How to Start Your Own Charity - Set Up a Charity

Charities and non profit organisations are essential in today's society and it seems there is not enough of them with all the problems currently going on. So well done for even considering starting up your own charity, but please don't be fooled it will be no means be easy. You will have many hurdles to cross and many barriers to push down and work through to get your charity up and running and benefiting those that need it be it animals, children or the elderly. Here are some tips I think you should consider when starting up your own charity.

1. Decide what you want to do and why and put it down on paper - this will show other what vision you have for your charity/non profit organisation, where you want to go and why. Deciding what you want to do can also form a basis for a mission statement.

2. Treat it like a business. Setting up and running a charity is a hard job and task to do day in day out especially if it is has no structure and no plan. So its best to plan before you start your charity/non profit organisation. Plan how you will raise funds, plan how you will get donations, how you will do the books, plan what possible laws and regulations you might face or encounter and so on. The more you plan the more worthwhile your charity will be, as there is no point in running a charity if all you will do is run it into the ground.

3. Seek advice, guidance and help anywhere and anyway you can. Start networking and meeting like minded individuals now, they will help you wherever and whenever they can. Get advice and guidance for free if possible from bodies, solicitors and so on who know about your area of interest/ the area or areas your charity or non profit organisation will be focusing on or around.

4. Get together a team. Start working on your own close knit team of individuals and even businesses who can help your vision come to life. Use this team and see this team as an asset to your charity/non profit organisation, remember a team can get more results and a lot faster and more efficiently than a one person band.

5. Spread the word everyday and all day, anywhere you go hand out leaflets, flyers and business cards, get the media and press involved from conception to birth, get them hooked on your idea and your vision from day one.

I hope you have found this article helpful and useful, good luck in setting up your charity/non profit organisation.