A new passion - need help getting it going.

Hello All,

I have recently returned from a week of building a new house in Pearlington, MS. Hurricane Katrina wiped out Pearlington. Yes, the whole town. The storm took houses down to nothing. Only concrete slabs were left where houses, churches and schools once stood.

Three friends and I went to Pearlington. With help from volunteers from various organizations we built a house from nothing to a weatherproof shell in under two weeks. It was amazing. The people in Pearlington, MS have huge hearts and awesome stories of survival and heroism.

It was a huge moment when we got to give a woman keys to her new home.

We want to start a non-profit organization to do more of this work. I need help in learning how to start a non-profit and how to raise funds to help more people. Pearlington is a start. We are definitely going back. But we're not going to stop there. People are in great need of disaster relief and housing all over the United States. If we can grow this organization we could rebuild all over the world.

Please help us to help others! I seek knowledge, advice, support, funding, and any information you may be able to provide.

I thank you in advance!
Scott

Re: A new passion - need help getting it going.

Hi Scott,

I co-founded a non-profit coaching company this year [ http://www.coachinitiative.org ] and would be happy to talk with you about the steps you need to take to form a non-profit, and what follows afterwards.  Most grantors will also require that you become a 501C3 organizations, which is a separate filing than just forming a non-profit corporation.  Of course, beyond grants there are sponsorships, fund raising events, and grass roots fund-raising to name just a few.  PR will also be hugely important to your effort.

There are also several excellent books that help, most notibly “How to Form a Non-Profit Corporation” published by NOLO and Effective Fundraising For Nonprofits: Real World Strategies That Work

Warmly,

Donna

http://www.coachingtosuccess.com
http://www.coachinitiative.org

Re: A new passion - need help getting it going.

Scott ~ That's a fantastic thing you are doing ~ a wonderful service!

How are you benefitting by helping others?

Keep being great ~ Julia

PS: Donna ~ Thank you so much for your fast offer of help. You are another Servant Entrepreneur in action! ;-))