Launching a new company is certainly no easy feat, yet what often isn’t realized is that nonprofits take just as much time and energy to bring to fruition. Now, having launched two nonprofits, and most recently, launching the FAT Brands Foundation in 2022, I have navigated the triumphs and challenges that come with finding your place in the nonprofit world. While every path is different, these five key ingredients can help set you up for success.
Develop a Framework
It is important to find your own voice and place amongst other nonprofits. Research other organizations and determine where you can fill a void. FAT Brands’ 18 concepts are all heavily involved in their own local communities and rather than take away from that, we saw an opportunity to amplify. Many of our brands have regular nonprofits they work with and, as a result, the foundation was created to be brand agnostic to allow us to cast a wide net and support all different types of causes in our communities.
Form a Diverse Board
While you want your board to be like-minded when it comes to the values and mission of a foundation, skillsets are quite the opposite. Form a board with individuals from all different backgrounds and perspectives. When launching a foundation, it is these very viewpoints that will be key in shaping the future and success of the foundation. The experience is vast on our board, including expertise in marketing, sales, communications, finance and HR. Each board member brings something unique to the table that we can lean into in order to make the greatest impact in the communities in which we operate. That said, launching a foundation is challenging— it is crucial to accept that extra support and embrace it. Recently, we formed sub-committees for added support in areas such as events and fundraising, which has fostered new initiatives along with involving more FAT Brands employees.
Stand Behind Your Identity
As a nonprofit in the restaurant industry, it is natural for us to support food and hospitality related nonprofits. While we certainly stand behind these causes, the foundation was set on having a broader impact in our communities to support other initiatives such as health, youth enrichment, homelessness and more. The mission we landed on was to partner with local organizations that provide essential programs to help families and communities thrive. From day one, this mission has been a guiding tool in how we approach our grant-giving. We have clear evaluation parameters such as an organization’s overall community impact and how they align with our mission and vision and have never wavered from this in our two years of giving. Last year, 76 percent of grant applicants who met our submission criteria and goals were awarded a grant. Standing behind your identity is key in establishing your reputation and purpose in the nonprofit space
Build Your Name
In the U.S. alone there are over two million nonprofits, all with worthy causes and fighting for funding just like you. The key to standing out is to continually build awareness, whether that is speaking at conferences or events, volunteering and networking with the nonprofits you support and, of course, fundraising. While we have brand affinity from FAT Brands, we still need to continue to find ways to stand out among other organizations. We have hosted one-of-a-kind silent auctions which have included unique items spanning from sports memorabilia to a once in a lifetime flight on a fighter jet, all thanks to our network of partners who firmly believe in what we have built. We have also aligned ourselves with causes right in our own backyard, such as the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. From being on the front lines handing out food to first responders and those displaced from their homes to helping provide donations to those who were impacted by the devastation; this was a time to rally in our community and show why the FAT Brands Foundation was created.
Be Authentic
While this sounds simple, this can often get lost as foundations continue to grow. Never lose sight of why your nonprofit was formed and its mission. Your community needs to believe in you and support what you do year after year and see the tangible impact your organization is making. If you stray away from who you are and seem disconnected from the causes you back, that is when you will see a decline in donor support.
Operating a nonprofit in the restaurant world is incredibly rewarding. There is no community that is as supportive as the restaurant space, and each day we learn and grow as a nonprofit. Every recipe for success is different, but if you have the right ingredients in place, your impact will be felt.
Jessica Wiederhorn serves as the President of the FAT Brands Foundation which was created in 2022 to uplift and unite the communities in which FAT Brands operates. Since launching, the foundation has supported 120 nonprofits across 24 states and Washington D.C. Jessica also created the Non-Traditional Division at FAT Brands, spearheading growth at specialty venues including colleges, casinos, amusement parks and more.
