Welcome to Nonprofit Quotes, your source of inspiration, wisdom, and motivation from the world of nonprofit organizations. In the realm of philanthropy and social impact, words have the power to ignite change, spark action, and drive progress. Whether you’re a seasoned nonprofit leader, a dedicated volunteer, or someone simply curious about the charitable sector, the words spoken and written by those involved in nonprofit work can offer profound insights and encouragement.
Within these pages, you’ll find a curated collection of quotes from visionaries, activists, philanthropists, and everyday heroes who have dedicated their lives to making a difference in the world. From timeless words of wisdom to poignant reflections on the challenges and triumphs of nonprofit work, these quotes encapsulate the spirit of compassion, resilience, and hope that defines the nonprofit sector. Whether you’re seeking inspiration for your next fundraising campaign, looking for guidance on navigating the complexities of social change, or simply in need of a motivational boost, you’ll find something here to uplift and empower you. Get ready to be inspired, uplifted, and motivated as you explore the profound words of wisdom from the nonprofit world below.
My husband and I eventually want to start a nonprofit and call it the Westboro Foundation. It was his idea, and I love it. I would love for Westboro to come to mean something besides ‘God hates gays.’ Megan Phelps-Roper
Some corporations are extremely well managed; some nonprofit organizations are. It has nothing to do with the sector. It has to do with quality of management. Frances Hesselbein
The millennial generation and a growing number of employees are looking for more than just a paycheck. If a nonprofit could make that easy for me, they are doing me a favor. It’s not just a one-way value exchange; it is an internal morale building opportunity. Gerald Chertavian
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In the nonprofit world, the right picture is worth tens of thousands of dollars. I use PhotoPad to sync our Samasource Flickr account to my iPad and slip it out of my purse at cocktail parties to tell our story. Leila Janah
My husband and I adopted our children through a private agency, Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children. As a nonprofit organization, it relies on client fees as well as donor support to do its work. Rumaan Alam
I am in the process of starting a nonprofit organization that gives rescued animals a home in a simulated wild environment and, for those who have been tested on, who are disabled, aggressive, etc., their own space to live out their days. Casey Affleck
The Mozilla Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization. Mitchell Baker
The Silverlake Conservatory is a nonprofit music school in Los Angeles where we teach music, mostly to kids, but to people of all ages – people who are old, people with beards, all kinds of people. Flea
My sorority was filled with amazing, different, accomplished women across all fields. We had athletes, entrepreneurs. We had women who were killing it in the nonprofit world. Skyler Samuels
Increasingly, I’m inspired by entrepreneurs who run nonprofit organizations that fund themselves, or for-profit organizations that achieve social missions while turning a profit. Ethan Zuckerman
If I were not a writer, I would spend more time doing the things that I am already doing, which include doing research in physics, teaching, and running a nonprofit organization with a mission to empower women in Cambodia. Alan Lightman
Last time I checked, private nonprofit organizations have a right and a responsibility to be able to set the highest standards and criteria on their own without interference, let alone the level of vicious attacks and coercion that has occurred by Planned Parenthood. Karen Handel
GO Virginia is a critical tool for spurring innovation and inspiring regional collaboration for economic growth in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Glenn Youngkin
The beauty of having an LLC in today’s world is No. 1, you have the ability to act and react as nimbly as need be to create change, and you have the ability to invest politically, in the for-profit sector and the nonprofit sector simultaneously. Laurene Powell Jobs
I grew up in a nonprofit theater company in the heartland of central California, so I am very aware of the importance that company had not only on my life but my community. Audra McDonald
It’s not so unusual for me to have a week of meetings that includes not only my employees, not only my customers, not only media, but could also include principals of local K-12 schools; it could include non-governmental organizations or nonprofit organizations or members of the community. Marc Benioff
