Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with nonprofit

Two Stupid Jobs

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:51:13 -0800

I went from possibly being unemployed to being offered two jobs I only sort of want. I need to take one of them in order to live, which should I take? I recently posted this anonymous askme about getting an internship in public radio, and I ended up getting the position. I then had to tell my employers at a full time job that I have worked at for four years (outsourced IT) that I would like to go part time for three months during the internship. Initially, they told me there was no place for me there while I was doing the internship and there was much hand-wringing and worrying about money, as well as applying for other positions.

Eventually, me and my employers were able to come to an agreement where I would move away from my current position in account management toward a more sales-oriented position. I will be taking a pay cut, from 73k to 60k, which won't impact me much. For the three months that I am part time, I will be making 30k, which, while difficult, I can handle. My continued employment is provisional on my success in this position, and will be reviewed again when the internship wraps up at the end of March

During the period of hand-wringing and application sending, I applied for a position at a non-profit as their operations manager. This non-profit works with first amendment issues and, as someone who wants to work in journalism, has a mission that much more jibes with my world view than the corporation I currently work at. About 2/3 of the job will be administrative and kind of dry, but there is a third that will allow me to work on education initiatives, writing for the website, and other things that I feel like I would actually enjoy. The executive director of this non-profit has basically told me that he would like to offer me the position and that he just needs the approval of the board.

The problem with this position is that it starts, full-time, at 36k a year, a little less than half of what I make now. Additionally, the director has made it clear to me that it will require more than the standard 40 hours a week, and will include having to go to conferences (pays us for travel and lodging, but no per diem or anything.) The director has made it clear that they are not looking for "nine to fivers," and they want a person who can commit outside of the standard 40 hour work week. I live in New York city, and I'm paying about $825.00 a month for rent. Doing the math, if I were making 36k a year, after taxes, rent would be just under half of my total monthly income.

So I'm faced with a choice. In one corner, a sales job that I almost certainly won't enjoy, at a decent pay rate, with the provision that I need to remain successful or I will be let go, and in the other a job which I might like a little more (though still saddled with a lot of drudgery) for very little money, requiring hours beyond the standard 40. Honestly, neither of these are holding a very strong appeal for me at the moment. My focus is on radio and journalism, both admittedly difficult fields to break into.

I guess my question would be, which one sounds less painful to you?

Should I go for financial security and take the sales job?

or

Should I go for a position that I might potentially like more and work for peanuts for the forseeable future?

Your help would be appreciated. Any questions can be sent to throwaway email address:

radiodreamjob@gmail.com

Best Fundraising Websites for School for deprived kids in Colombia?

lapsang — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:43:49 -0800

Best Fundraising Websites for School for deprived kids in Colombia? Yesterday I visited a small independent school in one of the poorest part of the city of Cali, Colombia.

The school is part of a formal, but small, foundation and cares for literally the most abused kids from 3 to 16. It is well-run, modest and is often the only source of food, encouragement and hope for many of the kids. The stories I heard from the in-house psychologist were horrific: incest, armed 7 year old gang members, extreme trauma and deprivation. The school of 130 kids is run by a Catholic nun (somewhat renegade compared to her brethern it seems) and teachers who accept to live on below minimum wage. They also ran a hostel but have temporarily closed it because of financial constraints. The nun made an interesting point with regard to the boys in the school ...that the school is the only reason they are not already in violent street gangs - and thus 'we are helping reduce a vicious cycle of violence here'.

I want to help (for free) the school raise funds and also in an advisory capacity. Right now however they have to deal with basic fundraising and making up a major deficit next year. I love kiva.or but I don't think it is appropriate in this case because the school does not produce goods or services for sale.

To help with fundraising I want to reach out to people on the internet and would really appreciate if you could point me in the direction of websites that can provide fundraising services. So far I know of:

http://givemeaning.com/
http://myphilanthropedia.org/
http://www.justgiving.com/
http://www.facebook.com/93dollarclub - is also an interesting possibility

Wondering if you can point me in the direction of additional online resources to help with fundraising?

