My nonprofit story has two sides to its coin. I work as a professional writer to help nonprofits with fundraising, grant writing and communications.
My second nonprofit “affiliation” is that I am part of one, I am launching a nonprofit with several of my family members. Our organization, Positive Every Day Cancer Foundation, Inc., is inspired by our personal journey through my now 4-year-old nephew’s battle against cancer.
Side note: Currently Raiden (my nephew) is cancer free and just about back to normal life after all of his tubes were finally removed in December. His appetite is skyrocketing and he’s enjoying bonding moments with his younger brother and the rest of us!
PED Foundation has been in the inception stage since early 2015. Off and on, we would chat about how we would like to help other families based on the gaps we saw in our own support.
In August, we bit the bullet and filed the corporation forms for the state of Wisconsin, and obtaining our very EIN number (used essentially for taxes). Applying for 501c3 is our next big adventure. I’m leading the way on the application, 11 sections and some 20 pages total — we’re about 80% there.
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Those are just the formalities of launching a nonprofit — then there’s determining the programming, how to find people to serve, how to find funds to serve, what our future should look like, the events we should host, and so forth. The opportunities are endless, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy!
Since we’ve filed with the state in August, we’ve held two small fundraisers and raised enough to cover the 501c3 application filing fee. We have another fundraiser planned for Jan. 30.
We’ve also received a lot of advice on really narrowing our focus and being specific as we start marketing our organization and offering services.
So, without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to what Positive Every Day Cancer Foundation, Inc. is all about.
Our goal is to help families of pediatric cancer survive together. When a child is diagnosed with cancer, families become split: one parent stays at the hospital, another at home with siblings or off to work. Sometimes, siblings are sent to live with grandparents, or grandparents move in to help where they can.
Wouldn’t it be nice if someone else could help out while there is so much going on? That’s where we come in. PED Foundation exists to help these families in transition.
Our hope is to provide: The tools a primary caretaker needs to be able to stay organized and on top of their child’s care; Paid cleaning service for the patient’s home so family can focus on spending time together instead of time doing chores; Prepared meals delivered to the patient’s home, again to allow family more time together and less worry about how to accomplish the day-to-day.
We hope to later expand our services to also help with financial needs for siblings of children battling cancer.
When a child has cancer — families begin living minute-by-minute, and with the mundane household to-do’s out of the way, individuals can now focus on finding their Positive Every Day.
Are you a founding member of a nonprofit organization? Even if you’re part of an established group, there’s always growth opportunities and hurdles. I’m curious: what advice do you have for someone just starting out?