I have been working for nonprofits for most of my adult life. I believe in them, but I find that surprise, surprise! they aren’t the best-run organizations in the world. I’ve seen the nonprofits that are run corporation-style too, and while often more organized, they miss some of the heart and passion of smaller nonprofits. So I think I would like to create one based on things that I find important, and really be open to good management techniques, excellent training for the staff, opportunities for staff to grow, honest evaluation, and strong, positive outcomes for the world.
The things that I am passionate about and interested in are:
-urban youth
-writing
-social justice issues, especially education
-girls’ self-esteem
-web 2.0 tech
-community organizing
-mentoring
I’ll come back here as I continue to work on this mentally. I’m just today giving myself permission for this to be a real dream of mine. Before it was just an occasional itch, but now I think I can say that is my five-year goal. I’ve never been able to answer that question in interviews before (So,...where do you see yourself in five years?) but now I can say that I would like to ideally be starting/running my own nonprofit in five years.
I’m currently starting a job in nonprofit development management, so I’m learning the hard skills I”ll need to start my own gig. I have a lot to learn, but I’m on my way.
