ELLEN STACKABLE
ELLEN STACKABLE RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS
QUESTION 4: If a person wants to start a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, what suggestions do you have based on your experience doing this? Did you complete the paperwork yourself, or did you hire professionals? If you experienced any problems with this process, please share the problems and how they were resolved.
RESPONSE: I would suggest getting help, either from someone who has done it before or a lawyer. The application itself is fairly simple. Writing the bylaws is not simple. Because we did it right the first time, we have had to make very few adjustments to our bylaws in the last 6 years.
QUESTION 5: The selection of members of the Board of Directors for a new nonprofit is important. What characteristics for Board members do you believe are important? What contributions by Board members do you believe should be expected? Did your Board members receive any training? If so, please identify that training.
RESPONSE: It is really important to ask what kind of board you want: primarily a working board or primarily a governing board. I believe that many nonprofits err by having board members who look good--i.e. well known in the community and/or have lots of money. It is vital to have board members who believe in your mission and are willing to put in sweat equity, especially in the beginning, to insure its success. Initially, our board members had very little training. We drew on volunteers who knew our mission and were ready to work. Later, we used training from the Annenberg Foundation for our board members.
QUESTION 6: Most nonprofits benefit greatly from the contributions of volunteers. Approximately how many volunteers do you have? Approximately how many paid staff do you have? Have you experienced any problems recruiting volunteers? If so, please share your experience. What suggestions do you have for recruiting volunteers?
RESPONSE: Our volunteers are the heart and soul of our organization. We are, as one of our board members put it, "a scrappy organization who gets more done than most large nonprofits". We have two part-time staff members(I am one) and several part-time contract help. Before the Pandemic, we had around 75 volunteers who all were part of our in-person classes in women's prisons. We had to pivot quickly to a distance learning model when all the prisons were locked down in March 2020. We paired women on the inside with a writing partner on the outside and our volunteer base grew to over 200. We have had no problem either recruiting or retaining volunteers. I think this is because they are really doing something that matters--they are interacting with real people--incarcerated women. Our volunteers know that what they do is life giving and, during the Pandemic, even vital to the mental health of our clients.