Here is a list of ten reasons why you should NOT consider starting your own charitable organisation, environmental or otherwise, instead of joining one that already exists.
1. Administrative burden. Unless you're going it alone, you're going to need to register your organisation if you want to do business, safely involve members, handle money or deal with the public. You're going to need to know, meet and stay tuned into legislation, standards and report regularly to government agencies. An established group would already have this framework in place.
2. Redundancy. There are around 600,000 registered charities in Australia alone. Surely you can find one to work with.
3. Competitiveness. Starting a new charitable foundation makes it more difficult for existing organisations to compete for funding, and starting up as a newbie no one has ever heard of in an existing charitable industry puts you on the back-foot from day one.
4. Brand building. If you're trying to do something charitable it will take time to build a reputation. Other groups have already achieved this. Use their brand power instead of wasting effort building your own.
5. Arrogance. Are you sure that no one else is doing what you intend to do? Have you researched this and spoken to the agencies already established? I recently heard someone from a new charity introduce himself as "We do ALL the work on marine debris". I had to walk away biting my tongue, this was untrue and a sign of some serious narcissism.
5. Your Ego. If you're still convinced that there is not a single other organisation with a structure that you could work with, you might want to check your ego. Are you being a control freak? Adaptability is the key to success.
6. The value of collaboration. Collaborating with existing groups demonstrates two things, you can cooperate with others and you recognise the value of the history those groups have established.
7. Life balance. If you think you can do this in your spare time, you're crazy. Don't fall into the trap of thinking 'if no one else is going to do it, the I'll have to.' This attitude and project management, is not sustainable for you personally, or the charity you're working with. .
8. Wanting to create a legacy. This is a very noble idea, but really, legacies are never planned.
9. Wanting the title "Director" or "Founder". Yeah well, in my opinion there has been so many jugheads starting their own foundations that both of these titles now sound ridiculous and make me chuckle a bit.
10. Your exit strategy. Starting a new venture can be fun and exciting, doing it without preparing an exit strategy for either you personally, or the organisation as a whole, will ensure your dream is short-lived.
