How to Start a Nonprofit in High School

High school is a time full of changes for a student. It is the period where the students will gradually learn how the world of grown-ups works without having to deal with the stress, allowing them to grow up safely. Thus, the high school days of a student will be the perfect opportunity for them to try out new things that will prepare them for adult life.

One of the best ways to prepare high school students for their future careers is to help them start a non-profit volunteering organization at school. Volunteering helps young students in many different ways, and it will help to improve their future resumes. That said, for a student, it can be quite difficult to start your own, so don’t hesitate to seek a little help from the guideline below!

Identify your goals 

The first step of the process is to identify a goal for your non-profit organization. Establishing a goal is a very important step, as it will not only tell the donors the purposes of their donations, but it will also keep you on track in case you are starting to lose your way. 

The goal of your non-profit organization should be enshrined into a mission statement. Writing a mission statement can be quite a challenging task, however, especially if you have not come into contact with this kind of article before. Thus, you might employ the help of the best research paper writing service. These guys are some of the best in the field, and they will try their best to give you a good mission statement that perfectly encapsulates your nonprofit's goal.

Identify the kind of nonprofit you will organize 

There are two main kinds of non-profit organizations you can create: an umbrella group or a totally new nonprofit. If your nonprofit is an umbrella organization, it will be the local chapter of a larger organization, helping to spread its influence around the area. Being an umbrella organization of a larger one also means that you will be put under the supervision of the mother organization. You will have to follow their code of conduct as well. In return, the mother organization tends to offer funding and support to help you out, which will be extremely helpful. 

There is also the option of starting a fresh new non-profit organization. This means that the new nonprofit will be free from previous constraints, and you will be able to write up a new code of conduct from scratch. However, your non-profit organization will lack exposure, and you will have to work from the beginning, starting with the mission statement. That said, you don’t have to write everything on your own. Online Writers Rating lists out the best writing services around, and you can always ask for their assistance!

Come up with a name for the organization 

Names are very important, as they can almost immediately set your organization apart from others, as well as conveying the goal of your organization. The name of your nonprofit should not be too long, as long names tend to be difficult to remember. However, there is one notable exception: If your organization happens to have a really cool acronym, it is ok to use long names for the sake of coolness! 

Though most nonprofits use serious names, since you are only in high school, it is ok to add a bit of creativity to your name. Don’t be afraid that people will take you less seriously. If anything, a creative name might even attract more volunteers. 

Appoint the board of directors 

No one can run a nonprofit alone. You will need a few friends to help you with the planning and the logistical tasks that entail. This is what a board of directors is for. The board includes the people deciding how to run the nonprofit, and it will make the final decisions. For this reason, you should only appoint the most passionate and most involved members to the board of directors. 

A good start is to find a like-minded teacher who is willing to help you with your cause. Teachers are more familiar with the paperwork and the documents, so they will be able to help you register your nonprofit as well as provide valuable feedback. 

Create an action plan

Now that the board of directors is assembled, it is time to come up with a smart action plan that will address the current issues in your community. To help the team come up with a good plan, you might want to come up with some important questions first. These questions will serve as the guideposts to help you come up with an effective action plan. Here are some great questions to start with: 

• Who are you going to help and why?
• Do you plan on organizing events? If yes, what kinds?
• How can you reach a wider audience? 
• How are you going to convince people to join your organization and volunteer for it?
• How will you receive income?

These questions, some rather difficult to answer, should be the focus of your meetings with the board of directors. If you could find a solution to these questions, it would be much easier to form an action plan.

Gain more volunteers

When you have come up with a good action plan, it is time to market your organization and gather new volunteers. You can use social media channels to promote your cause as well as to gather more members. Alternatively, it is always a good idea to ask the school the permission to organize a fundraising event that will help with exposure.

Starting a nonprofit in high school is a daring move that requires dedication and a lot of commitment. That is why a nonprofit will be a challenging experience for most high school students, especially if they do not receive guidance and help from the teachers. However, this will be a great opportunity for students to learn the much-needed management skills that will be useful later in life. 

Moving Forward

Starting a nonprofit in high school may seem like a complex undertaking, but the benefits of such an endeavor cannot be denied. Not only will establishing a new nonprofit provide funds for a great cause, it will also help your friends and family by providing them a direct route to do extra good in their community.

Once you've established your nonprofit, you'll need an easy way to raise funds for your good cause. Not only is PayBee great for hosting school fundraisers, our online platform is an effective communication tool for event teams to coordinate their activities. Moreover, we make it easy to promote events and even offer ideas for school fundraising activities on our blog.

But don’t take our word for it. Sign up for a free demo of our platform and see how our online tools can be used in planning and fundraising activities. By participating in our demonstration, you’ll experience first-hand how intuitive our platform is, not only for your committees but also your fundraising guests. We also provide opportunities for you to ask any technical questions about our software to our team of experts, revealing how PayBee can help your PTA or PTO achieve its goals. Sign up for a free demo today and take the first step toward building a winning partnership!

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