CNPE's Philosophy on Forming a New Nonprofit

Founding a nonprofit organization that meets a critical need in a unique manner can be a great service to your community – or the world. You may also find it immensely rewarding. But starting a nonprofit that complies with federal, state, and local laws and regulations – and then attracting and retaining the right directors, staff, and donors to accomplish its mission – is not simple. Passion is not enough.

First, you must do your homework: Survey the current nonprofit landscape and identify where your idea for a new organization fits uniquely into that landscape. We cannot emphasize this enough! Starting a new nonprofit that duplicates programs and services offered by existing organizations will put you in direct competition with them. That will not only make it harder for you to get funding, but it will also spread available funding more thinly across the nonprofit community.

Creating and maintaining a nonprofit requires a great deal of thought, research, strategy, perseverance, and patience. We at CNPE believe strongly in the non­profit sector, and we support those doing the work to maintain the common good of our community. We want to support those entering the sector who have the passion, energy, and innovative ideas to improve our community.