Experimenting Phase: Transforming an Idea into a Nonprofit Organization
In our last article, we discussed the 5 phases that most founders go through from having an idea to having an actual nonprofit.
First, they have an idea to address some injustice in the world or unmet need in their community. Second, they experiment with their idea.
Third, they realize that their idea could have a big impact. Four, they dive in to creating their nonprofit organization. And finally, they launch their nonprofit!
In this article, we’re going to delve deeper into the experimenting phase.
Why, you ask?
The experimenting phase is a really important, but often undefined, phase. You have an idea that you really care about. It’s tugging at your heart. But you’re not yet fully committed to it as your personal cause.
You may feel a bit lost, like you’re trying out random things for the sake of testing your idea.
But the importance of the experimenting phase actually lies in all the things that happen as you test out your idea.
The steps you take in the experimenting phase will tell you how to move forward. It will give you the information you need to make good decisions. And it will transform you as a person.
So, what actually happens in the experimenting phase?
Engaging Other People
This is the phase when you move from just thinking and talking about your idea, to actually doing something about it.
One of the most important things you can do at this stage is to start engaging other people in your idea.
You may organize an event to raise awareness and engage others in your idea. You’re looking for others who may feel passionate about supporting your idea.
You may start creating a small community, such as a Facebook group. Here again, you’re looking for others who feel the importance of your cause and are inspired by your possible solution.
Engaging people in your idea is the beginning of starting a movement. It’s a very powerful part of the experimenting phase.
Testing the Solution
You may also organize a small program to carry out your idea informally. This has a couple purposes. You’re engaging people in your idea and testing their interest.
But you’re also testing your whether your idea works.
Does the solution you propose create the intended change? Can it address the unmet need you seek to meet? Does it help solve the injustice that you see in the world?
You may test out different solutions and programs to assess their impact or determine which seems most likely to succeed.
Testing your idea is essential to deciding whether to commit to moving forward with it!
Considering Alternatives
At the same time as you’re engaging people and testing your idea, you also may try getting involved with other organizations in the same field.
This could include volunteering or participating in their activities.
If you work in a similar field, you even may try to find a way to try your idea at your job. Or you may get a different job that you think might align with your idea.
These types of activities serve a variety of purposes.
First, you’re learning more about the field and what other solutions exist. You’re seeing if, how and where your idea can fit in.
Second, you’re making new connections with others in the field.
Finally, you’re testing to see if there is actually a need or if someone else is already meeting that need or willing to meet that need.
This is actually market research. These activities in the experimenting phase are testing the environment. You want to see if there is already a solution or if the need is truly going unmet.
Fork in the Road
The experimenting phase is filled with conflicting feelings. As you take steps to test your idea, you’ll likely also be resisting moving forward with it.
This is a great thing!
Starting a nonprofit organization is a big deal. It requires a ton of hard work and will dramatically impact your life.
So, it’s both natural and sane to resist the idea. You need to test whether there is a real need.
If another organization is already meeting the need, then why start whole new duplicative organization? You could simply get involved with their mission.
Or, if another organization is willing to implement your idea, then your idea may be able to come to fruition more easily.
In this case, you’ll need to get to know that organization to better understand their culture and their ability to move forward with your idea. You’ll also want to solidify your role.
You may learn that there isn’t another organization carrying out your idea or willing to start. If that is the case, then it’s decision time!
If you’ve gathered supporters around your idea and decided that it can work, then you’re ready to move onto phase 3. This is when you realize that your idea could have big impact and you begin taking concrete steps forward with your new venture!
Transformation
Regardless of which path you take, I think it’s important to step back and acknowledge the value of the experimenting phase on a personal level.
Whether you start a new organization to carry out your idea or find another group to work with, the experimenting phase can be truly life changing.
It’s when people begin to understand how transformational it can be to help others. And it’s when you learn just how much that transformation can drive you forward.
You may have come at your idea initially from a variety of places. For example, you may have witnessed injustice and felt the need to stop it.
You may have suffered in some way, and your idea can help others avoid that suffering.
You may have found it healing. Meeting an unmet need in your community or the world can be very personally healing.
But as you experiment and transform, the true connection evolves.
You develop a strong personal connection to helping others, saving what needs to be saved, correcting an injustice or making the world a better place.
This transformation is one of the best parts of the experimenting phase. It may even be a big surprise.
And it’s what will drive you forward into the next phase of turning your idea into an actual organization making impact!
Nonprofit Springboard exists to help visionaries and creative problem-solvers navigate the journey to becoming a nonprofit founder. We want to help you start making an impact as quickly and effectively as possible--while avoiding the headaches that often come along with getting an organization off the ground.
We'd love to know where you are on the journey to becoming a nonprofit founder--email Deborah, our founder, and share your story: deborah@nonprofitspringboard.com.