Nonprofit Ventures: Show Me the Money

We can talk about entrepreneurial ventures. We can brainstorm. We can even plan and raise money for our ideas. But, how about making it work? How about an example of a success? We would like to share the story of a simple idea to show you it is possible.

Bernadette Cannon, a supporter and advocate for Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care, attended the very first New York Council of Nonprofits Entrepreneurial Ventures training offered in 2004. She came to the training with a simple idea: start a thrift shop. For the next couple of years, she worked tirelessly to make her idea a reality. Listen to her share her insight about her for profit venture. Most importantly, hear about her success.



Visit our YouTube channel and watch Bernadette share the rest of her story and her feedback.

Have your own story to share? Post it here, or contact us. Interested in contacting Bernadette? You can e-mail her at thrift.shop@cahpc.org.

Lessons Learned

What are the lessons you learned at Entrepreneurial Ventures for the Arts? Any light bulb moment? Anything you found extremely helpful? How about things to remember for others starting down this path? Share you ideas or even your questions. You can also e-mail them to us to post.

Power of Networking

There is a challenge to changing the way we do business, and even more in thinking of different ways to generate revenue for our organizations. But our peers offer an opportunity for us to start this difficult process. At the recent Entrepreneurial Ventures for the Arts trainings in Albany and NYC, participants found their peers invaluable resources for discussing ideas and even how to confront potential hurdles. As you consider your own venture, use your peer network. Our peers can be essential in helping make a venture successful. They can help us think through details we would miss. They can be our focus group. As we look at the time and effort involved in putting these ideas in place, this feedback is important and can help you make the most of your limited resources and time.