6 lessons from starting a Not-For-Profit during a global pandemic

People keep asking Frances and I ‘What is it like to run a Not-For-Profit?’ to which I frequently respond ‘I’ll let you know when it feels like we’re running one!’. In the first 3 months of establishing Speak Out Revolution I’d characterise what we've been doing as operating at the edge of chaos with a very agile team of volunteers. 

In this article, and away from the chaos, we share our top 6 lessons from starting a Not-For-Profit during a global pandemic which we wish we would have known before setting out. But before we get started...

Hello Speak Out Revolution!

Speak Out Revolution is a not-for-profit, founded in 2020, with a mission to cancel the culture of silence on harassment and bullying in our workplaces. 

We’re building the most comprehensive database of harassment and bullying experiences in the UK. 

Using anonymised data we’re increasing the transparency of these issues at the sector and organisational level and presenting our results for everyone to see in the independent, open source Speak Out Dashboard available here.

If you’ve been treated unfairly in the workplace from receiving everyday insults and slights, having your work openly discounted or manipulation that makes you question your thoughts and actions, we hope you’ll support our mission by completing The Speak Out Survey today.

And if you’re thinking about starting a Not-For-Profit here are our top 6 lessons: 

Lesson 1: ‘Embrace ‘good enough’ because perfect is never going to happen.’ - Marie

This applies most critically to getting the idea off the ground followed by every single activity that comes afterwards. Your idea will never feel quite ready, there will always be a better point in time and you’ll forever want one more week to perfect this or that… 

By way of example, the day before we released The Speak Out Survey there were reservations from members of the team that thought releasing the survey at the start of anti bullying week 2020 (Nov 16th) was premature. I agreed the survey was not perfect but (beyond our end user testing) the most valuable feedback would always come from people completing it so it made sense to release early and incrementally improve. 

We’ve now gained 100+ survey responses and invaluable feedback from professional researchers that we wouldn’t have received if we were still perfecting in house. 

In summary, I’d recommend people ask themselves ‘What do I absolutely need to get started?’ then embrace ‘good enough’ because perfect is never going to happen.

Lesson 2: ‘Accept advice and help from anyone and everyone’ - Frances 

As humans we have a fear of failure, but are not always open to asking for help. We are more willing to drive on in silence trying to do everything on our own, never allowing others to see us struggle. 

Starting a new business is the time to swallow your pride and accept help from anyone and everyone who offers it. You are starting on an exciting journey and this time should be exactly that, exciting. Sitting on your own, worrying about what you should do next, or whether it is even possible will not progress your mission, it might even cause you to give up before you have really begun. 

We have found there are so many people willing to help, advise and join our mission that we are not drowning in the unknown entrepreneurial world, but thriving. From very experienced  individuals applying for our volunteer roles, to institutes wanting to partner with us and large corporations offering advice, capabilities and funding to progress our ideas. We are still learning and do not know everything, but we do know where to start and it’s usually by accepting advice and help from anyone and everyone!

Lesson 3: ‘Diversify, diversify, diversify your professional network.’ - Marie

Running a Not-For-Profit sometimes feels like you have the worst of 2 worlds: the burdens of running a commercial company which requires a full suite of business expertise from sales to technical support with the limitations on resources and funding which you might expect within a charity.

Which is why I’m so grateful for the offers of help, ad hoc guidance and professional advice from across my professional (and personal!) network that we just couldn’t afford otherwise. From the essential pro bono legal services we’ve received, to the business guidance from a fashion entrepreneur, to the not so essential Speak Out Revolution beer creation and label design (check it out!), we’re indebted to a large and diverse community of supporters.

I’d recommend for others to diversify, diversify, diversify their professional network and start handing out favours now because you’ll quickly gain a massive backlog!

Lesson 4: ‘Build your team early’ - Frances 

Lockdown has provided a unique opportunity when building a team of volunteers. Being unable to socialise with others and take part in normal activities have left everyone at a bit of a loss what to do in the evenings and weekends. We have found many people have started to look for alternative projects to fill their time that they can do from home. This has allowed Speak Out Revolution to grow quickly, bringing onboard some amazing individuals with relevant skills and experience from across the world. I do not think we would have been able to grow our team of talented, passionate individuals without the restrictions of lockdown. 

Building a team early provides you the additional support and expertise that you need to launch quickly and make rapid impact. We learnt very early that we probably can’t do everything, and if we could, it would probably take a lot longer. Advertising for volunteers with specific experience filled the gaps in our knowledge and allowed us to launch our website and survey much quicker than if we were doing it alone. 

It has also expanded the reach of Speak Out Revolution. Both Marie and I come from STEM backgrounds, bringing on team members from different industries has allowed our network to grow and diversify at an amazing rate. We would not have been able to expand into the different industries without our team. The results, of which, are evident in our survey responses.

Lesson 5: ‘Know and acknowledge your weaknesses.’ - Marie

When you set up a Not-For-Profit the outcomes you’re working to deliver are purpose, not profit driven so you lose many working constraints. Work quickly becomes your obsession: It’s your day job, your hobby, your voluntary work and every topic of conversation. When you’re not talking about it, you’re thinking about it and sleep is your only respite. 

From frequently missing lunches because I forgot the time, working weekdays and weekends without differentiation and only slowing because I’m too unwell to keep going.

My weakness is that my desire for purposeful work is relentless and I acknowledge it’s not sustainable. I’d recommend to others to consider what their weaknesses are and how a purpose driven business might exacerbate those so they can proactively mitigate the impacts.

Lesson 6: ‘Always remember your mission’ - Frances 

This lesson is probably the most important for myself. In my innovation career I am always focussed on business value, whether an idea is a viable project for the company providing it. I frequently get bogged down in the business side, worrying about the sustainability of Speak Out Revolution, that I forget about the amazing progress we have made and the impact we have had and will continue to have. Marie is my talisman for our mission and impact, making me see the support we are providing individuals and the influence we are having on the industries we have penetrated. 

It is hard to not worry about whether your business will be around next year, but I have seen our business grow through following our mission, not the prospect of income. For a Not-for-Profit you need to be true to your mission, this itself will help you build and deliver the impact that will drive the business side. 

Thanks for reading!

We hope you’ve found this article useful! Support Speak Out Revolution by following us on social media, and completing The Speak Out Survey here because we can only advocate for change if we have a clear picture of the unfair treatment people receive in our workplaces today.

If you’ve made it this far we’re interested, what lessons would you share from starting your latest venture?