The Corona Virus has all but decimated the nonprofit I created with a group of friends called Catholic Sports Camps. We canceled all camps for summer 2020, which consequently drained all of our revenue. We attempted Zoom coaching, but it just wasn’t the same. A similar story is playing out across the country. As a management consultant, I have had the unique ability to be able to speak with nonprofit leaders across the country and the consistent theme is that nonprofits have been hit especially hard as they have been forced to lay off employees, furlough employees, and scale back whole divisions.

With 13.6 million employees out of work as of August 2020 [1], I see a huge opportunity. If you are one of these 13.6 million workers out of work, why not stay active, keep your skills current, while making the world a better place?

If this is resonating with you, I want to guide your direction by adding the importance of finding the right mission when contemplating volunteering or community building. There are many causes and it is easy to get swallowed up trying to change the world, but after a month or two of volunteering it can quickly feel like you are stuck in quicksand not making an impact. I want to share my story of how I went from a self-centered 20-something-year-old to founding a nonprofit and serving on another NPO’s board, as I feel it will help you solve the questions of, “how and where should I help out?”

In my late twenties, as I gained clarity on my purpose in life, I realized that most professionals served on nonprofit boards or helped build their community in some form. At that point I had not done a single thing to give back. I searched my heart and recognized my biggest regret at the time was not serving in the military so I connected with different veteran support organizations but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make inroads.

Then through professional networking I got the opportunity to interview with an executive director of a nonprofit in Chicago on a Friday for the sake of joining their board. This particular nonprofit helped homeless single moms. To sit on the board you had to commit annually to giving or fundraising $2,500.00. As I spent the weekend reflecting on our meeting, the $2,500 price tag made me decline the offer. The mission didn’t fire me up enough to do the work necessary to have to pay or fund raise that sum of money. You will find this will be similar to most nonprofits that you are considering joining the board of, so know that going in. If you aren’t ready to fund raise that amount of money or more for the organization, you probably shouldn’t consider joining the board. Conversely, to simply volunteer, most nonprofits will take just about anyone willing to help out pro bono as long as they pass their screening process.

Photo credit: Photo by Matt Collamer on Unsplash

Everything you do in life is an opportunity of the heart, and your suffering is always an opportunity for changing the world for the better. Have you suffered? If so, great, because this is a golden opportunity to give back. The attorney I hired to guide my family’s divorce drained us of all of our resources so I formed Spirit Consulting because I didn’t want anyone else to be on the receiving end of a heartless business relationship. A friend of mine was recently furloughed after working 45 days straight! She has left corporate America and is now leading one of our practice areas. If your work experience in 2020 has been similar to hers and you want to support an organization that strives to do what is right for everyone it encounters, then let’s connect because there is so much to be done to shift the way business is done. Outside of our mission and cause at Spirit Consulting, in America there are 1.5 MILLION NON PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. If you’ve suffered, there is a nonprofit set up to help that area of our society. By the slim chance there isn’t, maybe you are being called to set that up!

Every time we fill a retained job in recruiting/executive search I am unemployed, so I understand how it feels to be filled with anxiety and frustration that no matter how many jobs you apply to you aren’t making progress. While the pandemic has changed the way we live, I have refused to let it steal my hope and peace. With so many nonprofits needing help and 13.6 million people unemployed, this seems like a golden opportunity for people to reinvent themselves. So I challenge you to turn off Netflix, dust those Cheetos off your shirt, and let’s get back to work!

Chris Gomez
CEO, Spirit Consulting

About Spirit Consulting

Spirit Consulting is a boutique management consulting firm with clients across multiple industries and regions of the United States. We offer expert consulting in Executive Search, Business Strategy, and Work Psychology. Rooted in our relational, client-tailored approach, these service lines work synergistically to maximize your organization’s potential. Call (630) 621-3411 or email info@mzd.ryb.mybluehost.me for more information on how Spirit Consulting can help create the best version of your business. If you are interested in applying to jobs we are retained on, please visit www.spiritmco.com.

COVER PHOTO CREDIT – Photo by Paolo Nicolello on Unsplash

[1] https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf