Sep 22, 2020
Friday, September 20th, nearly 20 high school seniors participating in the capstone class at Technology Leadership High School learned the fundamental steps in creating and funding a nonprofit organization.
“Starting a nonprofit can be super challenging,” Center for Nonprofit Excellence Education Manager, Kira Luna said. “That’s why having a good team of people to support you is important in developing a successful nonprofit,” she said.
During her presentation, Luna discussed four of the steps involved in developing a nonprofit organization including: creating your organization’s vision and mission statement, identifying what services your nonprofit will offer, the organizational structure and funding your organization.
In developing their organization’s vision, Luna said students should think about the big picture. “How do you want the world to be better?” she asked.
Luna also referenced the Center for Nonprofit Excellence’s Nonprofit Principles & Practices Guide, highlighting nonprofit best practices.
As a part of the schools’ project-based learning approach, the capstone program is designed to help students engage with the community, while encouraging them to develop their own idea for a nonprofit organization. While the learning assignment involves creating an organization only on paper, a few students expressed interest in one day working for a nonprofit.
“We want [this program] to be a genuine experience,” Scott Mullins, Capstone Teacher said. Mullins said this project is helping prepare students for life after high school. They are transitioning to be adults and leaders within society, he said.
Senior Kimberly Ramirez Fernandez, said she didn’t realize the importance of an organization’s mission and vision statement before attending the presentation. Understanding the structure of a nonprofit organization was helpful, she said.
Ramirez Fernandez hopes to create an organization that helps provide 24-hour childcare for single mothers and she plans to use this information to help her develop her organization.
“I’m glad I got to learn this,” Ramirez Fernandez said.