Protect Your Divine Ideas!

Starting and building a nonprofit is a labor of love, but many founders don’t realize how vulnerable they are until it’s too late. Your vision, intellectual property, and leadership role need protection. Too often, founders pour their heart and soul into an organization, only to be pushed out, silenced, or see their work exploited.

I know this firsthand — it's exactly why I wrote my ebook, “Protect Your Divine Ideas,” to arm founders with the legal and structural tools needed to safeguard their organization and legacy.

The #1 Mistake Founders Make

Many nonprofit founders believe that because they started the organization, their role and influence are protected. That’s not true. Once a nonprofit is established as a legal entity, the board of directors has the ultimate power, and without the right legal safeguards, a founder can be removed from their own organization.

This doesn’t have to happen to you.

Key Strategies to Protect Yourself & Your Nonprofit

Here are three essential steps from my ebook that every nonprofit founder must take:

1. Secure Your Intellectual Property (IP)

If you created program models, curriculums, branding, or proprietary methods, you own that intellectual property, not the nonprofit so...

• Copyright your original works so they remain yours, no matter what.
• Consider trademarking your nonprofit’s name to prevent unauthorized use.
• Use licensing agreements to maintain control while allowing the nonprofit to use your work.

2. Lock in Your Rights with Bylaws

Bylaws dictate how your nonprofit operates. Without specific provisions, your role as a founder can be erased.

• Founder’s Board Seat — Include a clause ensuring you hold a permanent seat on the board.
• Voting Power — Outline clear voting rights so major decisions require your approval.
• Amendment Protections — Ensure bylaw changes that impact you require your consent.

3. Document Everything & Set Boundaries

Paper trails matter! Keep clear documentation of your contributions, agreements, and leadership role.

• Have contracts in place that protect your intellectual property and advisory role.
• Set clear expectations with board members and leadership to avoid power struggles.
• Know your legal rights and be proactive before issues arise.

📖 Want the Full Protection Plan?

My ebook, “Protect Your Divine Ideas,” is a must-read for every nonprofit founder who wants to ensure their vision, leadership, and legacy remain intact.

🔗 https://christinthemystic.gumroad.com/l/divineideas

Inside, you’ll get:

• Step-by-step guides on copyright, trademarks, and board structuring
• Sample bylaws clauses to protect your leadership
• Strategies for founder’s rights & governance
• A blueprint for long-term control & sustainability

Don’t wait until it’s too late! Protect yourself and your organization today.

🚀 Work With Me

If you need personalized guidance on securing your nonprofit, let’s work together!
📩 christin@strategizeme.com

🔹 1:1 Strategy Sessions — Get expert advice on structuring your nonprofit.
🔹 Legal & Governance Coaching — Ensure you have the right protections in place.
🔹 Speaking & Workshops — Book me for in-depth nonprofit training.

Your mission is too important to be left unprotected. Let’s make sure your nonprofit thrives — with YOU at the helm. 💪🏽

Nonprofit Founders Are Unprotected Assets In The Game of Change

Article originally published on December 24, 2021

The world is a better place because of leaders, activists, innovators and visionaries who are the founders of nonprofit organizations. Building a nonprofit is hard, hard work and no one understands how much work it takes to create a thriving, successful organization, except a founder. Yet, there are no laws that protect founders —their intellectual property, their vision or their ability to monetize the very essence that created the nonprofit in the first place. The board can decide that the founder is expendable at anytime and get rid of them — with no cause.

Becoming a founder is a huge risk that many people aren’t willing to take but for the bold ones who do, they should be protected at all costs. This past week, Kimberly Bryant, the founder of Black Girls Code which teaches young girls of color how to code and supports them gaining access to STEM-related fields, was removed as its Executive Director. No one actually knows what happened on the inside but the board released a statement, citing that “serious allegations of workplace impropriety are being investigated.” They appointed an interim Executive Director in the mean time.

Bryant took to Twitter to release her own statement: “Press release: so it’s 3 days before Christmas and you wake up to discover the organization YOU created and built from the ground up has been taken away by a rogue board with no notification.” Unfortunately, this can happen because again, founder’s have no rights and board members outnumber the one founder.

The IRS regulates the structure of nonprofit organizations, making it a requirement to have at least 3 board members and a code of regulations, also referred to as bylaws, that govern the organization. Generally, the bylaws are meant to protect the organization which is good but there are no regulations regarding the relationship between the founder and the board, and there are no provisions for the rights of the founder. Effectively, the board holds an egregious amount of power over the person who built the organization with love and passion.

“…board members were not shooting with the founder in the gym…”

The problem with this reality, in my most relatable analogy, is that board members were not shooting with the founder in the gym, meaning they were not there from the very beginning when the founder had the idea, spent their blood, sweat and tears building something that changes lives, getting next to no sleep creating models, rising extra early to attend meetings that could take their vision to the next level. Founding members come later. Most times, way after the founder has created a structure, a model and has been out in the community doing the work themselves on a grassroots level.

The founder is the person who appoints the original board members and they are usually just people the founder personally knows, maybe because they had a working relationship with them or they are friends and family. You pull people into the organization that you believe support you and your current vision, which may not be that big yet. The only thing you, as a founder, can do at the time is TRUST. You have to trust that the board can grow with your vision. You have to trust that they will support you when needed. You have to trust that they won’t switch up and start believing they are bigger than the work you put in. It’s a dicey game.

