Inspirations

Got the opportunity to speak with two men this week about their experience with non-profits.

The first was Matt with Table Grace Cafe.  This cafe is set up to provide meals over the lunch time in downtown Omaha to both the business class as well as the poverty stricken.  Instead of a cash register they have a donation box, and you pay whatever you're able to pay, or donate more, or stay and work an hour.  It's less than a year old, but has prime location.  It was really neat to hear Matt talk about the ways God provided, from funds to a location, to equipment, etc.  He gave me a couple tips, but mostly I got to hear his story, which was inspirational for what I want to do.

I then drove up the street to Aroma's, which is another place of inspiration for me, as it's owned and operated (along with Bliss Bakery) by an incredible young woman who has really figured out how to survive in this industry.   There, I ordered my typical drink (decaf, soy, iced white chocolate mocha) and got to hear from Jeff Spiehs.







Jeff's story is unique in that he began a non-profit cafe years ago, and recently had to close.  He now works for InCommon Community Development, which is another non-profit organization that works in low income neighborhoods.  He was able to share what went wrong and what could have been done better with his first venture in non-profitness, as well as what is going well with the one he works with now, so I got insight into both sides of it.

What I learned:

1. I'm going to have everything researched, and have covered as much as I possibly can before I move forward with this project.  I will have a solid plan of business before I start to raise funds, and I will have funds before I start buying.
2. Having stated number 1, it will likely be several years before I really get this off the ground...which I'm ok with.  
3. I have SO MUCH left to learn.  Holy cow, the ins and outs of non-profit business is a bit more complicated than I would have thought, but I'm excited to learn.
4. I need a solid Board of Directors, from all industries so I can reach into many different levels.  If you're interested in possibly joining me in this venture in a role as a board member, please contact me.
5. There's a lot of resources out there that I'm going to begin to tap into.  If you have any other resources, also let me know :)