Brown Girl Enterprises: Durham women help others establish nonprofit organizations
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- The pandemic has shifted focus for a lot of people in our state, with many deciding that helping others through nonprofit work is where they want to be. However, desire alone is not always enough to start your own organization. There can be numerous pitfalls along the way.
To help, two Durham women have combined their skills to create a one-of-a-kind consulting company, Brown Girl Enterprises LLC.
As nonprofit management experts, Lynn Douglas and Gabrielle Scott know how difficult it can be to begin the nonprofit journey alone. That's why, during the pandemic, they formed their business to assist those interested in both establishing a nonprofit organization and increasing effective skillsets in nonprofit management.
"The nonprofit consulting work that we do is important to us because we want to see everybody win," Douglas said. "As graduates of North Carolina Central University, the motto of 'Truth & Service' was ingrained in us from a very young age, and we have continued to foster that sense of community ever since."
It was that sense of community that lead the pair to dive into nonprofit work years ago. However, they quickly realized that there was a lack of resources readily available for aspiring nonprofit leaders. Leaning on one another, they were able to work through their obstacles and find success. Now, they want to remove those barriers for others, especially in minority communities.
"The work we do with Brown Girl Enterprises is truly about pouring into aspiring nonprofit leaders, specifically in the Black community. As growing nonprofit leaders ourselves, Lynn and I found ourselves (once) faced with situations that we had no prior knowledge of," Scott said.
Scott said that she believes that finding affordable mentorship and financial resources are among the top challenges most face early on. So, the pair stands ready to assist with the research, attention to detail, organizational management, and content creation to help their clients realize a vision of serving others.
"We're just trying to pass it forward," Scott said. "Help other people to not go through the things we went through."
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Brown Girl Enterprise LLC works to not only break down the access barrier but also empower "everyday people" who may think their ideas are too big. It helps people realize that what they want to do is attainable and very necessary.
"We're showing little black and brown children who look like us that there are no limits, and during these unprecedented times, we need that level of positivity," Douglas said.
Additionally, Douglas said launching the business at a time when a Black woman is vice president-elect of the nation is an added inspiration.
"This is a country of possibilities," she said. "So we can make anything possible that we want to make possible, as long as we put our minds to it and we carry ourselves in good character."
To learn more about Brown Girl Enterprise LLC, click here.
