RoundPier Insights: Dos and Don’t on Starting and Running a Student Organization or Project

With numerous student organizations on RoundPier we decided to create a best practices guide for starting and running a student NPO. The below tips will be relevant not only for student projects, or later on if you launch an organization but in the case of real-world for profit companies as well. People usually don’t realize how close non, and for profit worlds are when it comes to business practices. To connect with student and over 300 student organizations join RoundPier!

In the below guide, we draw on our team’s experience, ideas from non-profit gurus, and judges from RoundPier’s NPO competition.

Before starting something, ask yourself: Why am I doing this?

• Yes, you have heard it a million times and you will have to hear it again: Don’t start something because you think it will look good on a college application! Even if your parents think it’s a great way to boost your “leadership experience”, don’t assume that admission officers haven’t seen the same from thousands of other applicants.
• Think about your specific skills and experience to better understand what value you can provide through your organization.
• The best organizations are solving problems or figuring out ways to augment existing solutions in a new, fresh way. How is your solution different, is anyone else doing this already?
• For example, two different organizations could be working towards the same mission but in very different ways. One organization in the field of art could be providing free online classes for children, while another could be running large scale art supply donation drives. Both organizations are in the same field but they are doing different things. Make sure to differentiate your organization — don’t start something that is already being done!

Start small. Test your ideas. Then scale!

• A lot of student organizations expect to grow quickly. It takes time to build a successful organization…be patient and focused.
• By starting small you can receive more feedback about your idea from people around you. For example, if you are writing a blog, get a few people to read it and provide comments. If you are tackling an education problem start within your school, show progress, and impact, then hire more people and grow.
• You will have much more credibility if something has traction vs just trying to expand and recruit based on your idea.

Find adult mentors to help!

• Most successful student organizations have adult mentors to guide them. It is important to be open to different perspectives because mentors can save you from making a lot of mistakes.
• You can find mentors through your personal network. Do you have a teacher or family friend who might have relevant experience and is willing to advise you with your organization?

Once you start, building and managing a team is the key to your success.

• No sizable company or organization can operate without a team. That includes founding a team — if you are comfortable to do it on your own try it but most likely you need to build a team around you.
• Ideally, you want to start with people you know or can get quick introductions to through your network within your school or community. Explain your mission and see if your team aligns with what you want to achieve.
• If you are recruiting a team through various platforms, start slowly. Don’t recruit 20 people at once — start with 2–3 key team members that share your mission and vision. Make sure they are committed — many student organizations lack focus mainly because the team members jump from one project to another.
• Remove hierarchy: This is a student organization…and while you may be the founder make it clear that this is a flat structure and anyone can contribute and lead. You are not a CEO of a school project that was started 2 weeks ago with a few of your friends. Remove grand titles and statements. Make your team feel comfortable that this is a joint effort: it will also appear more reputable with adults when you approach them for funding or help.
• Once you recruit your team, treat them with respect! Make sure people deliver and those who don’t are removed from the organization, but be polite and understand other members’ commitments.

Don’t forget about funding!

• Many new student organizations don’t think about fundraising but nonprofit professionals expect to be paid a living wage, so as your organization grows, you should figure out how to pay for staff (e.g. tutors/instructors), management team, and to fund your vision. Organizations have a budget for expenses, and the time you put into these ventures is worth something, especially for those organizations registered as 501(c)(3)’s in the U.S.
• Getting 501(c)(3) status can be a long process, but it can be helpful for funding purposes. When you are at the stage of needing a 501(c)(3), make sure you have all the required materials including the money to file in the first place.
• Usually small nonprofits that make under $5,000 gross receipts don’t have 501(c)3 status. To be a 501(c)(3) organization as recognized by the IRS, you must be considered to be a “charitable organization” as classified by the IRS.
• The benefits of getting a 501(c)(3) status is primarily a tax consideration from both those who give money to you and the money you get to keep and spend for your cause. It may or may not make sense for you to do so.
• Regardless of your tax status, raising money from family and friends isn’t a sustainable funding model and the team needs to create a funding plan if the organization is going to grow and be a going concern. This could be a mix of donations, and revenue generated by providing products or services.
• As a young organization, you should focus on your product/service first so that you have a good and strong story for donors and future team members.