How (if) does the US résumé differ from the European CV?

threeants — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:37:59 -0800

I am applying for a job at a nonprofit in Europe with a rather international-seeming staff. They ask for a CV. Is the European non-academic CV pretty much equivalent to the US résumé, or is it a beast of a different nature? For example, being a fairly recent college grad, I have been very judicious with my usual resume in order not to have it exceed one page. However, when I think 'CV', I think of the insanely thorough documents that academics possess which list not only everywhere they've worked and everywhere they've gone to school, but also entries detailing every paper they've ever written, every class they've ever taught, every grant they've ever received, every car they've ever driven... what kind of detail is expected from a CV in the European job world? As an example, my current one-page resume allows me to put bulleted descriptions under three key jobs but leave the rest as single-line titles. The whole document is also in 10-point font. Should I upgrade to two pages and put more detail in all around, or would that be considered as ostentatious as it would be in the US? Enlighten me so I can be a CV Wonder!

What's Cooler Than Dancing in a Train Station?

Lipstick Thespian — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:55:52 -0800

What Are Some Creative Ways To Get People Interested In A Giving Campaign? I'd like to hear from the Metaverse from any marketers, non-profit superstars, or performers about how you have created interest in a campaign, performance or idea you want to get out to the public.

I'd like to hear responses that go beyond the flyers and flashmobs level, and hopefully get inspired by your answers as well.

I'm coordinating a campaign this year and am having difficulty rousing folks to the cause.

Should we make our future educational organic farm a non-profit?

bengarland — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:11:00 -0800

Should we make our future educational organic farm a non-profit? If so, how? I inherited some old family land out in the country (about 50 acres), and my partner and I are planning to build a rammed earth passive solar house and organic permaculture farm there. Since it is in rural north Georgia, it will be one of the first (if not THE first) of its kind. For instance, we already found out that we'd be the first to hook up solar panels to the power grid in the tri-county area that the local EMC serves.

We want it to be an educational "living lab" that 4-H, FFA, Scouts, students, and other groups can visit and learn from. We also plan to have workshops on permaculture, natural building, organic gardening, etc. There are two high schools within 10 miles, the University of Georgia is 40 miles, and Atlanta is 80 miles, so we think this is a definite possibility.

Our goal is to have it be an educational outreach for the community, where people can come learn practical skills and knowledge to better themselves and the planet. We think this is especially important in rural Georgia, where (it seems from my growing up there) people aren't often challenged (or given the opportunity) to seek alternatives.

I've heard of other educational farms incorporating themselves as 501(c)(3) non-profits. My questions are:

1) Judging from the goals I outlined above, is this a good idea? (If not, why not?)

2) Can it be done for an entity that is still in the planning stages?

3) What is the best website or other guide that details the process?

Track the donor and get the cash!

Fuzzy Dog — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:33:31 -0800

Donor Tracking? What are using? I volunteer for a small non-profit doing techie things and they are in need of a Donor/Member/Volunteer tracking solution. I have seen this question, but it's over 2 years old.

The solution I seek needs to be easy to use, have good support (I won't always be here to fix problems) and not cost an arm and a leg (Raiser's Edge is to pricey).

If you work or have worked for a small non-profit what did you use? What did you like about it? What did you dislike about it?

Thanks hive brain!

Can the ED legally run the board?

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:07:28 -0800

Can a non-profit executive director refuse to allow the board president to run meetings? The board president has been told this isn't kosher, but she's a friend of the ED (which is why she was chosen for the job) and feels too intimidated to argue the issue. (She also may be uncomfortable asserting herself in this role as she has no white collar job experience herself; the ED has stacked the board with college students and members of her fraternal organization as more experienced members have resigned in frustration over the years). ED treats board members as employees (instead of vice versa) to be micromanaged (we've been told we shouldn't be emailing each other without her permission on board matters, for instance) and is easily threatened.

Said ED is very competent at running the day-to-day operations at this 6-figure-budget, human services NPO. She is a nightmare to deal with at the board level, having no management or prior NPO (or corporate) experience herself. So let's say that removing her from her position is not in the best interest of the organization at the operations level. What other recourse/legal responsibilities does the board have to reassert its proper role? Is it legal for her to be running meetings?

This is a weak BOD (obviously) though patience is wearing thin. One member has told the Board President she must be running the meetings, but again, the ED said no and the BP is unwilling to press the matter.

(Asked because I was one of the people brought onto the board who had no prior experience--I didn't realize any of this wasn't normal until recently. There's an awful lot online for EDs dealing with dysfunctional boards, but I've found very little on the opposite scenario.)

