January 19, 2005 | Read Time: 1 minute
Q. I’d like to start a charity that would help young children and teens diagnosed with certain mental disorders that affect their decision-making abilities, such as oppositional defiant disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity, and so on. Where should I start?
A. Start by making sure that there isn’t an organization that’s already focusing on your potential mission. For example, a quick check of GuideStar, an online database of nonprofit groups around the country, revealed about 50 organizations that are focused to some extent on attention-deficit disorder, so you’ll want to do some research and see how your idea checks out against the competition.
If you find an organization with a similar mission, you might want to take the opportunity to volunteer. This will give you a sense of what’s required to run a charity, and it will also help you to further hone your own idea for a new organization.
Debrah Constance, founder of A Place Called Home, a children’s charity in Los Angeles, volunteered with other youth organizations before she launched her own group in 1993. If you do decide to step out on your own, she suggests looking for a way to collaborate with an existing organization. She started her charity in a room of a local church, before she had her own facility. “It was a steppingstone in the funding process that took me years to accomplish, ” she says. She started out serving 11 children, and now serves more than 400.
For additional help, check out these resources for starting a charity.
Got a question about job hunting, recruiting, or managing in the nonprofit world? Send it to us at hotline@philanthropy.com.
