Can my organization get started for $0 out of pocket?

Summary:

Probably not. It takes elbow grease, shoe leather, and persistence.

"Andrew" wrote to Nonprofit (see http://www.rain.org/mailman/listinfo/nonprofit) on May 14, 2004, to ask:
Hello. I know that this is frowned upon, but I have a new charity with $0
so I was hoping that one of you knew a fundraising firm that takes a
percentage of donations instead of paying them outright.

Channing Hillway, Ph.D., of
Aristarcus Communication in Oak View, California, replied on May 15:
Okay, let's just dispense with the pabulum.

Here's the deal. You need to recruit a steering committee of people in
your community who care enough about what you're doing to navigate within
the community to raise some dollars. That's where most of your money will
come from. To get a better handle on this, go to two pages Tony Poderis' web
site: http://www.raise-funds.com/9truths.html and
http://www.raise-funds.com/a98forum.html. That's where to start.

Forget about professional fundraisers for the foreseeable future. Forget
about grants. It's walking around the community, making appointments, going
to see people, developing a professional presentation and practiciing it,
and it's maintaining a business-like approach throughout.

If you're not ready to do that, and if there is no support for your idea
in the community, then you must ask yourself why you're bothering with the
enterprise.