How to Support Non Profits for Higher Social Development Impact

Titus and Tobias Igwe met an employee, at the time, of a nonprofit, at a cultural event where they were serving finger food to the guests of at event. They were young men, who had fallen on hard times after the passing of their father, the breadwinner. Also, they were graduates of a tertiary institution in Nigeria, but unable to find gainful employment to suit their skills. But being resourceful, they found menial employment as office assistants.

In the course of their work, they were sent out to purchase meals for the employees of the company, and it was there they saw a gap, and wondered if they could create an opportunity to become suppliers of meals to the employees, rather than go out to purchase these meals on their behalf.  This was the time before personal delivery became the norm.

At the event, the employee of the nonprofit realised that they were sponsors of the event, and were not paid for feeding over 50 guests. According to them, they were supporting a cause and at the same time creating awareness of their services. It was a new business, and they were trying to find their feet. In the process, she discovered their love for catering, and their lack of entrepreneurial training. She went ahead to introduce them to one of the programmes for aspiring entrepreneurs where they received training on how to establish a business, and came in contact with mentors to nurture them. Since then, the Igwe Twins, as they are referred to, have gone on to build a successful business, called Speedmeals Mobile Kitchen, where they cater and supply meals to employees at offices as well as offer industrial catering for big corporations today.

 That was five years ago. In their own words, “The training and mentoring we received opened us up to opportunities we never knew that existed around us. It transformed our small idea into a viable growing enterprise that now employs people and with two operational branches currently. If other young people are exposed to similar training we received at the nonprofit as a strategy to job creation in Nigeria it will never fail.”

This is an example of how nonprofits contribute to society; contributions which put people at the centre of development. Nonprofits do not only support the direct beneficiaries of programmes they design; citizens benefit too. It bears reiterating that everyone can support the efforts of nonprofits in various ways to help improve our society. Here are a few suggested ways:

1. Volunteering:

An old saying goes, “the best way to learn is to teach.” Sharing knowledge is one of the ways that individuals can support nonprofits through volunteering. To buttress the point, it's fit to say that there is strength in numbers and it raises a higher chance of making richer contributions through a collective knowledge pool, which will create pathways to learning, knowledge and skills. This promotes social change that can improve and empower the lives of these beneficiaries, at the same time improve society.

1. Capital:

The tax incentives for making donations in Nigeria are complex, and many individuals are unaware of what the incentives are. In contrast, some developed countries use tax incentives to encourage people to contribute to the development of their society through nonprofits. Notwithstanding the complexity of the process, support from individuals would go a long way to help nonprofits achieve their mission.

1. Advocacy

Individuals who support nonprofits and their programmes become ambassadors of the causes. Nonprofit programmes have a quality of permanence because they are rarely affected by change in government policies. A cause is a cause. In addition,  this is supplemented with continuous public advocacy by supplying information, reports, or educating the public through media platforms, and by  influencing government policies that can improve lives. Nonprofits always need advocates to support and promote their causes, and that is another good way to support.