How Freelance Work Helps Me Run My Nonprofit

I was working full time and raising three children with my husband when I discovered a way I could give back to the world. This concept played to my strengths of bringing people together and would help provide food to people who were struggling with this basic need. Although we had a busy life and most likely already had too much on our plate, this thought continually played in my mind.

I’ll keep a long story short, but one evening I decided to stop thinking about it and to actually do it. The nonprofit Souper Heroes was born.

Our mission is to have fun with food and community while providing for those who don’t have either through once-a-month community events involving—you guessed it—soup!

I believe gratefulness is the beginning of joy, and Souper Heroes events allow people to slow down, come together, and realize through the simplicity of homemade soup, fresh bread, and smiling faces that there is so much to be thankful for.

It allows for the joy to overflow into giving back into our Donation Slow Cooker whatever diners are led and able to contribute. Souper Heroes then passes those donations along to local agencies in the hunger-relief system. Everybody wins.

So, what do you do when you have a desire to shift gears and start a nonprofit, but you want some freedom to go at a pace that accommodates your family’s needs too? You freelance!

Freelance Work Is Flexible

Once I figured out how much time I needed to run this new nonprofit and how much time I needed to run our family, I was then able to figure out how much time that left me for freelancing.

With that knowledge, I worked with Don’t Panic Management to find a client who would benefit from my skills and available hours. When you find the right match, everybody wins (just like my nonprofit!).

It Keeps Me Up-to-Date

Working with a freelance team helps keep me up-to-date on trends or tools that can help my nonprofit grow. Discussion in our virtual office reveals what is working or not working for our particular clients in social media, content marketing, and community management—all areas that are critical to the growth of Souper Heroes. My nonprofit has benefitted from these discussions by leading me to tools I would not have discovered on my own.

It Takes the Pressure Off

Launching a nonprofit while raising three kids and working full-time was chaotic to say the least, and wasn’t sustainable for very long. But while I wanted to dedicate more energy to Souper Heroes, quitting my job was not a feasible option. I’d still like to put those three kids through college, after all. I needed a different answer.

Freelancing has been that answer. The nonprofit grows at a pace I am comfortable with without risking my family’s well-being. I can take on as much or as little work as I need to at any given time to help meet my family’s financial goals or devote more time to growing my nonprofit.

Souper Heroes is in its fourth season and going strong. Because of the support freelance work gives our family, we have provided over 60,000 meals to help support others. Like I said, Everybody Wins!