Non-Profit Organizations need structure and processes
There have been many times when I was very close to starting or founding my for-profit start-up. I found very few ideas that I was passionate about but every time, I came close to launching those ideas, some other opportunity arose that seemed like the right thing to do. Looking back, it's as if "the dots seem to connect" effortlessly.
Business is Business. I remember telling a family member at an airport restaurant, pointing to a table lamp. “You see, I can take the table lamp and decorate it with some gems, give it another finishing, and voila, I have a new product”. But, is that all to life? Recycling product ideas to feed the stomach.
In 2020, by some magic, Micah and I met online to start building Velera. Right from the start, we instinctively knew that Velera should take the form of a non-profit foundation. It just felt like the right move when venturing into decentralized infrastructure. But, managing a non-profit with volunteers is a whole other ball game. Unlike a startup with vested interests and risk-reward considerations, a non-profit with volunteers presents its own set of challenges.
It's not about the people; it's about navigating the landscape of getting things done, understanding that volunteers have other personal responsibilities like work and family.
Non-profits require a solid organizational structure
Organizational structure should be aligned with the business strategy and the key to performance comes from the extent to which the following elements are aligned*:
Leadership: Clear outline of the responsibilities of individuals responsible for the development, deployment, and tracking of the strategy.
Organization: The operations, structure, and workflow of processes by which the strategy is deployed.
Job: Clear delegation of roles and responsibilities.
People: Having the right people perform the task based on experience, skills, and competencies.
Despite Velera being a decentralized ecosystem, the decision was made to run the foundation with a traditional centralized structure. For 2024, one of my goals is to figure out the optimal organizational structure that could work for a centralized non-profit foundation dedicated to building a decentralized network. I envision it evolving into a hybrid structure as we grow. Even the process of determining the structure should be fluid, but in the end organizational structure is indispensable because:
It establishes accountability and ownership of tasks
Sets clear expectations
Enhances efficiencies in the workflow of tasks, and
Encourages collaboration.