The success of ‘Scrubs’ allowed me to pursue anything I felt passionately about without having to worry about money. It allowed me to spend my summer work shopping my show at a nonprofit theater. Zach Braff
Showers last only 10 minutes, but you can’t do anything else in there but think. The shower is probably the main place I come up with ideas. That’s where I came up with the concept for OneVoice, my nonprofit organization. Daniel Lubetzky
Actively deciding to give to causes that move you deeply is far more fulfilling than the momentary gratification derived from signing a check and mailing it to a nonprofit about which you know little more than what’s on the brochure they sent you. Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen
As the state’s top lawyer, I am empowered to protect nonprofit donors from fraudulent solicitations and charitable assets from misuse. Eric Schneiderman
Reliable numbers about the amount of dirty money around the world are difficult to come by. But according to an estimate by the nonprofit Global Financial Integrity group, $1 trillion vanishes from the developing world’s economies every year. Sri Mulyani Indrawati
While other industries have suffered, the nonprofit arts world continues to build in strength while it encourages the growth of innumerable small businesses on its periphery, thereby creating more jobs. Louise Slaughter
Music is a language and different people who come along are each using that language to do something different, but all coming at it in a similar vein inasmuch as it’s always community based and for the most part nonprofit. Most bands don’t ever come within a mile of profit – clearly these people are not playing music to make money. Ian MacKaye
The question really is, are you improving the world? And you can do that in many models. You can do that in government, you can do that in a nonprofit, and you can do it in commercial enterprise. Jeff Bezos
I did software development for a while, and I also spent several years directing a nonprofit in San Francisco that did computer education for the poor. I also did a lot of work in fast food. David Autor
At the most fundamental level, it is an honor to serve – at whatever type or size of organization you are privileged to lead, whether it is a for-profit or nonprofit. It is an honor to serve. Starting from that foundation, it is important to have a compelling vision and a comprehensive plan. Alan Mulally
I hope telling stories though ‘Making a Difference’ – as in my academic work and nonprofit work – will help me to live my grandmother’s adage of ‘Life is not about what happens to you, but about what you do with what happens to you.’ Chelsea Clinton
As we’ve seen time and again, women and girls who are out there working, they are truly force multipliers, spreading opportunity through their families and communities – and not just by creating programs and nonprofit organizations, not just by hiring other women, but also by serving as role models themselves. Michelle Obama
I actually run a nonprofit that’s all about giving people opportunities to be their own heroes and do their own work. Angelica Ross
In the years after the expedition to Chad, I started the Honnold Foundation, a small nonprofit that was my attempt to do something positive in the world. I sought out projects that both helped the environment and improved peoples’ standards of living. The more I researched, the more I gravitated toward solar. Alex Honnold
Every Mother Counts is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother. We inform, engage, and mobilize audiences to take action and raise funds that support maternal health programs around the world. Christy Turlington
The film ‘Documented,’ a project of the nonprofit and nonpartisan Define American campaign, is about my families: the family I was blessed to be born into, and the family of friends, mentors and allies that I found when I moved to the United States at 12, a Filipino kid trying to make sense of my new home in America. Jose Antonio Vargas
In 2014, I left my job and launched TransTech Social Enterprises, a for-profit and nonprofit hybrid model focusing on the well-being of the trans community, not on external profits for shareholders. Angelica Ross
I’m intrigued by people who make their modest living doing good things for others. Teachers, nonprofit workers, librarians… those are the heroes in our society. George Pelecanos
One thing we’re doing with the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, the nonprofit I direct, is providing financial support to journalists who were formerly middle-class. Alissa Quart
Our philosophy is you need to give nonprofit money for health, nutrition, education, culture, and sports. Carlos Slim
The voice I’ve chosen to turn to is that of NPR. With a reputation for some of the finest journalism in the country, the nonprofit organization is renowned for its unbiased stance – to the point that it’s been accused of being both conservative and liberal. Lynda Resnick
