation. Yeah. I, because there's, there's five elements and after you map that out, I gave, I gave the, the. The, the, the edited version, the, the, the cliff notes, but what's layered on top of all of that is the evaluation process.
Carol: So what, what are some other things that you would say, folks, thinking about starting an organization need to consider before, before they worry about the paperwork that you talked about?
Dr. Victoria: Well, it's, it's also, you, you'd mentioned, is it needed, are there other organizations doing the same thing? So I frame that as what makes you unique, not competitive, but what makes you unique? What problem are you solving that there's a true gap. In the community that you're filling that gap?
Yes. There's a lot of animal organizations, but some are only focused on what I call urban dogs. They go to the homeless and help them with their pets. 'cause a lot of homeless people have pets. Um, and then there's the big foundations, the shelters, so there's a lot of different ways. So let's say you're helping animals.
The seniors with vet cost. So that's a very unique and targeted population. And so that would come across differently and you might not see that. Service being helped. What if you're doing training for first responders or what is called tuneup training? Um, one of my clients is, that's what they do.
They do dog training with police officers, those that have the animals, and once a year they can do what is called a tuneup training, for their work dogs. Totally interesting. But it's unique, very focused. Service that they're providing that meets a unique need.
Carol: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So that uniqueness is definitely super important. So as we come to the end here, on each episode, I ask each guest, what permission slip would you give nonprofit leaders on, or what would you want them to consider to avoid being a martyr to the cause? Because that's a, that's a big thing that we struggle with in the sec. Um, also thinking about it in terms of how they might work towards cultivating a healthy organizational culture. So what invitation or permission slip would you give to help or leaders avoid being a martyr to the cause?
Dr. Victoria: Absolutely. I love this, love this. Be an intentional leader and build other leaders. You. You're not the end all. You don't have to do it all. There's so many leaders out there that are overwhelmed because they're trying to. Think about all of the different elements. Build your team so that they are leaders.
Also give them the autonomy, empower them to be creative and think outside. But on the other side, that means you have to equip them with the tools they need and allow them to access a lot of your knowledge as a leader, because you've gotten that role because of certain, Experience or, or skills that you have, share those skills and build a culture of leadership.
I call it intentional leadership, where it's not about leading and carrying the flag, but you're actually turning around and pulling people. I love that image up the mountain with you. So, that would be the one thing, and, and being overwhelmed can be solved by just prioritizing. Looking at all of these challenges and deciding which one is a good fit for you, which can be delegated, and what are the priorities for the organization?
Carol: Yeah, a hundred percent. Um, I love the idea of not having to do it all yourself and building other leaders as you, as you go. That's really key and that's obviously
Dr. Victoria: Yes.
Carol: So integrated into the work that you're doing. So I really appreciate it. Well, Dr. Boyd, thank you so much for coming on on Mission Impact.
It was a wonderful conversation and great to have you.
Dr. Victoria: Thank you so much for inviting me
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