The
Next Steps
Once
the basic structure of your organization has been put into place it's time
to focus on the daily tasks and who will handle those tasks. The following
is a list to review. One word of caution, volunteers are crucial to the
success of your organization but many times it's best to leave
confidential matters of gifts and giving to board members or paid staff
members (if you intend to have any).
As
you begin your new organization you will be introduced to some exciting
new activities. Plan accordingly to provide adequate volunteer and staff
as inadequate resources can lead to overworked, frustrated, and
uncooperative participants.
Some
basic starting points:
Establish
and Maintain A Database of Current and Potential Donors.
This is one of the single most important assets of your nonprofit
organization. Start out using index cards if necessary, or if someone can
create a database using a software program even better. Be sure all
information collected, name, address, phone, email, donation information,
is kept strictly confidential. Donor lists should NEVER be sold or shared. Thank
You Letters/Correspondence.
Someone should be assigned the job of writing thank you letters and taking
care of correspondence from the minute you establish your non-profit.
Thank you letters are crucial to your success - wonder why? See our
section on why
thank you letters are important. Letterhead pricing. Graphic
Design and Printing. As
your organization develops it will be necessary to prepare professional
documents such as business cards, brochures, and special event pieces.
Finding a suitable printer with graphic design services will be a
necessity. Every community has local printers and there are many online
sources that make it convenient to order from any location. Most local
printers farm out their full color work so depending on what your needs
are online printers can be more cost effective for many projects. Visit
our sponsor
NotForProfitPrinting. Volunteer
Efforts. From
creating a volunteer application to holding volunteer training efforts,
your volunteers are critical to your success and need to be effectively
trained and managed. Many organizations have a volunteer coordinator while
others take a less structured approach by providing monthly or quarterly
training sessions and pairing new volunteers with current volunteers.
Visit our volunteer
section for more information on recruiting and training volunteers.
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