Many on the professional Right owe their livelihoods to a large and growing network of nonprofit donor-funded groups and for-profit consulting and direct marketing companies hired by those groups. Alex Pareene
I felt that one of the things God impressed on me was that I needed to start a nonprofit corporation, so that any money that came my way, whether it was an honorarium, a book sale or a gift, would go into a nonprofit ministry. Anne Graham Lotz
The national nonprofit I founded, ‘KaBOOM!,’ is on a mission to save play for America’s children, and has long been championing the cause in high-need communities. Darell Hammond
I can tell you, because I serve on so many nonprofit boards – where half of us are academics and half of us are from Wall Street – that there’s no CEO who understands at all a derivative. All they know is that somebody tells them in their organization, ‘We’ve got a wonderful profit center.’ Paul Samuelson
EXMNA is a nonprofit that provides support to individuals who have left Islam. Andy Ngo
I basically believe the medical insurance industry should be nonprofit, not profit-making. There is no way a health reform plan will work when it is implemented by an industry that seeks to return money to shareholders instead of using that money to provide health care. Dianne Feinstein
At Warby Parker, we ask ourselves a number of questions when deciding whether or not to partner up with a designer, or a nonprofit or brand. Is the potential collaboration new? Is it unexpected? Will it result in something worth talking about over dinner? Will it do good? Will it introduce us to a new audience? Neil Blumenthal
You can be in a nonprofit organization. You can serve your fellow man in a variety of other ways. You don’t necessarily have to win political office. George P. Bush
I believe we have a responsibility, even if our job is to lead a nonprofit organization, as private citizens to be good citizens and to make our voices heard. Jerry Falwell, Jr.
I started a college campus-based nonprofit in June 2012 called Turning Point U.S.A. to target millennials in college. Our mission was to create a powerful conservative grassroots activist network on campuses and identify, educate, train and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets and limited government. Charlie Kirk
Pfizer’s actually teamed up with my nonprofit organization, which is called Adaptive Action Sports. I cofounded this organization in 2005 to help people with physical disabilities get involved in action sports, go snowboarding, skateboarding. Amy Purdy
I think running a small nonprofit to work on the opioid crisis and bring interesting new businesses to the so-called Rust Belt – all of these things are valuable, if not more valuable, than running for office. J. D. Vance
Impact Day is just one part of the hundreds of thousands of volunteer, pro bono, and professional training hours Deloitte offers to nonprofit organizations nationwide throughout the year. It’s a day to celebrate all we do to make an impact that matters in the communities where we live and work. Cathy Engelbert
Chen Mack has been a leader in saving lives for decades. From helping the uninsured get health care to running the leading diabetes nonprofit foundation in Guam, Chen is relentless in her pursuit to give back. She is passionate about people and about her work in giving the gift of health. Randi Zuckerberg
Future public education will require involvement and collaboration among various local, civic, private and nonprofit entities, a concept I like to refer to as ‘community entrepreneurship.’ Donald Bren
My children have been learning lessons about entrepreneurship since they were in kindergarten, and these lessons are paying off: even though they are only 22, 18, and 15, they have already collectively launched three nonprofit organizations and several new businesses. Naveen Jain
While normal people have to disclose donations directly to a candidate, there is no such transparency on people donating to certain types of nonprofit organizations that can play a major role in our elections. Elissa Slotkin
I went to high school in Ellicott City, Maryland, and I felt pretty ambivalent about the whole thing. It just took time away from my doing things on the Internet – like creating clans in Quake II or starting a Web design nonprofit. In school, I was just a kid. Online, I had authority. Alexis Ohanian
I launched Chefs for Humanity, a national nonprofit, with my voice, heart and money from my own pocket. Money gives you the ability to make a difference in the world and, when used in a positive way, is a lot of fun. Cat Cora
We’ve done education nonprofit through our history, and maybe the profit motive will be helpful. Alan Patricof
I cannot belong to a nonprofit organization because when you receive grants, you have to make such great compromises with your artistic plans. Mikhail Baryshnikov
