Running a nonprofit is stressful. Most of the time the need is greater than the organization’s capacity to serve. Further, building that capacity is limited less by commitment to the mission and more by effectiveness at raising funds. That said, becoming a nonprofit should not be a default choice for a mission-driven organization. All organizations require revenue, generated either through sales or fundraising. There are mission-driven organizations that would be better off as a social enterprise than a nonprofit. Learning which model is best before launching is vital to the success of the organization.

“imagine you are a passionate supporter of a mission driven organization….You just know they are poised to do great things! Then the founding director, the one with the vision who built the organization, says the time has come for them to step back or step away. You look to see who is on deck – who has been groomed to take over – and there is no one there. “

“If you, as an organization, see value in making a change, you should be able to convince your stakeholders of that value.

If you can’t convince them, you have to ask yourself if you are changing the right things.”

When you live in the world of nonprofits, you can begin to think you have little in common with for-profit companies, but truth be told…the two types of organizations have far more in common than most people think.

.. there is not one right path, but many potential paths that can get you to your destination. The path will depend on where you start, where you want to end up, and how much tolerance for risk or pain you have going into the endeavor. In trying to find a name that would represent that idea, Copiavia was born.