Planning a nonprofit starts immediately a great idea hits you smack between the eyes. You’ll start with the formation of your vision. Then that will grow into your mission statement. Next you’re looking down the road at a budget and trying to anticipate how much something like this will cost to operate and share with the world. Finally, you’re ready to launch into the paperwork. However, you need volunteers. So, my advice to you, before you make the investment into the paperwork and officially forming your nonprofit get your volunteers lined up.

Volunteers are the life-line to all nonprofits. These are the individuals that believe in giving back to the community and are just looking for a place to lend a hand. Volunteers do the work of the nonprofit. The truth is without volunteers your nonprofit will very likely never grow.

There are several ways to find outstanding volunteers:
Announcements – Send flyers and announcements to local community groups and area churches. Share information some basic needs you have for your nonprofit and request that interested volunteers be in touch with you.
Volunteer Banks – There are online volunteer banks where you can post about your need for a volunteer and interested individuals will contact you directly. Some of these services are for free.
Family and Friends – This is probably the number source to start to tap into for volunteers. Friends and family members will gravitate to the idea of volunteering if for no other reason than to see you be successful. Also, friends and family members are going to be a great resource for referrals.

Sharing information is a common theme throughout this post. You must start talking to people about what you are thinking about doing. You must share your mission. Help people catch the enthusiasm you have for your new venture. Then they’ll help spread the word.

Also, the more you talk about your new nonprofit, the more confident you’ll become about it. Talking about it and getting others input will definitely help to fill in gaps in your information collection process. As well, you may discover a new way of looking at your nonprofit that you hadn’t thought about before.

So, don’t be shy. Share your new idea with others. Get people excite and eager to help you get your new project off the ground.

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