My go-to gifts are scarves from my friend Matin Maulawizada’s nonprofit organization, Afghan Hands, which supports disenfranchised women in Afghanistan. In exchange for their beautiful embroidery, the women are given financial aid and classes in math and literacy. The scarves are all stunning and one of a kind. Claire Danes
I’ve worked in the military, in business and nonprofit and local government. Bringing people together and getting stuff done in moments of high stress and high stakes. Jake Auchincloss
I’m honored to donate my time as an ambassador for Blue Star Families, the largest nonprofit organization serving active duty service members and their families through chapters in the U.S. Brianna Keilar
In 2011, I started a nonprofit organization, Venture for America, to help bring talented young entrepreneurs to create thousands of jobs in Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Birmingham, Baltimore and other cities around the country. Andrew Yang
Earning high returns isn’t just a matter of bragging rights – endowment income supports the missions of nonprofit institutions, whether education, as with college and universities, or broader social programs, as at many private foundations. James B. Stewart
I never take for granted how lucky I am to be an American and what a privilege it is to spend each day at a nonprofit dedicated to helping the next generation of girls achieve their dreams. My journey, as the daughter of refugees, shows what refugees and the children of refugees can create for all Americans. Reshma Saujani
The Clintons engage routinely in corrupt practices, mixing their political power with their nonprofit work to make themselves rich, while not standing up for the little guy. Mercedes Schlapp
I’m on a lot of nonprofit boards, but if I didn’t enjoy it I wouldn’t do it. I haven’t yet done anything that’s transformational in philanthropy. But I hope at some point to target two or three causes or organizations and really make transformational gifts. David Rubenstein
You tell people that the NFL is a nonprofit entity, and they just start laughing and giggling. But it’s not fair. Jason Chaffetz
Today the Internet is run by private sector interests within the United States under the supervision of a nonprofit entity formed by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Robin Hayes
Volunteering knows no divides and there is equal value in sorting food at the food bank, mentoring school children, and serving on a nonprofit board. Neil Bush
During the week, my days are consumed with school commitments, play-dates and work for Baby Buggy, a nonprofit I started, which collects kids’ gear for parents in need. So on weekends, I look forward to uninterrupted time with my family. Jessica Seinfeld
Under current law volunteers who are not working with an official nonprofit organization are not covered by the Volunteer Protection Act. Therefore, there are absolutely no legal protections for the average American who wishes to volunteer. Jon Porter
Whether we work in the private, public, or nonprofit sectors, International Women’s Day is a time for us to think about how we can all step up and do everything in our power to help women make real economic progress. Belinda Johnson
I am an ambassador for a nonprofit organization and I love being able to help people crush their barriers. I recently wrote a book. I want to do more with my life and help people do more with their lives, whatever that looks like. Mandy Harvey
That’s why it has to be a nonprofit, because a nonprofit is required to take monies it receives and use them for the purposes for which it’s chartered by the government. It can’t be pocketed. Mitch Kapor
If you’re in a city where there’s no clear startup community, the goal is not raise a bunch of money to fund a nonprofit; the goal is not get your government involved. The goal is start finding the other entrepreneurial leaders who are committed to being in your city over the next 20 years. Brad Feld
IRS rules generally prohibit acts of ‘self-dealing,’ in which a charity’s leaders use the nonprofit group’s money to buy things for themselves. David Fahrenthold
No matter what your mission is, have some notion in your head. Forget the model, whether it’s government or nonprofit or profit. Ask yourself the more important question: Is my mission improving the world? Are you sure about it? Seek to disconfirm that all the time. And if you can, change your mission. Jeff Bezos
I am an off-Broadway, nonprofit kind of guy. James Lapine
Philanthropy is often seen as society’s risk capital. That means the onus is on philanthropists, nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs to innovate. But philanthropic innovation is not just about creating something new. It also means applying new thinking to old problems, processes and systems. Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen
