Something unique about verynice is that we have our feet in both the social/public and private sectors at the exact same time. The implications of this reality is that our work for one type of clientele often inspires our work for another type of clientele. We find ourselves very often coaching non-profits on how to be more “profitable” and, likewise, we find ourselves coaching for-profits on how to be more socially aware. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen small non-profits become forced to close their doors due to a lack of funding sources. I also can’t tell you how often I see start-up non-profit organizations devote 95% of their time to filling out grant applications and asking for money from bystanders. Both of these observations have frustrated me deeply. Far too much time is spent by non-profits looking for money, and far too little time is spent actually creating impact. This is just a reality in the start-up social / public sector. Our goal at verynice is to not only make non-profits look pretty, but also to make them run efficiently. Because of this, we find ourselves drawing out new organizational structures, inventing products with high return rates, and even writing out business plans for young organizations. This guide is dedicated to all of the small organizations out there that are looking for some resources to get them going. It is a small glimpse into our methods for helping non-profit startups think more like Silicon Valley startups. It is important to remember that no matter how different the intentions behind each sector may be, we are all in business, and we all need to succeed. I hope that the first release of our “verynice guide to business development for nonprofits” will inspire a new way of thinking for many young organizations and, as always, we are here to help and to learn. Feel free to get in touch with questions and ideas for future releases of the guide.

Wishing you all the best,
Matt Manos

Starting Guidelines & Tips:

• This guide is for the small-scale startup nonprofit!

• You should be here if you’re looking to enhance your productivity, scalability, and sustainability as an organization!

• This guide is divided into 5 important steps. Within each step, the content is organized under this order Self-Assessment Questions, Scenario, Activities & Lessons, Resources & Further Reading, and a Conclusion. 

Where Does Your Organization Currently Stand? 

Identify where you fall under for the Business Acumen Steps to get started: (Y/N)

• Have you written down your goals and mission as an organization?

• Do more than 10 people (besides your family) know about your idea?

• Can strangers discover your idea and organization’s mission without meeting you in person or contacting you directly? (beyond word of mouth)

If you answered “YES” to all of the above, please continue. If you answered “NO” to any one of these questions, go to:

• Have you taken your organization’s idea and mission, and showed its potential to somebody through a real world example?

• Have you tested if your ideas and organization’s mission, to see if they work on the most minimal scale?

If you answered “YES” to all of the above, please continue. If you answered “NO” to any one of these questions, go to:

• Have you begun to build your team around your idea?

If you answered “YES” to all of the above, please continue. If you answered “NO” to any one of these questions, go to:

• Is your organization’s mission and goals, being used and adopted?

If you answered “YES” to all of the above, please continue. If you answered “NO” to any one of these questions, go to STEP 4

• Do you know what critics would say / have said about your existing idea or organization’s mission?

• Do you know how to judge your ideas impact and success through a measurable standard?

If you answered “YES” to all of the above, please continue. If you answered “NO” to any one of these questions, go to STEP 5

• Are you sustainable and super comfortable?

• Are you able to almost double your organization’s service to more people?

If you answered “YES” to all of the above, then this guide is not for you!