A non-profit organization is a group organized for purposes other than generating profit and in which no part of the organization’s income is distributed to its members, directors, or officers. The fact that an organization is considered to be a non-profit does not in any way mean that the organization can never make money. As a matter of fact, most non-profit organizations have revenue-generating ventures established for the sole purpose of supporting their cause.

Even though non-profit organizations are allowed by law to run a profit-making business venture, but there may be constraints to the extent to which they can generate excess revenue and even make use of the excess revenue being generated. If you live in a small town and you are looking towards starting a nonprofit organization, here are some nonprofit ideas you can choose from.

What are the Best Non-Profit Business ideas?

1. Open a Food Bank

If there is one nonprofit organization that is highly needed in a small town, a small town where people are living below the poverty line, then a food bank should be it. A food bank is a non-profit establishment that collects and distributes food to hunger-relief charities.

Food banks play a major role in the food aid sector by distributing donated and purchased groceries directly to food-insecure families. The public health implications of food insecurity are significant hence the need for food banks in small towns that are living below the poverty line.

  1. Open a Community Museum

The fact that most small towns have heritages that should be preserved for coming generations means that opening a community museum should come in handy when sourcing for a non-profit organization in a small town. A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development. They are a storehouse of old artifacts, sculptures, objects, history, etc.

  1. Start a Theatre Group

Another superb nonprofit organization idea that you can start in a small town is a theatre group. The truth is that small towns hold dear their culture and they communicate the culture through groups like theatre groups. Starting a theatre group is more than just starting a nonprofit organization. You are creating a family that spreads their love to others through performing.

  1. Open a Free Community School

It is not abnormal for some small towns not to have a community school, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries. So, if you are looking towards starting a nonprofit organization in a small town, then one of your best options is to open a free community school. Trust me, if you know how to reach out to donors, you can easily secure enough funds that will help you run the school seamlessly.

  1. Start a Transitional Housing Scheme

Another nonprofit organization idea you should consider for a small town is a transitional housing scheme for veterans and the homeless. Transitional housing is temporary housing for certain segments of the homeless population, including working homeless people who are earning too little money to afford long-term housing. Transitional housing is set up to transition residents into permanent housing. It is not in an emergency homeless shelter, but usually a room or apartment in a residence with support services.

  1. Open a Religious Center

A religious center is yet another nonprofit organization that you can start in a small town. A religious center is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. Please note that religious centers could be temples, churches, mosques, gurdwaras, and synagogues.

  1. Start a Literary Organizations

Another nonprofit business idea that is suitable for a small town is a literary organization. This idea is suitable for a small town that is known to have robust literature, history, and heritage. A literary society is a group of people interested in literature.

In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote a genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies promote research, publish newsletters, and hold meetings where findings can be presented and discussed.

  1. Open a Science and Technology Park or Hub

Similar to opening a museum is opening a science and technology park or hub. A science and technology park is an organization managed by specialized professionals, whose main aim is to increase the wealth of its community by promoting the culture of innovation and the competitiveness of its associated businesses and knowledge-based institutions. Science and technology parks provide locations that foster innovation, development, and commercialization of technology.

  1. Start a Social Welfare Organization

Another suitable nonprofit organization that you should consider starting in a small town is a social welfare organization. Social welfare organizations include an organization that tries to encourage industrial development and relieve unemployment in an area by making loans to businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs.

  1. Start a Farm Bureau

It is common to find residents of small towns engage in farming activities hence, one of the most suitable nonprofit ideas that you can start in a small town is a farm bureau. The farm bureau supports farmers and ranchers and advocates for a safe and affordable food supply.

Members create and shape the organization’s position on policy, and organization leadership works to implement the policy to benefit the community agriculture industry. Please note that farm bureaus are funded by gifts from individuals, county and state farm bureaus.

  1. Start a Trade Association

Just like the farm bureau, another similar nonprofit organization that you can start in a small town is a trade association. A Trade Association is a not-for-profit organization made up of a collection of companies and/or individuals with common interests or who work in the same industry.

They act as a representative body for the industry they represent, putting forward the collective view and position of its members. Please note that trade associations are funded by gifts from individuals, county and state governments, corporations, and foundations.

  1. Start a Social Club

Another nonprofit organization idea that you can start in a small town is a social club (country clubs, fraternities, and sororities et al). A social club may be a group generally formed around a common interest, occupation, or activity. Running a social club is akin to running a social enterprise and it means that you will be interested in organizing events that accommodate the social life of your members.

  1. Start a Veterans’ Service Organization

It is normal for retired armed forces men and women to move to small towns to enjoy their retirement hence starting a veterans’ service organization in a small town is a good nonprofit idea to start in a small town. A veterans’ organization, also known as ex-service organization, is an organization composed of persons who served in a country’s armed forces, especially those who served in the armed forces during a period of war.

