Hey, love your content. Question: Does founder have a role as well?

@@harlemdakey Definitely! A Founder is typically one of the Board members when an organization first starts. Sometimes a Founder can become paid staff later (but then they generally lose their Board voting power).

@@AmberMelanieSmith Wow Thanks . So basically all board members lose their power when becoming staff?

@@harlemdakey "Power" is a subjective term (there's plenty of influence staff can have) but essentially you can't vote on hiring yourself or what to pay yourself - so you can't be both paid and have a vote (it's a conflict of interest).

That's why I always suggest that if retaining 100% control over an organization is your goal you should start a for-profit business instead. A nonprofit is not owned by any one person, even the founder - it is a public-serving entity accountable to its community.

Happy to help! It's a journey for sure!

I am on day 1. This board thing really confuses me.

For real😳

Yay! I'm so glad to hear that! Congrats on your masters!

Talking about mission story, our why and how Future budgets and fundraising plans Networking speaking publicly Getting volunteers. Act in a leadership capacity

I need this service

Yay! Good luck with everything!

So glad it helped!!! Go get 'em!

Very kind of you. :) Thank you for being a part of the channel!

Thanks! Glad it was helpful!

Awesome, thank you!

Glad it was helpful!

@@AmberMelanieSmith I have a question about Board of Directors. Can you have 4 BOD on a Board ? (President, VP, Treasurer, Secretary) Or does it have to be an odd number like 3 or 5 for voting purposes?

I'm so glad to hear they have helped!

i want please

Would you consider a paid consult before your course? I have been eagerly waiting and cannot wait any longer. Please let me know. I would prepay course too if that helps

You're so welcome!

Glad it was helpful!

I hope these videos help you out - thank you so much for watching!

Hey there! If you ever want to talk about, or pick my brain, let me know. I'd be happy to help. Your work would be awesome as a 501c3! I have a combined total of about 30 years on boards (non profit, for profit, and, as you know, cooperative).

@@patricelockertanthony7630 Hi, I'd be delighted to share in this opportunity. Is there some way we can set up a Zoom. I'd love to share my ideas for your wisdom. Its so important to get started on the right note rather than unravel tons of mistakes.

@@patricelockertanthony7630 hey I seen your comment offering help. I would like to start my own non profit. Would you offer the same help to me?

Qq

You bet!

You are so welcome!

Ok, I'll see about making a video about this!

Amber Melanie SmithHow many board members do I need?

you have my respect for all this knowledge

@@mecahodge5342 It depends on what the laws of your state say! Usually at least 3-4 minimum. It can also be beneficial to have a larger board, depending on the mission / size of the organization.

I started my non profit in 2018 was doing everything alone n got drained! I had family and friends without passion on my board. Now Im ready to restart everything but have no clue how to find the correct board members. I have my website godsvision.info, 501c3 and more. I need to raise enough money for our first house (transitional shelter for women and children). I was homeless going shelter to shelter with my kids and now Im an entrepreneur of 3 for profit businesses and the non profit. I want to show women that just bc your in your pit, with God centered it’s not the end! Give my testimony and restore hope

Looking for sub executive members. Ex: expert in graphic. PR

😎 Nice!

You got this!

Good luck!

Glad it was helpful!

Hope it was helpful! :)

Thanks for watching!

I'm so glad!

You're welcome! :)

Yay! Glad it helped.

I'm so glad!

Yay! I'm so glad to hear that.

Learn all you can! There's so much to know but don't let not knowing everything keep you from starting!

Aw, thanks, that's kind of you! There are so many great people doing great work out there!

Oh yay, I'm so happy to hear the videos are helping!!

Glad it was helpful!

You're so welcome!

Oh I love that! Thanks for watching. :)

So glad it was helpful!

Glad it was helpful!

Thank you SO much Nick!!

Would having a video about a business plan help?

So glad to hear that! Social workers deserve all the love!

You bet!

Welcome!

Yay, hope they were helpful!

You're so welcome! Hope it helped!

You're welcome!

Yup!

I'm so glad!