I have personal experience with this. I am a nonprofit founder who decided to leave the organization but not without a fight with the board. We had lawyers involved and I was trying to protect my intellectual property and vision from people who had no real clue about my work or vision other than what I told them. Now, how is that fair?

There’s a made up term to describe founders who board members feel overstep their boundaries and are true to their vision despite what others think called “Founder’s Syndrome”. Yet there’s no term to describe an overconfident, brazen but resistant board who marvels in the personal affiliation with the organization without contributing much to its overall success. This could be termed “Board Syndrome” but there’s no need to name call on either side. The point is nonprofit organizations could run just fine without boards. A more effective oversight procedure should be developed. Donors are essentially investors. They are investing in outcomes, the number of people served and the overall organizational success. Founders of for profit companies have a responsibility to their investors but have no one breathing down their necks in the name of a board.

“…building a mission is a soul mission.”

No one but the founder knows how truly successful the organization could become. That’s because building a mission is a soul mission. Founders move from the heart and from their gut. They are the face and the story of the organization, and the reason why donors are compelled to give to the cause. It’s easy to believe otherwise once all the work has been done and the organization is nationally or internationally known. It’s easy to forget the person who made it all happen in the first place when you mistake that success for luck. That’s a danger zone, and can cause the board to deem the founder as nonessential.

It’s a catch 22. You want to do this great societal good for the world but you don’t want to be beholden to people who just might not get what you’re trying to do, so what do you do? In my case and in Bryant’s case and in a whole lot of other nonprofit founders case, you throw the chips up in the air, take the chance because the mission is more important than the players. But where does that leave the person who took all the risk?

It could leave that person, the founder, with nothing. We need Founder’s Rights.

From Spirit to Reality: The Divine Nature of Intellectual Property

 The Intimacy of Intellectual Property

Originally published: May 29, 2024 

Intellectual property (IP) transcends the mere conceptualization of ideas, methods, or processes. It represents an intimate connection with the divine. These ideas and processes exist in an intangible realm until the individual, who receives them, translates and interprets them into a tangible form—whether through a name, words, a sketch, a diagram, or an invention. This transformation is profoundly intimate, requiring one to surrender all preconceived notions and transcend beyond physical senses. It demands letting go and trusting the process. The resulting creation often holds significant value or utility for others, serving humanity in a way that was once only envisioned in the creator’s heart. The tangible outcome is the physical manifestation of the spiritual labor necessary to bring it to fruition.

This intimate process is known as the “Zone of Genius,” defined as the intersection of one's natural talents and enthusiasms. The Zone of Genius is unique to each creator because it revolves around the questions: “What lights YOU up?” and “What are YOU naturally good at?” These questions yield answers that are deeply personal and distinct for each individual, enhancing the intimate nature of intellectual property.

Furthermore, intellectual property is intimate because the intangible embodies spirit, which represents God. IP is about our relationship with the Source, our ability to hear and heed the Source's guidance. It involves slowing down, honoring our energy, and creating the time and space to commune with God. This requires discipline and an open heart to receive messages, insights, and downloads directly from our Creator. The commitment, time, and effort needed to translate divine inspiration into reality are often more than many are willing to invest. For those disconnected from their Zone of Genius and Source, appropriating an existing idea, method, or process may seem easier. This is acceptable if the original creator has granted explicit permission and receives due credit and compensation.

Your work tells a story of conscious evolution that is deeply personal and unique to you. It reflects the journey of receiving divine inspiration and developing it into a physical form to share with others. This journey encompasses prayers, faith, hope, trials, errors, revisions, doubt, perseverance, persistence, and moments of feeling incomplete. It includes periods of setting the work aside, only to return when inspired anew. All these elements are part of the journey toward creating physical evidence of a spiritual assignment uniquely given to you by the Divine.

Your intellectual property is divinely protected from the moment it enters your heart. When you bring it into the physical realm, you have the right to safeguard it with legal protections such as trademarks and copyrights. Your work is divinely protected because it is divinely inspired. The union between you and the Source forms a sacred partnership, and the creation born from this union is cloaked in divine protection. You cannot lose it, nor can it be stolen in a spiritual sense. Any theft will be rectified and returned to you under grace and in perfect ways, in accordance with divine law. The manner in which it is returned is a mystery, but with Spirit involved, it will undoubtedly surpass our understanding, as Spirit works in ways beyond our comprehension.

In conclusion, the journey of intellectual property from the realm of the intangible to the tangible is a profound and intimate process, one that connects us deeply with the divine. It is a testament to our relationship with the Source and our dedication to bringing forth creations that serve humanity. By honoring this sacred process, we protect and cherish the unique gifts given to us. For founders of nonprofit organizations, understanding and safeguarding your intellectual property is crucial to your mission's success and sustainability.

To delve deeper into how you can protect your intellectual property and ensure your creations are safeguarded, I invite you to explore my eBook, "Protect Your Nonprofit." This comprehensive guide is specifically designed for nonprofit founders, providing valuable insights and practical steps to secure your intellectual assets. Equip yourself with the knowledge to protect your ideas and innovations by purchasing your copy today.

Don't leave your hard work unprotected in the physical—take the first step towards safeguarding your intellectual property now.