- It's clever, It's responsible...and it's Art
Having a not-for-profit business is a funny thing. It seems people think nfp's are government organizations, or separate from the rest of the world in some way: loftier, higher, to be founded by the wealthy, perhaps. Not for profit businesses are businesses at the end of every day, no matter how altruistic, philosophic, educational, or humanitarian....
As business principles go, not for profit or for profit, if the balance sheet never balances, one day that nfp will cease to exist. Period. And then that idea, that belief, the altruism, philosophy, educational experience, and humanitarianism is back to where it began, an idea.
Who starts not for profits, and why? All kinds of people start nfps: the rich, the poor, the idealistic, the mom, the kid, the hopeful, and the list goes on. Equally as long and diverse are the reasons why.
I chose to start a nfp because I wanted to be able to apply for grants to support artistic and educational endeavors. I originally founded a for profit as well as the nfp, but the nfp portion was much more time consuming than anticipated & eventually 'The Kid Factory', as the for profit portion was called, served no purpose. Maybe one day. The Kid Factory was intended to be a fun, colorful, and educational learning place with lots of exposure to nature, art, music, etc. etc. It was actually much more expensive to open than the cultural center. Create-A-Mosaic is now the 'for profit' entity within the cultural center; and that is quite enough to try to manage, along with my other endeavors such as consulting and real estate and raising children.
Others just like me have founded nfp's. Maya Works is one of my favorites. Maya Works is a Chicago based fair trade not for profit organization that started out of a suit case from a clinician working in Guatemala. Kathleen Morkert, the executive director, was moving to Chicago some seven years ago which is how Maya Works found its home. Since Maya Works began Kathleen has said she has seen schools open and text books purchased and shoes on kids' feet and entrepreneurship flourish. Recently they have begun a women's leadership training program for the artisans teaching the women about self-esteem. Prior to the workshops, the word self-esteem was not even a part of their vocabulary.
Annette Swanson is another super-star-creator in my book with her start-up nfp called Seeds of Grace. It began for her with a mission trip with her church to Africa to help re-build homes, and refurbish a hospital for HIV/AIDS patients. The women in Meru, the village they were in, made jewelry to support themselves. Many of the husbands perished due to the disease leaving mothers with the children of not just their own, but of the other wives of their husband. In some cases elder male children thought to expel mothers from their homesteads. A brave African woman named Gladys organized a collective called PEMA (Peace Makers) where women could learn the trade of jewelry making for survival....and the pieces are Beautiful!
You can learn more about Seeds of Grace and Maya Works at our next fundraising celebration July 8th from 3-6pm at the White Eagle Owner's Clubhouse on White Eagle Drive. http://www.naperculture.org/MidSummer.html
The Naperville Cultural Center strives to promote artisans and artists that make a better world of the one we have been given to live in. Sometimes that is through beauty. Sometimes that is through reflection.
Thank You to all our volunteers and idea generators and patrons and sponsors.