So happy to hear that!

😊

Yeah, good question! Incorporating and getting Board & Officers insurance covers much the protection needed for liability. Board members would have to be pretty negligent otherwise.

Thanks for the sub!

👋 Welcome to the channel, changemaker!!

I'm so glad, Scott!!

I'm so glad!

Thanks!

Hi! From many years starting and running my own organization, and engaging with hundreds of nonprofits!

@@AmberMelanieSmith That's amazing, thanks for your reply! I'm learning how to start a NPO and your videos are really informative! thank you.

Glad it was helpful!

You are so welcome!

Oh yes! I usually catch that - thank you!!

You are so welcome!

Glad it was helpful!

Thank you for the kind words :)

You're very welcome! Thanks for watching!

Most welcome 😊

You are so welcome!

That’s super duper😃I’m Zambian but I’m China and I’ve been thinking of that too😅

😊

It's all a journey! Enjoy the fun parts too. As for raising the money, what's your business plan?

Sure, you can combine whatever roles you think are best! I was just providing a framework to start from. It's more about what skills you think you need for the given year. You should always aim to recruit the board members based on what skills are required to achieve your organization's specific goals for that year.

What kinds of questions would you want answers to in such seminars? I might be open to hosting a webinar.

Yay! Hope they are helping!

Thanks!

Yes! This is a good tip; we do this at my organization.

😎

@@AmberMelanieSmith I have owned and operated a production company for the last 5 years. We have done a bit of everything. Events, weddings, small business commercials for web use, portraits, you name it we have done it. In the past year, we have been focusing on real estate, but that has slowed down to the point that is no longer viable. I have been interested in starting a non-profit for years but did not know how my skills could work in that field without just volunteering my services. Which I have done several times. After watching your video "How Successful Nonprofits Fundraise when Starting and Growing" I realized, maybe I could. At the 20:40 mark, you mentioned Creating compelling digital content. That is something my team can do! With that in mind, my mission would never be complete. I would be in a collaborative support role, working with other non-profits. Documenting their fundraising events, and delivering photos for their marketing and branding. I could also make video ads for them to get exposure and grow. Does this sound like a realistic idea? I would never run out of work because there is always an organization to help. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Hi Noel! Yes, I definitely had a vision. But ... 1) In the USA at least, in order to have 501c3 status, you legally have to have a board - the government only wants to grant an organization charitable status if it is truly run by the community (vs one person); and 2) It's hard to do this alone, and a good board with solid, aligned values can further the organization's mission! I hope this helps. When run well, a board can be a good asset!

I am happy the videos are helpful to you!

Congrats! What are you most excited / nervous about?

Currently I am working to set up my own as well, and as an avid streamer myself, I want to work actively with streamers for events, so this advice can be very helpful if you're starting in such a way

That's a cool idea!

They would need to be voted off the board in accordance with your Bylaws. What do your Bylaws say about how to remove current Board members?

I recommend an interview (there's no one-size-fits-all rule on that) because getting to know someone personally helps! I don't have a video on descriptions yet but that's a good idea! I'll also be offering templates for those (and many other things) in a new online training I'll be launching soon.

@@AmberMelanieSmith Hi. Thank you so much for the reply. That would be great about the templates. I will definitely look out for your training. Happy New Year to you!!

Great idea! Descriptions for volunteers and board members is on my radar for this year!

You're very welcome!

Hey there! The founder does not have to be Chairperson specifically (though they can be); the Board votes according to your org bylaws and most bylaws involve a mechanism to vote people into different positions. The hope is for the board to work together in harmony and work through problems together! There's certainly such a thing as "board drama" but put your values and expected rules up front and that will help.

I am glad to hear it!

Thanks for subbing!

Wow! That sounds fascinating. I love animals and I think working to understand each other is so important. What do you think some of your biggest challenges will be?

Hey there! I usually try to include relevant links in the description below each video, yes!

