Ask the Founder & Executive Director

What advice would you give others trying to live their passion and start up a nonprofit based on your experience?  

Jump!  No in all seriousness, take your time and ensure you know your market and niche; you don't need to do what everyone else is doing.  Research the capacity gaps, talk to the organizations that are on the ground and see where they are unable to fill the need, talk to your potential clients, talk to the community and corporations and see what they are really willing to do.  Utilize the resources that are there, there is no reason to reinvent the wheel, work in partnership with other organizations; it’s the only way to truly have a sustainable impact regardless of your cause. Let it grow organically and don't run before you can walk, sometimes you have to say no or wait until you’re ready. Don’t be afraid to mess up, while for me there is no room for failure for the organization on the whole. There are every day little misses and we won’t get it all right the first time, but we are in this for the long hull.  If it takes a little longer than planed at times then that’s fine, reevaluate, the ultimate goal for us is to break the cycle of slavery through sustainable empowerment, and bring victims from surviving to thriving and this won’t happen in a day and we’d rather ensure our programs are effective and sustainable, therefore do small pilots first, but never quit evaluating yourselves and listening to your clients.

Do you have a question for Cassandra? Send your questions to blog@btff.org