Throwaway email: tinpotED@gmail.com

Name my job, please?

anastasiav — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:01:43 -0800

I have the opportunity to select my own job title for my new position. Given these duties, what should my job title be? Its a large public-mission nonprofit. I report directly to the CEO. My duties will include some administrative items related to the board meetings (including taking minutes), writing the content of the website and making sure all info there is up to date and correct (some evaluating usability, but no coding), coordinating an email newsletter as well as communication via Facebook and Twitter, and doing the bulk of the writing and layout for the print newsletter. I'm also taking responsibility for at least one large-scale special event, with a focus on recruiting and managing volunteers at that event. In addition, I will be conducting donor prospect research, and some work maintaining the donor database. (There is no development director, the CEO fills that role). I imagine, given the dynamic in the workplace, that there will be a limited amount of general administrative support for the CEO as well.

The last person to do this job called herself the "Executive Assistant" but that feels to secretary-ish to me. The CEO has suggested "special assistant to the CEO" but I would like something more descriptive of these wide and varied duties.

What would you call this job?

Which officer role(s) should the founder of a small nonprofit take?

zagyzebra — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:03:22 -0800

I'm starting a small nonprofit. It is just myself at this point, though I have a very serious organization verbally committed to seed money and promotion. I have not yet solicited a board of directors or officers. What do most sole operators do? Do I double serve as executive director and board chair, at least initially? Or, do I take on the most labor-intensive offices of treasurer/secretary? I throw this out to the experts here, of whom there seem to be many, based on my perusal of nonprofit threads.

If only I could bike at my desk...

Inspector.Gadget — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:52:59 -0800

Where can I pick up strenuous physical labor in DC on an occasional, volunteer, or (extremely) part-time basis? The academic year is about to pick up again and I know by the second week of class I'm going to feel like a slug. The last two weeks or so I've been hobbling around on several broken toes and unable to run or bike seriously, so the cabin fever is starting even earlier than usual. I'm looking for something I can do a few hours a week on an inconsistent schedule, with emphasis on weekends: if it's paid, great, but I'd also be interested in work for a suitable nonprofit. I don't think I can commit enough time to do Habitat for Humanity. Here's the sort of stuff I'm looking for, and it'd be even better if this was stuff I was doing by myself:

Splitting wood
Stacking/moving heavy things
Load truck with heavy stuff, drive 15 mins to place, unload truck
Break down pallets or similar wood frames
Help a bricklayer
Warehouse work
etc.

Thanks in advance. N.B.: I am not interested in anything that has me within 50 feet of stuffing envelopes or any other sort of office work.

Starting in the non-profit sector: Am I doing the right things at the right time?

monocot — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:16:35 -0800

NGOfilter: I think I've discovered my vocation - the question is, how do I go about achieving it? Lots of background, questions from clueless young person and more. Long background:

After attending a UWC in Norway and having an amazing, mind-blowing, life-changing (etc. etc.) two years, I then went to the UK to study biology. In hindsight, going straight to a highly-specialised course might not've been a smart decision, and for the past year I've been rethinking my future as a lab drone and (after working in a research lab this summer) I'm pretty certain scientific research / academia is not the career for me. Instead, I hope to go into human-rights or development-related international NGOs, because I sustain a strong interest in current affairs and HR-related issues despite the science major (I'm involved in the UNA and current affairs socs), and a job working with people from other countries, advocating & being in the field appeals to me.

I'm on track to receive a degree in the biosciences but it's not what these places are looking for - frankly a bit dispiriting when all of the intern/job openings require a 'social science, econ or related' degree! Unfortunately switching courses is not an option. I researched a bit and it seems that the best way to make inroads in this whole NGO business is to volunteer. So I've decided to do so at this (vaguely related to my subject) NGO during term time next year, and hopefully learn the ropes as well as get to know people. I plan to apply for an unpaid internship (there seem to be no paid ones...) next summer in a HR monitor, perhaps in London.

I've tried to form some coherent questions from the confused and clueless ramblings above:

1) My volunteering and networking plans for next year - the right idea, or totally off?
2) How to best go about finding an iNGO internship in the UK / London or elsewhere? Are there any organisations that you recommend or which would take an unexperienced, unrelated but enthusiastic student in? Resume tips?
3) Are the job prospects in the non-profit sector poor in general? Do I have to resign myself to meagre earnings / job-hunting for many years after graduation?
4) How much would multiple languages help? I'm willing to put extra work into my spanish (was conversational, but I've been neglecting it) if it increases my chances - I also speak chinese and english (doh).
5) Sometimes an "advanced degree" is required - eg in the UN - what would be a good subject to get a postgrad degree in? I've flirted with the idea of law school in the US, but the high tuition makes it nigh impossible unless I get significant loan / scholarship help, and even then the debt might be debilitating. (Additional problem: I'm not a US citizen; Australian.) How useful would a JD be in international HR work? This question suggests not very...

