#206: Obstacles to your purpose

What are the obstacles to becoming a non-profit organization?

That’s what someone asked me recently. I was dumb-struck for a moment because so many obstacles suddenly cluttered my head. There are legal ones and organizational ones and compliance and operational and... the list goes on.

But then I remembered that there is only one real obstacle. This obstacle applies to all organizations, even money-making ones. And it never quite goes away.

Here it is: it is your reason for being. Are you sure that your organization has a purpose that society values enough to allow it to exist?

If people don’t value your purpose, then they won’t support it with their money, whether in the form of donations or purchases. Without their money, you will have no positive cash flow. And no cash flow means no future.

Get your purpose right and all those other obstacles will shrink. It really is that simple.


I’m james@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2008 James Henry McIntosh

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