June 12, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
Anyone who wants to maintain control over his or her “good cause” organization should start a business, not a nonprofit group, says a consultant to nonprofit boards.
“Nonprofits are meant to be publicly funded; therefore, they need to be publicly governed as well,” writes Antonette Artiz, author of Nonprofit Connectors, a blog designed to help people who are just starting their organizations. “Boards set the mission, goals, and policies for nonprofits.”
“For-profit businesses set their goals and move full steam ahead, while nonprofits have more layers to go through when setting goals and moving forward.”
Mr. Artiz, who runs a business in Virginia that provides administrative help to nonprofit boards, says people who want to create nonprofit groups should also ask: Are there other organizations doing what you want to do? Would it be better to just join one of them? Can you give up control for the sake of the individuals who will benefit from the group’s work? How will you finance the start-up costs?
Do you have any other advice for people who are thinking of starting charities? Share your thoughts by clicking on the comments link below this posting.
