BRIDGET BUTLER
BRIDGET CUTLER RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1: You have deep commitment to helping people in need. It is interesting that in our busy lives we all have the opportunity to walk away from helping others, and it is equally interesting that some people don’t take those steps away from others in need. What were the main factors in your life that encouraged you to walk toward people in need and devote a significant part of your life to helping others? Please elaborate some about each factor.
RESPONSE: I have always been a highly sensitive person. When I hear about someone who is facing a hardship, I can feel that. If I see someone who looks like they need help, I almost involuntarily need to try to help them. My mother is this type of person as well, so its either hereditary, or I learned from her example. We often had ‘special guests’ over for the holidays – people who my mom welcomed into our home because they had nowhere else to go. There was always an extra seat at the table.
I am also a very fair-minded person (my father and sisters are lawyers so maybe it runs in the family!). Growing up, we were not poor but money was tight. My mother worked very hard and raised 5 children. Simple things like asking for a small amount of money to go to a school trip or having to buy a sports uniform would cause me extreme anxiety – I did not want to burden my mother anymore, and often she just didn’t have anything extra. While $20 meant nothing to most families, it could mean a whole lot to others.
I am also a very organized and efficient person, and I’m a problem solver. I hate waste, and I hate complaining (even though I do it too!). A lot of what we do is taking things from people who don’t need them and giving them to people who do. So that aspect of Moms Helping Moms really appeals to me. While in some homes an unneeded stroller turns into an annoyance that’s hard to store – that same stroller can be given away so that a mom living in an urban area can walk her child to daycare. An unneeded pack n play that may just be collecting dust in someone's attic can be given to a family so that their baby has a safe and secure place to sleep. Taking what may end up as garbage and handing to a family who desperately needs it is immensely satisfying to me.
QUESTION 2: When you first started your nonprofit, what were the main challenges? Please explain the main challenges and how you overcame them. (A later question will ask about challenges you are facing now. This question focuses on the beginning of your nonprofit.)
RESPONSE: There were so many! We did not have any mentors early on, so we were learning how to run a nonprofit as we went. We did not plan ahead - this org was started almost by accident. So we were backing into things. Also, since there was no preplanning, our mission did not come into focus for a little while. We were doing so many different things, and it felt a bit unfocused and chaotic.The biggest and most obvious challenge was money – We went without a rented space and paid employees for a long time, and I think this slowed our progress tremendously. Fundraising when you are a small, not very well known non profit is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do (and still is!).
QUESTION 3: What suggestions would you give to university students who are committed to helping others in need and are considering starting a nonprofit?
RESPONSE:
1. First and foremost, see if anyone else is already doing this work. Starting and running a non-profit requires a tremendous amount of work, and money. There is no need to duplicate efforts if you can join an org that already exists. There is also a possibility of working under the ‘umbrella’ of another, larger organization. Do your research.
2. If you are set on starting a new non profit, I would start by finding a mentor or mentors who you trust. This person does not have to do exactly what you want to do - even just finding someone with non profit experience would be very helpful. You will glean valuable information and save yourself time and frustration.
3. Find others who might want to join you in your mission. YOU WILL NEED HELP! Set up a board of directors prior to starting your new org. Try NOT to have a board or team entirely made up of close contacts – if you recruit your mom, brother and best friend, all you will have is a board of ‘yes men’ which sounds nice but is not efficient. Diversity of backgrounds and opinions is very important. It helps to talk to people who are struggling with the problem you are trying to solve so you have the correct perspective. Try to find professionals in your network (lawyers, accountants, PR, HR, etc) that would be willing to join your board or do pro bono work for you. Ideally, you want anyone joining your team to be passionate about what you are trying to do. In the NP world, it takes a lot of passion to get things done.
4. Make a plan! Once you have your ‘team’ in place, make a plan. There are tons of resources online for nonprofits – you'll want to make sure you're filling out the appropriate paperwork, creating essential documents, etc. You’ll want to strategically plan what you will need (space to rent, employees, etc), and how you will get funding for it.
5. Be ready to roll with the punches. Expect some uncertainty and a little chaos. When you get distracted or discouraged, remember what your mission is.
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 think its worth a little effort to try to find a pro bono lawyer to do this for you. However, it can be VERY hard. If your initial efforts fail, consider paying a lawyer to so the filing, or try a company like legal zoom. We paid a lawyer after unsuccessfully looking for someone to do it for free. I would not suggest trying to do this without any legal help.
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: Above all else, your board should be diverse. The best boards have varying perspectives from members who come from different backgrounds. This is not limited to race – gender identity, work experience, geography and socioeconomic background are important considerations too. If possible, you should get members of the communities that you serve on the board as well.
You will want to look for members with professional skills that would be useful to your org. Examples lawyer, accountants, PR, HR, social media, etc.
Other considerations are the time & monetary commitments. You could have the most impressive board on paper, but if they do not show up for you, they are useless. Be very honest about your expectations, and hold board members accountable. A monetary commitment is not required, but very common. We require our board members to sign a ‘give/get’ agreement whereby they commit to either donating or sourcing a set amount of funding each year.
Our board members do not get trained but they are expected to volunteer in our warehouse once per year to get a fresh feel for how our program runs.
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 have only 6 paid staff (only 1 of which is full time). We have hundreds of volunteers each year – they are our lifeblood. We have been very lucky! We do not have to recruit that hard. We started with friends and family and encouraged everyone to spread the word. Early on we hosted a few volunteer recruiting events that we put on ourselves.
Suggestions for volunteers:
Check national programs (vistacorp, seniorcorp, probono.org)
Choose a program to track sign ups (we use volunteer match) - this will save you a lot of work!
When your volunteers arrive, have a spiel planned to explain what your org does, and what they’ll be helping with. Go over any safety or other rules at this time also.’ When they leave, remind them of your mission, and encourage them to spread the word, follow on social media, etc.
Make sure you get every volunteer to sign a liability waiver.
Treat them well!! Get some coffee/refreshments (donated preferably! Starbucks and dunkin donuts always help us out).