Any help with the questions, other advice and info you can offer (or maybe calls to calm down / have a reality check?) would be very much appreciated :)

Help me gain better administrative skills at my nonprofit -- audits, accounting, and taxes

johnasdf — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:59:31 -0800

Help me with my nonprofit's accounting and audit practices. Just looking for some general tips on (1) learning the basics on accounting; (2) learning how to prepare audits most efficiently; and (3) bonus points for help on the more stringent 2008 IRS filing requirements for nonprofits. I run an arts nonprofit and in a month, my part-time administrative director is leaving. While she is not a bookkeeper or an accountant, she does a variety of related services, such as preparing our files for our audit, paying our bills, doing bank deposits, entering invoices and deposits into Quickbooks, etc.

She and I are planning to put together a new system that will probably involve hiring a part-time bookkeeper, but I will probably have to take on more administrative responsibilities, including the 2008 returns (we got an extension) and the 2008 audit. While we do employ an accountant to help prepare our books for the audit (as well as, of course, our auditing firm), I'd appreciate any advice on the following:

1. How to get a general knowledge of accounting and related business practices. I currently do the budgets (and took a college accounting class), but I'd like to be less intimidated by bookkeeping practices, software, and general administrative process involved with running a small business.

2. Best practices on how to do an audit.

3. Tips on the new more stringent 2008 IRS filing requirements for nonprofits.

I'm generally looking for links to websites or pdfs that might be educational, as well as general tips & suggestions based on your best practices. Thanks!

How long should it take to write/update a nonprofit case statement?

Jacqueline — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:16:12 -0800

How long should it take to write/update a nonprofit case statement? I've been asked to estimate how long it would take me to write/update the case statement for a nonprofit I currently work for (in another position). The audience would be potential major donors.

I've never written anything like this before, but I've been reading up on what goes into a case statement, have several good examples to look at, and even a ~12-year-old copy of the organization's previous case statement (that was the last time it was updated, apparently).

The more I learn about case statements, the more it seems like this is potentially a HUGE project. Some of the books I've been reading even suggest going around and interviewing everyone in the organization before writing it, mention that dozens of people are going to have comments and revisions to incorporate, etc.

So, I'd really like to hear from people who've done it before -- how many hours, over how many weeks, do you think it usually takes to write a nonprofit case statement?

Also, any ideas on where else I might post this question and get good information?

Thanks!

Mentor Me To Improve The Lives of Others, Hivemind!

Lipstick Thespian — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:34:50 -0800

Help For A Newbie Charity Campaign Coordinator? I may be asked to administer a local basic services campaign here in town next month, and need the help of the hive mind.

I need to hear from community organizers, project coordinators, non-profit directors, etc. about how to minimize mistakes and streamline an already-successful project.

What advice can you give me about marketing, planning, volunteer organization, and strategy to make the most of a campaign?

What problems would you like to help someone avoid if given a chance?

I want to hit the ground running with this and build on its progress.

Feel free to memail me for further details, questions, etc.

And thank you!

How do I form the First Church of [Insert Celebrity Name Here]

runcibleshaw — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:04:02 -0800

How do I start my own church in California? If L. Ron Hubbard can have a church, why can't I? I have tried searching for "how to start a church" on google and askmefi, but no luck. I think there's something about filing a 501c non-profit form, but there are a lot of forms for similar things (non-profit raffle? commercial coventurer?? what the crap?). This will not be a serious religious organization by any means, so any money I spend on this endeavor will be minimal. I may want to include the name of a celebrity in the name of my church (think Peter Griffin's Church of Arthur Fonzarelli). If I somehow am able to register a church, will that keep other people from using the name I pick for my church? Can I get out of paying income tax? Do priests pay tax?

It would be really nice if there was just one form I could fill out that a couple of my "congregants" could sign, get notarized and mail to the IRS or City Hall or something.

