There’s a certain romance in the idea of changing the world.

People cheer you on. They tell you you're doing something noble, something needed. They say things like “You're going to make a real difference,” and “I admire what you’re doing.” But what they don’t always see—what few truly understand—is what it costs to build something from nothing. The sleepless nights. The self-doubt. The endless forms, meetings, and emails. The waiting. The worrying. The moments where you’re standing in a room full of people and still feel completely alone.

Starting a nonprofit isn’t just a mission. It’s a war of attrition. And only the stubborn survive.

At the heart of every nonprofit is a vision—a belief that the world can be better. For me, that belief comes from seeing just how broken our systems truly are. I see the gaps. I see the patterns. I see how help is often delayed, mismanaged, or never truly designed to lift people out for good. But more than that—I see the solution. I can picture it. I’ve dreamed of what it looks like when we stop patching problems and start building real foundations. People experiencing homelessness don’t need more temporary fixes. They need opportunity. They need dignity. They need a path forward. That’s what we’re building.

That belief became The True Nation Project—a community-based initiative to teach, rebuild, uplift, and empower people experiencing homelessness. But belief alone doesn’t build a program. It doesn’t fill out tax forms. It doesn’t open a bank account. It doesn’t create trust with donors. That’s where the real work begins.

There’s nothing sexy about nonprofit paperwork. It’s not inspiring to talk about bylaws, incorporation documents, IRS tax-exempt applications, or compliance regulations. But these things are the skeleton of a dream.

If you’ve ever tried to launch a nonprofit, you know the mountain of forms waiting to bury you alive. Each one is packed with legal jargon, technical requirements, and long waiting periods. And the process doesn’t stop once you're filed—it starts there. From accounting and banking to donation platforms and insurance, every step requires patience, persistence, and usually, money you don’t yet have.

But the paperwork isn’t even the hardest part.

The biggest challenge of all? Getting people to believe in something that doesn’t exist yet.

When you're starting out, you're asking people to trust not just your idea, but you. You're saying: “I have a vision. I need you to believe in it before you see it.” That’s hard. Especially when the world is full of scams and skepticism. Especially when you don't have big-name sponsors or a fancy office or glossy photos of success stories (yet).

You're not selling a product. You're selling hope. And hope is a hard sell.

So, you pour your soul into it. You build the website. You write the articles. You design the social posts. You hold the meetings. You make the calls. You network, you pitch, you revise. You learn as you go. And still, most days, it feels like you're yelling into the void, hoping someone hears you.

One of the hardest truths in this work is that you cannot do it alone. You can dream alone. You can start alone. But building something that lasts? That takes a team.

Not just any team—a team that believes in the mission as much as you do. A team that will work without pay, without recognition, without guarantees. A team that understands this is not just charity—it’s revolution.

When you find people like that, hold onto them. They are rare. They are gold. And if you haven’t found them yet, don’t stop looking. Because your dream deserves backup.

Some of the most successful nonprofits in the world started with little more than passion and persistence:

• Charity: Water began because one man, Scott Harrison, decided to turn his birthday into a fundraiser. Today, they’ve raised over $750 million.

• To Write Love On Her Arms started as a blog post and a MySpace fundraiser. It’s now a global mental health movement.

• Habitat for Humanity started as a small community project on a farm in Georgia. Now it operates in all 50 states and over 70 countries.

What do they all have in common? They didn’t start big. They started real. And they never stopped.

Right now, The True Nation Project is in its most critical stage. We’ve incorporated. We’ve launched our website. We’ve connected donation platforms. We’re spreading our message on social media, reaching new people every day. And we’re preparing for our first full board meeting since incorporation—a major milestone as we lay the groundwork to move forward with full executive authority.

We’ve received our first donations. We’ve built momentum. But we need help to keep going.

We’re building the first community—one where people experiencing homelessness don’t just get a bed; they get a purpose. Where they don’t just receive help; they become empowered. We’re not just serving people. We’re inviting them to help build the solution.