This is where the real work begins.
Just about everyone who starts a nonprofit starts off strong. You’re motivated, ambitious and the genuine desire to help others can now actively play a role. The first order of business – getting donations and grants to fund your nonprofit. This is where most nonprofit organizations struggle.
You approach businesses and organizations to solicit donations to help your cause. You start off by thinking, of course they should donate, it’s for a good cause and to help people who need it.
But then they learn that every other nonprofit organization is out there doing the same thing and now these businesses and organizations are stacked with requests. With a limited budget, they can only select a small percentage of applicants.
This same person who started their nonprofit organization with vigor and optimism now begins to change to frustration and disappointment. This cycle continues until the once goal-driven organization eventually fades away into nonexistence.
InVest USA
But not InVest USA. This nonprofit managed to operate successfully for over 30 years, defying all odds and putting up incredible numbers.
They are one of a few in America to achieve such success as a nonprofit. And best of all, InVest USA serves the law enforcement community.
And it all started inadvertently with Michael Letts 30 years ago. At the time, Letts was a young politician who was surprised to learn that police officers were not issued vests. So he assured the police he would allot a portion of the town budget to purchase and provide vests for police officers.
So to his surprise and shock, his political constituents voted against the purchase, ultimately denying it.
The next day, local media asked Letts for his comments on the vest purchase denial.
“Of course I did what politicians are not supposed to do - you're supposed to think before you speak. I just reacted and said, ‘Well fine if they feel that way about it we’ll raise the money ourselves’. Of course, that was the headline [in the paper] the next day and quite frankly, after 30 years I still can't find an exit strategy,” Letts jokingly said on a recent podcast appearance.
After that, Letts wanted to back his statement up and started the nonprofit organization.
He added, “When we started in 1993 52% of officers across the country had no protection at all. We got that down to 19%.”
When InVest USA started, they provided concealable vests to law enforcement officers. With the increase in violent crime, especially against law enforcement officers, their focus has shifted to also providing bullet proof vests that can withstand higher caliber bullets.
“This mission has expanded and evolved over the years to not only ensuring that every first responder has the necessary protective gear to enable them to come home safely to their families after putting themselves in harms way to protect our freedom, liberties, and values that keep our communities as safe havens and beacons of hope, but to serve as a voice for these American Heroes,” the InVest USA website says.
It added, “That voice ranges from telling their sacrifices to ensure our protection, to their needs for judicial reform to protect us all, their equipment updates and needs to enable better job performance, the history of their struggles and success, and the need to provide greater care for the affects of the job.....PTSD and the consequences they suffer.”
Despite being one of the longest running nonprofit organizations in America, they continue to grow and expand. Other long-running nonprofits find a working system and stick with it.
But InVest USA now provide vests for other first responders and have even crossed international waters to provide vests.
With the incredible leadership behind it all with Michael Letts, there is no end in sight and there is no barrier he cannot overcome.
And you can be a part of it all by visiting their website and donating to Invest USA. It could save an officer’s life.
Michael Letts is the author of Truth, Lies and Control: Finding Hope in an Upside-Down World. Preorder your copy on Amazon today!
To learn more about Michael Letts, go to michaelletts.us and to learn more about his nonprofit organization InVestUSA, which provides free vests to first responders, visit investusa.org.
Read the full history of InVest USA with Michael Letts by clicking HERE.