Hey there! There are some good checklists online depending on the state you're in. As for board members, etc. I have some other videos that may help! Starting a Nonprofit: Recruit a Board of Directors (Step by Step) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/erKKlZqE1NW-aIk.html Starting a Nonprofit: Design a Board of Directors application (Step by Step) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ZsmGZKmlzN_ZeWg.html How to start a Nonprofit Organization (and actually succeed) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/q-CTf7uKs6qxYY0.html

Hey there! There are some great ones online I'm sure - I also did a video on how to create a board application process that may help too. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ZsmGZKmlzN_ZeWg.html

Hey! So, I hear this question a lot. I am not sure about California's specific rules, but generally all nonprofits legally must have a board of directors. The reason is that a nonprofit is technically "publicly owned" and board members represent the community that owns it. If you want to start a venture you have complete ownership and control over, you might want to consider starting a private business instead of a nonprofit. You can still help people with a business! It's just a different legal structure.

I'm so glad the videos have been helpful!!

Hey there! I cover this in a few other videos but in short - board members cannot vote whether and how much to be paid. Board members are unpaid volunteers, but can vote to hire staff, and vote on the salary of that staff. Staff cannot vote to hire themselves, nor what their salary should be. Your board would have to vote whether to compensate you and how much (and you would not be able to vote for yourself - that is a conflict of interest).

@@AmberMelanieSmith wow thank you again. I'll make sure to watch your other videos!

I'm so glad it was helpful!!!

it is hard to believe that really skilled people can volunteer the time needed to effectively do the role as described (the specific role, in addition to constantly working on fundraising etc...) without compensation...esp. in these times... when people are spread thin in their daily lives.

LinkedIn is a great resource! Have you written Board Descriptions?

@@AmberMelanieSmith I have and put it on indeed. I found some, but now it's about making them productive and engage with one another. Do you have videos on that?

@@Tanile27 This video somewhat addresses the question: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qauPnKuZyLnZY4k.html

I actually just posted a video that covers that! Hope it helps: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/erKKlZqE1NW-aIk.html

That can feel hard for sure, but what I've realized and experienced is your Board can be your greatest asset! It's all about communicating your passion to new board members, helping them bond with you and the cause, and providing clear instruction on expectations / how to get involved while enabling them to have a personal connection / opportunity to lead, too.

Hey! I think I may have seen them before actually! So, like all issues and facets of society, it's complicated. Nonprofits are just a structure of an organization - they are just one model of operating - but like all structures and models they really depend on the people (and humans are fallible) running them, would you agree? There's certainly a broader, very interesting discussion to be had on how or why nonprofits would need to exist in a particular culture or free market society (I love philosophical discussions of that nature!), and a lot of discussion that could be had around all of the different models different countries and communities might put in place to ensure the wellbeing of their people. When it comes to individual people though, my experience is that people generally want to try to do good and help each other - nonprofits (at least in the US) are one way of doing that. What's most important to me is doing good, getting results, and helping as many people as I can.

@@AmberMelanieSmith Right, complicated. Have you read about the nonprofit industrial complex?

@@anotherslice2269 Not specifically the nonprofit one, but I'm familiar with the "industrial complex" concept in other facets of society. I can imagine what the general argument is, and I can see some valid concerns there, while also seeing how nonprofits are a tremendous force for good. I think it's important for folks who work in any social impact space to be open minded, constantly learn and examine how structures can create positive change (or hinder it), and work from there to improve upon those structures. Shoot me an email if you want to chat further!

@@AmberMelanieSmith Yeah I mean anything and everything is a force for good, based on how you make the argument. If you're curious about INCITE! Women Of Color Against Violence's take on the nonprofit industrial complex, see here: incite-national.org/beyond-the-non-profit-industrial-complex/

Thanks, I'll check it out! I was also on a pretty cool webinar learning about "community centric fundraising" to figure out how to make fundraising more equitable - have you read about that?

So, a nonprofit in theory could try to raise money through affiliate marketing, however, the IRS would view that as "unrelated business income" since the affiliate marketing has nothing to do with the charitable mission of the organization - and would likely charge that nonprofit a tax penalty for funds raised that way.