CATHY HEYING
CATHY HEYING RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1: You have deep commitment to helping people in need. It is interesting that in life 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: My faith/feeling like it was bigger than me: Easily the single biggest factor (maybe the only one?) for me was my personal faith and developing an understanding that this was a calling and not just a good idea. Nothing about this seemed like a good idea for me personally---I still had grad school student loan debt, I would need to take out more loans to get an auto tech degree, I had a perfectly good job that I loved, I knew nothing about cars or running a nonprofit and so much more. I even wrote a pro/con list for me personally (not considering the bigger social good as a big pro--this was just for my life). There was literally nothing in the pro column, but despite that, I could not stop thinking about it. That's when I knew it was bigger than me and that I needed to pursue it.
QUESTION 2: When you started your nonprofit, what were the main challenges? Please explain the main challenges and how you overcame them.
RESPONSE:
Money
It takes money to make this happen. First, you have to be able to pay your living expenses while you get this off the ground. So it will likely mean that you are working a full time job while also doing this. In my case, it was working a full time social services job, a part time auto mechanic job so I could get some experience in the field and then spending about 10-12 hrs/week working on starting the nonprofit. They were super busy years (I did this schedule for 2 years) but that is what needed to be done. I also have a very supportive partner whose income contributed greatly to our living expenses.
It also takes money to start it. You will need money to pay the filing fees for nonprofit applications and to pay for any start up costs (which can vary greatly depending on the type of nonprofit you are starting). Everything from pens to permits, from tools (several thousand dollars in my case) to rent. I also had to personally guarantee any credit accounts for the organization. For example we needed accounts at parts places. In order to get those, they needed a personal guarantor which meant I would be personally liable for any debt incurred if the organization couldn't pay it. I bought the coffee for the waiting room, soap for the bathroom and much more initially because the nonprofit did not have the resources to do so in the beginning.
Time/Energy
See paragraph one under money. There were MANY things that I sacrificed because I had to work one of my jobs, or at The Lift itself. In the beginning we were only open 1 day a week--Saturdays. We used only volunteers (besides me) and so I missed funerals, family gatherings and more because when you are only open 1 day a week you can't easily decide to be closed for that 1 day. Those days were also long--if we didn't get a car finished before close, we stayed until it was done--often until 10pm. I sacrificed a lot of social and personal things to make this happen.
Lack of knowledge
The amount of things I did not know was astounding. So everything just took longer or was harder because we had to learn. Or we didn't have the resources to do it more efficiently. In the beginning we didn't have the money to buy estimate writing software or even really know what that was. We wrote every estimate by hand using the telephone. We didn't know about fire or business permits, about hazardous waste disposal and so on. We got it figured out but in the beginning we made a lot of mistakes simply because we didn't know.
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: Do a lot of research. It is not glamorous and it is slow and tedious but I found that by spending a few years (yes, years) having coffee meetings, researching what other models existed locally and nationally, and visiting places that had similar visions/missions, etc. Most people who are inclined to take on something like starting a nonprofit are go-getters and they want to get to the meat of helping people but I believe you need to lay a really solid foundation. Everyone wants to get right to picking the paint colors when you really need to be pouring the cement.
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 recommend reviewing the application in detail before you begin. There are things that you will need to have written/have in place such as a Board of Directors, Conflict of Interest policy, by-laws, etc. So, it's best to get a handle on the whole list of things you will need before you begin. I approached a local law school to see if their student law clinic and/or any student wanted to assist with this process. We were lucky enough to have a student say yes. So she really guided the process for us and helped with some of the more legal language that can feel overwhelming. I think there are a lot of resources online now, different than even 10 years ago when I completed ours. Like most everything with the whole process of starting a nonprofit--get as many people involved as you can and dole out responsibilities. Luckily, our application was quickly approved without any problems.
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: Being totally frank (and, I think realistic), your initial board members are probably going to be people you know personally and already have a relationship with. Complete strangers are unlikely to jump into a brand new board without some personal connection. It's not impossible but it's also much less likely. For example, my first 5 board members were: one of my auto tech professors, my best friend, a good friend's wife, a guy I went to church with and someone I worked with. But I didn't just take any warm bodies. These folks also happened to have skills that contributed to the success and growth of The Lift. My best friend had been on many boards and worked in social services and as a community organizer, for example.
So, I'd say look at your circle and assess who has the skills you need at this time. What you need/expect from your Board is going to change over the lifespan of the organization. The first Board is going to be a very hands on, working board--because you have no staff, they are going to do things that staff will eventually do, from check signing to cleaning the bathroom. You need to have a board who is willing to dig in and do what needs to be done which takes time, and effort. Our initial board (and many iterations after that) received no training whatsoever. I don't recommend that. I know now that there are organizations that exist whose purpose is to help nonprofits and they usually have board trainings.
Our Board is not expected to do significant fundraising. They are asked to make a personal contribution each year at a level that is significant to them. We don't want people to not be able to serve just because they may have limited means. They are also expected to come to, recruit for and promote our fundraising events. They are also expected to serve on one of
the committees of the board as well. But it wasn't that structured in the early days--we were just trying to get things moving forward and off the ground.
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: Counting the board/committees, we have about 35 volunteers. We have 14 paid staff (11 FT and 3 PT). In the beginning, the entire place was run by volunteers (I was still working FT at my other job because The Lift didn't have enough money to pay for any staff) so in the early days we had a lot more volunteers (50-60). Now there are not a lot of areas for volunteering within the daily operations. We have so many cars to fix that we really need trained and skilled technicians and not volunteers that may need their work double checked or additional supervision. We do have some vols on the front end of the operation: making confirmation calls for appointments, helping with mailings, helping at fundraising events, etc.
Volunteers can be amazing and are essential, ESPECIALLY as a new/young organization. The important thing is for volunteers to have a clear sense of purpose and what you are asking them to do. No one wants their time wasted so if you have a volunteer come in and you spend much of that time trying to figure out projects, that's not helpful to either of you.