Creating a small library for a non-profit

andendau — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:29:18 -0800

Looking for resources on creating a small library for a non-profit company I am currently a MLIS student and for the summer break I found a volunteer opportunity with a non-profit to assist them in creating a library. I have quite a few texts but nothing that involves a step by step guideline to assessing a variety of media and organizing it. I am interested in helping this organization set up a scaffold so that material Is accesible and available through an OPAC and would make it easy for a novice to come in and add new materials. I found a few older threads that had similar information but mostly on the OPAC side and not on getting started. Any input would be welcome.

Nonprofit help.

futureisunwritten — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:23:57 -0800

How can I turn this nonprofit around? Three weeks ago, I got a job at a nonprofit organization that also runs a historic site. It's a great organization that has been around for decades. I'm the lone salaried employee and for the summer, I'm the boss of five awesome university students that I hired a week after I started.

The board are all pretty excellent people and they're always a cheery phone call or e-mail away, despite the fact that they all have very busy lives and careers. They are the first to admit that the place isn't very organized. They have been very receptive to my constant questions and suggestions, but I'm looking forward to the day when I don't have to call upon them quite so often. There have been a lot of "baptism by fire" jokes on their part, but they have all told me they're really pleased with what I have done in the last few weeks.

But I'm kinda terrified. The truth is, I've never really done anything like this before. A few months ago, I was making pretty cappuccinos, writing an MA thesis, and worrying about finding a real job when I was finished. Thanks Mefites!

Now I am juggling invoices, funding proposals, bank statements, staff schedules, tour bookings, and event bookings. I'm also revamping a website that hasn't been updated in two years, and trying to put out a quarterly newsletter that hasn't been out in a year. I could go on.

My predecessor left the office in a wreck. There's no sense of organization in the drawers and shelves full of files and I don't think this person ever deleted an e-mail or a Word document, nor did they throw out a ton assorted and outdated crap. I've managed to salvage what I've needed to get the job done on a day-to-day basis and the place is slowly and steadily becoming more organized. But I have a long way to go and my time is precious.

So yeah. How do I get this house in order? Please share some of that good ol' hive wisdom here - anecdotes, links, books, or whatever might be helpful. Thanks!

We need another Treasurer! Can we just vote one in?

Flakypastry — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:55:04 -0800

Can we elect a co-Treasurer? I am the President of a 501c(3) nonprofit organization. The work load of our Treasurer is due to increase dramatically next year. We would like to name (or vote in) a co-Treasurer, and are not sure if this requires a change to our bylaws. The bylaws state that the Board has 4 officers, President, VP, Treasurer, and Secretary. Does this preclude us from simply voting in a co-Treasurer? Changing the bylaws has been a long and contentious process in the past, and we'd rather not go down that road.

NGOs in Francophone Africa?

totalbs247 — Sun, 24 May 2009 08:43:00 -0800

I'm looking for a human rights NGO to work for in the Francophone world. My preference is for a Francophone Arab country, but I'm open to any option that would be a good work experience. Does anyone have experience or other knowledge of NGOs they would recommend? I'm about to graduate from Harvard Law School. I was supposed to go to a law firm this fall, but because of the economy, they want to defer my employment until January 2011. In exchange, they will pay for me to work for a non-profit until then.

I'd like to get involved in human rights work anyway, so I'm very excited about this possibility. I have studied and worked a bit with human rights issues, so it would not be completely new to me. I am fluent in French and might be interested in starting to learn Arabic (thus the preference). I am very healthy, am fully vaccinated, and have spent several months in developing countries; I would prefer a higher quality of life (e.g. Tunisia), but can deal with whatever.

I have looked at Human Rights Internet and the FIDH network, but it's hard to get a good sense of the organizations online. I really appreciate any information or recommendations anyone can give.

501(c) status for non-us NGOs?

Meatbomb — Fri, 22 May 2009 06:40:51 -0800

501(c) status for non-US NGOs? I have a registered NGO outside of the US. We do grant-funded teacher training / minority education type stuff. I am looking into various online / crowdfunding options to raise funds for our projects.

And much to my frustration it seems that many / most of these places require status as a US 501(c) organisation. What about the rest of the world??? :(

I am hoping the answer isn't "it's impossible" although I fear it may be... How the hell do I go about getting this status when all of my activities, business, grant work, staff, etc., are non-US and outside of the US?

Failing that, my alternate question: where on the Internet can I do crowdfunding type of fundraising for my charitable / nonprofit work as a NOT US 501(c)? And please note that although we do valuable good work, we are not in the "save the dying children in Africa" sort of charity world... our work is not as sexy, we are not meeting the same kind of immediate pressing humanitarian emergency needs.

