blueprints

Part 2
hammer, saw, and nails
Tools for Framing
You have gathered materials to begin framing your organization. If you’ve
ever done home repair or building projects yourself, you know that you
will need to make uncountable trips back to the hardware store when you
find that a given part just isn’t what you need. This is simply the bootstrap
nature of the work. Don’t worry if everything doesn’t happen in perfect
order—if, say, you’ve already mounted an event and haven’t even thought
about incorporation or mission statements. Regardless, it helps to keep the
issues addressed here in mind from an early stage so you don’t miss opportunities
down the line. As Susan Boskoff points out below, there are many
good reasons to undertake these tasks earlier rather than later, not the least
of which is that becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit will help you get grants
and raise money. For this reason, we put organizational development and
fund-raising together here, before events. If you are not yet ready to tackle
these activities, go straight to the next section.
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