Meet Kenita Smith | Nonprofit Consultant, President & CEO of H.O.P.E, Inc, Minister, Wife, & Mother

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kenita Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kenita, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I think what makes any brand stand out is your story and your “why”, the reason behind what you do. I started “Starting My Nonprofit” to help others figure out how to start and build a nonprofit from the ground up. Yes, there’s a lot of information on Google, and best practices for small, medium, and large nonprofits, but what my story offers is how I built my nonprofit organization with no nonprofit experience, money, donors, or grants.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Starting My Nonprofit is a consulting business for the new nonprofit leader, organization under $300,000 in operating revenue, or new development leader. It’s for those that have always wanted to start a nonprofit, but never took the first steps to do so, but it’s also for those who maybe jumped out there by faith, but are stuck on what to do next.

I mentioned earlier on that I had no nonprofit experience when I started my nonprofit. I came from a corporate healthcare background. I didn’t have a lot of money to start, no donors when I originally started, and no grant support. What I did have was a natural ability and skill in leadership, execution, and strategic thinking. I also had an MBA and I was able to take my education and use it to take grow my nonprofit and raise over $1.5 million from nothing.

However, the road was not always easy. I had to sacrifice a lot to get it to where it is today. I went three years without a salary, working as a CEO full-time. I was faced with the challenges of having to prove that my program could be successful because no organization in the country offers the wholistic services that Helping Other People be Empowered (H.O.P.E, INC.) together ongoing monthly for single parents in college. I had to learn to be my best cheerleader and advocate for H.O.P.E, Inc. when the community was unaware of our work, and take the time to be bold enough to find out what works for us when it didn’t line up with the best practices taught.

I spent a lot of time and money on things unnecessary in the beginning, and there was a lot I didn’t understand. Yet, I always had my relationship with God and an intelligence He gave me for business that allowed me to overcome and grow the organization quickly. 13 years later, we’re making a huge impact and I bring that knowledge into my consulting.

When people work with Starting My Nonprofit, they are working with someone that’s been in their shoes and can say they did it! That is what makes me and the brand stand out.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my good girlfriend was visiting from my hometown in Illinois, I would of course, take her to some historical and well-known attraction places like the Underground, Martin Luther King Center, Black History Museum, World of Coke, Lenox Mall, and Georgia Aquarium, to name a few. But I would definitely have to take her to one of my favorite carmel apple stores in the world, Kilwins, in Atlantic Station and one of my favorite places to shop, The Forum in Norcross, Georgia.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We are blessed if we can say that we have people who believe in us and see something in us that we do not. In my career, I have had a few people that always saw the natural leader in me, and just recently two phenomenal women saw the nonprofit leadership I demonstrated and how much it would benefit others. The first one I would like to shout out today is Sandy Reese of Get Fully Funded. We started our relationship years ago. She was our Board Consultant and a Fundraiser Consultant I followed. After working with me on and off for over a decade and understanding my growth, she offered me my very first consulting contractor position.

The other, Mazarine Treyz, drove all the way from Florida to Atlanta to have breakfast with me and encourage me to start a consulting business. I didn’t realize what I had to offer, but by the time she finished with me, I walked away knowing my value and worth.

Without these two, Starting My Nonprofit would not have been a thought and I thank you!

Website: startingmynonprofit.com

Instagram: @startingmynonprofit

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/starting-my-nonprofit/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/startingmynonprofit

Image Credits
Precious T Photography (@precioustphotog)