1099 help for my nonprofit group

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:21:52 -0800

My nonprofit did not send out 1099s. Now what? I am the treasurer for a small club-like nonprofit. In 2008 we started paying someone to do small tasks like setting up our meeting hall, arranging food service, etc. Her pay came out to about $1000 for the year. As this was our very first paid individual in the history of the organization, I did not send out a 1099 to her, or collect her tax data, simply because it did not cross my mind. She has not requested it either. I'm thinking that I made a big mistake here, and I don't have a lot of accounting background (I'm kind of the de-facto treasurer). What should I do now that all of the deadlines have passed? I desperately want to get everything above board, as the IRS makes me itchy.

I can haz blog post?

anthropoid — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:34:54 -0800

What's the best way to ask bloggers to promote a nonprofit fundraising event? I'm working on the promotion of a nonprofit fundraising event and I'd like to ask local NYC bloggers to post about it. It's different from these two questions in that we really cannot afford to offer anything in return - we'd like folks to let people know about it because they care about the topic.

I have done the background research making sure we are approaching bloggers who write about similar topics and whose audiences might be interested in supporting our cause. I am now looking for your input as to the best way to frame the letter, what we should and shouldn't expect in terms of their response, and any ideas on how to best thank them.

Anyone have experience in promoting nonprofit events on your blogs?

Thank you!

Fundraising Party Planners in Chicago?

Uncle — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:44:22 -0800

I need a fund raising party planner in Chicago. So my up and comming theatre company has $1000 that we would like to make grow. We were in talks with a company to plan a party to raise funds and awareness but they haven't really done anything since December and the party was supposed to be at the beginning of May. Does anybody know of a company that will work with a very small non-profit to plan a fundraising party? Thanks

Sending emails through a nonprofit's website

acridrabbit — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:47:54 -0800

How to set up a way for my non-profit's supporters to send letters to the editor and to elected officials online? I'm looking for a way to set up an online letter-writing campaign. Ideally, a supporter would be able to visit our website, select from a list of recipients, customize the body of the email, and hit send.

My non-profit group's website runs on Wordpress and Drupal, but I haven't been able to find a plug-in or module-based solution through either of those platforms. Is there a stand-alone solution or an easy way to implement this?

Launching a journalism nonprofit

Gagglehack — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:15:18 -0800

You may have heard of MinnPost.com, voiceofsandiego.org and propublica.com. All are nonprofit websites dedicated to quality journalism. All must have had their start somewhere. I’ve had a similar idea. I’m an editor at a small local daily, although I’ve had a long stint as a pretty good political reporter. Three reporter friends and myself are looking at founding our own nonprofit online-only journalism organization dedicated to state politics. I should note that all of us have some pretty strong credentials and between us have won a number of awards, so we know we can handle the reporting end of this venture. Here’s the rub: We know a lot about politics, but we don’t know anything about nonprofits. Or launching a small business, which is essentially what this is.

Well, OK, we know a bit about them. But the major problem we’re running into is the best model for a) raising money; and b) not losing our jobs. We’re in a chicken and egg situation. We need to raise money to start the venture; but we can’t start the venture until we have some money.

Crunching some numbers on operating and capital costs, we’ll need about $300,000 for the first year, not necessarily all at once. (For example, in one potential plan, we’d like to build the website first as a template to show potential donors. Then, if we raise enough money for the next phase, one of us would start work reporting for the site. As money comes in, the rest of us would transition from our full-time employment to the nonprofit venture.)

One of our number is employed in a non-journalism related career right now and believes she can do the development work for us, although she has little experience in that venue.

So, more specifically:

• How do we approach foundations and other funding organizations and ask them for money if we don’t have an actual product in hand? Do we need the product, or is a business plan enough?

• Confidentiality: Naturally, I need to keep my job for now. It’s a bad economy. I have kids to feed. I need the medical coverage. Can we approach foundations with some form of nondisclosure agreement? Are they open to that?

The community I’m from is pretty tight knit. All the power players know each other, which leads to the worrying possibility of a leak making it back to my employer. Should we focus instead on seeking out-of-town funding? My thought is that once we have the seed money and can go public, we can seek local support.

Any nonprofit experts out there who can lend a guiding hand or some in-kind support? Can anyone point me by way of other nonprofit journalism sites we can explore?