Starting a Non Profit!

You are to be commended fro such a big heart. I am in the Houston/Katy area and one of my goals inlife is to create spa like facility for young girls who have been beaten on by life. If you need any assistance in terms of volunteers, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am a Financial Planner by profession and I too want to incorporte some edcuation about saving and investing money in my program as well. I truly hope you are having success. Please w/b and let me know how things are coming for you.

Thanks,
S.
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Hi,
About 10 years ago I live in Pembroke Pines Florida (just outside of Miami...And they had a program for pregnant girls / women alot of them low income which then I use to be. Anyways it was a little house turned into a place that pregnant women could go for advice and find other resources....they had a room for donations of baby furniture to new bottles etc...Women could get maternity bras, new underwear and when the baby was born all they asked in return was that we gave back to the center...the baby furniture was given back only in good condition...the elderly women would make home made blankets for the babies....and they even gave out formula if you needed it and baby food........I will forever be thankful for all the help they gave me and my son. Hope this helps.

Congrats to you! That is such a noble thing to do! Sorry, I really dont know anything about it. But you might talk to your local women's shelter, they would know alot of helpful info.

Way to go you are doing what I have wanted to do for many years. I too was a teen mother(16) and he (my son) saved my life. He is and forever will be my hero. I was permiscuos and getting deeper and deeper into drugs. Never used protection thinking it only happens to other people. When I found out I was pregnant I stopped it all. Quit high school got my GED and went straight to Bus. School. Got my degree and was able to take care of him on my own. If it werent for him I don't know where I would be today. If I can help in any way please ask. As far as grants there are ALOT of them to be given. Simply google grants and you will get alot of options. Good luck and I will pray for your success.

I applaud you for going forth into something like this. I have three girls, my oldest I had when I was 16. I would like to see more of these organizations. I was just talking to my husband about classes that teach life skills(etiquette, cooking, how to handle money, sewing, etc.). When I was about 11 or 12 there was a non-profit organization in New Orleans called Friendship House and we had lock-ins went on field trips and they helped with homework. Good Luck and we'll be praying for you.

D.,

This is so exciting that you want to create a group to help girls see their full potential and enjoy life as themselves before bringing more people into it and adding to their responsibility before they even realise what responsibility is.

I would love to hear how you are doing with this.

A. C.

I'm very interested in what you are doing. I think it's wonderful. Where are you located?? I was one of those girls growing up that found my education more important then guys or sex. I didn't have my first boyfriend until I was 18 and didn't loose my virginity until I was 21. If you are located near the bossier city/shreveport Louisiana area I would love to help. Maybe volunteer some of my time. Let me know. I agree that children now a days are trying to grow up before their time. This may be what teenagers need. Advise from people who are easy to talk to and very down to earth. Let me know.

Here is a great contact for you. I'm sure they would be glad to give you pointers. They are non profit and they are not funded by the government; therefore, the government does not tell them how to run their operation. They are a Christian run operation. I highly recommend you call them for advise.

Care Net Pregnancy Center of Northwest Houston
17776 Tomball Parkway, Suite 35B
Houston, Texas 77064

www.carenetnw.com
email: ____@____.com
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Hi D.,
You've got a wealth of advise here. Here is another source to add to your list. You have to prepare a business plan and the SBA and SCORE have a lot of free resources to help you. The gentlemen down at SCORE, Service Corp of Retired Executives, are very knowledge about starting a business. They don't deal with non-profits though. If you call the United Way, they will fax you a checklist if you're just getting started. Also if you align yourself with other local organizations, you can gain some valuable connections as well. I have 4 children and we volunteer with Be the Cause. We make sandwiches and prepare a brown bag lunch with juice and fruit for Meals on Wheels. My boys love to put the sandwiches and juice into the bags, fold them and stack them. It's a great way for them to learn philanthropism and community envolvement. They are 11, 7 and 4. So your kids can also volunteer. You can contact me for more info. if you'd like.

Tricia
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Hi D.,

WOW, that's a great idea. I know that there are already some places like this out there. But not really targeted to promote absitence. So this is something different.

Some ideas.... humm. I would think of it just as a girls club, somewhere where you educate the gals on the strifes of pregnancy and so on and also give them hobbies that will grow with them. I don't know many girls who have hobbies anymore... probably just shopping or the internet! You could have sewing day, or art day, and then at the end of the month have yard sales where the stuff they made is sold or given to the homeless that way they see that to feel better about yourself you have to think of others and so forth. Hope you get more ideas!!

CJR

Good luck, D.! My husband and I started a non-profit which drills water wells in a third world country, so the legal stuff was different, but the process should be the same. The best book I read was the non-profit manegment handbook (check it out at the library or buy on amazon.com). I was told to pray for a love of accounting and I did, and it really worked. And it's a good thing b/c I never realized I would be doing detailed grant management. Grants often require a lot of follow up work and learning different models of accounting is a must. Peachtree accounting software worked for us in the beginning then we had a program designed just for us (we're about a half a million dollar org. now). Subscribe to the foundation center for granting resources and get the grantwriter's handbook, which is published by the foundation center. It is simple and consise. Always have someone profreed your grant to make sure that you never repeat yourself in it or use too many words to say things. Be as simple as humanly possible in your grantwriting. I have been told many times by foundations that our grants are outstanding. It's because I write and my husband butchers what I write. Sometimes I can't stand that, but he cuts out every extra or redundant syllable and the people who read that stuff really appreciate it (I know I'd shoot myself if I had to read a million grant requests!).

Whatever you do, don't re-invent the wheel! Your financial obligation to your donors means that you can't waste money doing that. Pick every brain you can find and hire experiened people. In the long run even the higher salaries will save you money! And the best advice: Pay a decent wage to your employees. Too often non-profits are staffed by underqualified people in order to keep admin costs low. This means high turnover and low quality service. Grow well, grow with a good team.

I assume you've already applied for 501 (c)(3) status if you're writing a grant. If not, form a good board (of wealthy people-- people with connections. there are plenty of good books on board formation) and file for legal non-profit status.

The best of luck to you!