AARON VALENCIA
AARON VALENCIA RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS
QUESTION 4: If a person wants to start a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, what suggestions do you have based on your experience doing this? Did you complete the paperwork yourself, or did you hire professionals? If you experienced any problems with this process, please share the problems and how they were resolved.
RESPONSE: I would follow the instructions to the letter as laid out in CalNonprofits' website: https://calnonprofits.org/resources/starting-a-california-nonprofit. I had professional help and the process went very smoothly. I recommend having at least 3 board members and have quarterly (or at a minimum biannual) board meetings, with written agenda and minutes. Maintain these records accurately. Governance will become more and more important as you progress to pursuing larger funding sources.
QUESTION 5: The selection of members of the Board of Directors for a new nonprofit is important. What characteristics for Board members do you believe are important? What contributions by Board members do you believe should be expected? Did your Board members receive any training? If so, please identify that training.
RESPONSE: Always keep DEI in the forefront of your considerations when building and growing your board and organization. One of our first grants included pairing me as Executive Director with a mentor who has been an invaluable thought partner and provided tremendous guidance in organizational management and board development. He is actually hosting a board retreat for us this year. Board responsibilities include: determining mission and purpose, selecting the chief executive (me), planning and monitoring the organization, determining which programs are consistent with the organization’s mission and monitoring their effectiveness, ensuring adequate financial resources and management, and protecting assets and providing proper financial oversight. All boards have a responsibility to articulate prerequisites for candidates, orient new members, and periodically and comprehensively evaluate their own performance. Our board has a "give" and "get" obligation annually (a certain amount they must donate to Lost Angels and a certain amount of donations they must get from others). Setting the Executive compensation and benefits is also an important role of the board as well as approving the budget. Board engagement is a constant concern and focus for us. Characteristics of board members that would be desirable are experience, commitment to the mission, familiarity with stakeholders, connection to funding resources, as well as specific areas of expertise such as accounting, or particular to the mission (i.e., for us, experience with youth and/or the classic car industry). Our current board will be attending a development retreat, but not much training has taken place yet.
QUESTION 6: Most nonprofits benefit greatly from the contributions of volunteers. Approximately how many volunteers do you have? Approximately how many paid staff do you have? Have you experienced any problems recruiting volunteers? If so, please share your experience. What suggestions do you have for recruiting volunteers?
RESPONSE: We use volunteers occasionally for events and sometimes if someone volunteers and has specific expertise like case management or fundraising. In a given year we might work with up to 7 volunteers. We have 7 paid staff. We don't typically try to recruit volunteers. We may concentrate on this more as our organization grows. I would recommend recruitment by analyzing who your stakeholders are, building a line of communication and then engaging potential candidates with opportunities to participate in activities they would enjoy and which would have an impact.