So You Want to Start Your Own Charity?

As commercial insurance specialists, one of the services we offer is supporting and providing insurance to local and national charities and non-for-profit organisations.

In order to completely understand the needs of such organisations, we work hard to know everything there is to know about running a charity to ensure we can offer the very best advice and insurance to them. We like to think we have done our research, and what’s the point if we don’t pass on our knowledge to you?

If you have your own charity, volunteer for a charity or are thinking of starting one, you all most likely have one thing in common; you want to help the world be a better place. Whether your focus is helping animals, people in your own country, people on the other side of the world, or people with illnesses, everybody with this passion to help has the attribute that is crucial to starting and maintaining a successful non-for-profit organisation: focus. If you don’t know what your focus is, it’s probable the rest of the world won’t either.

Once you have your focus, your journey can begin. The most important thing to remember is not to rush. Lasting impacts don’t happen overnight, but through a lot of hard work, passion and perseverance.

Once you have your focus, turn your attention to finding the problem. Research until you know why the problem is there in the first place, if the problem is getting worse and if so, why? And what other charities there are fighting the same issues.

After you have tackled the lengthy period of understanding and researching where the problem came from, you can begin the part that made you want to start a charity in the first place: the solution. Take a step back and look at your research, plans and ideas, and be sure that a charity is the best way to try and solve the problem. And do it wholeheartedly, dedicate yourself to it — if you do it half-heartedly, only in your spare time, it may never get off its feet and into the air. Passion will only get you so far — focus, time management and a whole lot of hard work are just as important.

If you don’t have a business head on you and you tend to jump into situations with your passion and drive without thinking about the business aspects, your charity may not succeed. Research, research and research some more, ask questions, talk to people who have their own businesses, who have started their own charities, and take every piece of advice you get. Having a financial plan for your charity will give you organisation and structure, allowing you to keep track of your finance and preventing the possibility of overspending.

The next stage, which ties in with the last, is to think about fundraising. Calculate how much you will need over the first 5–10 years. Check out websites such as gofundme, justgiving and crowdfunder and see what kind of website will work best for you. Will you ask for donations from individuals or charitable foundations? These are all things you need to think about.

Think about your marketing strategy. Whether you are tech savvy or hire somebody who is, a good marketing campaign can make or break your charity. It is all about communicating the message you want the world to hear in a simple, clear, and important way.

And of course, commercial insurance is just as important for nonprofit organisations as it is in normal companies. Having a good and reliable insurance plan will also make your charity a more desirable and appealing place to work. This will show your staff and volunteers that they are cared for and it will also reassure you that you are in safe hands in terms of risk management. At Watson Laurie we support charities of all types and sizes with risk management and income generation strategies. We also provide advice and co-ordinate the running of training workshops for volunteers to internally assist with promoting risk awareness.

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