Veteran service organizations can assist veterans and their families in many ways, including answering questions, advising, and educating individuals and groups on what benefits are available from federal, state, county, and local resources. assisting persons in completing and filing benefit claims.

  1. Start a Book Club

Another nonprofit organization idea that you should consider starting in a small town is a book club. A book club is all about a group of people coming together to discuss a book or books that they have read or the books they are currently reading. One of the importance of this is the fact that it helps to promote the culture of reading and exercising the brain at all times.

  1. Legal Support Group

If you are a legal practitioner and you intend to start a nonprofit organization in a small town, then one of your best options is to start a legal support group for the less privileged. A legal support group offers pro bono services to people who cannot afford to hire an attorney.

  1. Start a Fund-Raising Organization

Another nonprofit organization that you can start in a small town is a fundraising organization. Fundraising organizations are involved in gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Even though fundraising refers to efforts to gather money for non-profit organizations, it is sometimes used to refer to the identification and solicitation of capital for for-profit enterprises.

  1. Start a Cancer Foundation

Cancer is a terminal illness that has come to stay in our world, and people in small towns might not have all the required information or support structure that will help them fight against cancer. So, if you are looking towards starting a nonprofit organization in a small town, then you should consider starting a cancer foundation. Cancer Foundation is an organization dedicated to reducing the incidence of cancer and ensuring the best cancer care for everyone in the town.

  1. Start Homeless Shelter Scheme

Another nonprofit organization idea that you can start in a small town is a homeless shelter scheme. Homeless shelters are a type of homeless service that provides temporary residence for homeless individuals and families.

Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community. They are similar to, but distinguishable from, various types of emergency shelters which are typically operated for specific circumstances and populations.

  1. Start Animal Shelter Scheme

If you are a lover of animals and you are looking for a nonprofit idea to start in a small town, then one of your best options is to start an animal shelter scheme. An animal shelter or pound is a place that stray, lost, abandoned, or surrendered animals, mostly dogs and cats and sometimes sick or wounded wildlife, are kept and rehabilitated.

  1. Start a Sickle Cell Foundation

Similar to starting a cancer foundation is starting a sickle cell foundation. Trust me, this is one of the nonprofit ideas that is highly needed in a small town. A sickle cell foundation aims to promote, fund, and carry out worthwhile research into various aspects of sickle cell disorder.

  1. Start a Community Pet Club

Another nonprofit organization idea you can start in a small town, in a town that has high demography of pet owners is a community pet club. Trust me, there are loads of benefits community pet clubs can offer to their members.

As a member of a pet club, you can save hundreds of dollars a year on routine healthcare for your pet, you will get valuable information that will help you properly care for your pet, and you can easily leverage the group to make money from your pet. Pet clubs usually provide top-quality preventative care (vaccinations, worming, and flea control) for your pet while spreading the cost across its members.

  1. Build and Operate a Civic Center

You will agree with me that most small towns need civic centers hence if you are looking towards starting a nonprofit in a small town, then one of your best options is to build a civic center. This idea is suitable if the community doesn’t have an existing civic center.

A civic center is a network of spaces or buildings that provide essential services to a city or town. It can include everything from government offices and public meeting spaces to free classes and memorials honoring important members of the community.

  1. Open a Community Thrift Store

It is normal to find people with low income living in a small town, hence a thrift store comes in handy here. A thrift store is simply a store where fairly used goods and, in some cases, new goods are sold at giveaway prices and part of the income used for a charity cause.

  1. Start a Support Group for People with Disability

Another nonprofit organization idea you can start in a small town is a support group for people with disabilities. Support groups for the disabled are run by individuals who either have a specific disease or condition or have experience as a counselor who has worked with these individuals.

A support group for people with disabilities provides an opportunity for people to share personal experiences and feelings, coping strategies, or firsthand information about diseases or treatments.

  1. Become a Climate Change Advocate

Starting an organization that focuses on advocating for climate change and going green is yet another pretty good nonprofit idea you can start in a small town. No doubt several advocacy groups encourage people to help save our world.

There are campaigns on both local and international levels geared towards promoting the need for everybody to go green. Aspiring entrepreneurs are encouraged to go green when it comes to choosing a business idea to pursue.

  1. Start a Tree Planting Campaign

If you live in a small town that engages in cutting down trees or a small town that is exposed to deforestation, then one of the best nonprofit ideas you can start is a tree-planting campaign group. Tree planting campaign groups encourage people to plant at least a tree in their lifetime. You can partner with schools and the municipal government of your town to achieve your overall goal.

  1. Start a Clean Sea Advocacy Group

If you live in a coastal town, one of the best nonprofit ideas you can start is a clean sea advocacy group. You will agree with me that loads of unhealthy waste are dumped in our seas and as a result of that, most of the aquatic animals in the sea die prematurely. To stop this trend, groups such as clean sea advocacy are leading the campaign. You can join them by starting a small group in your community that promotes this cause.

  1. Start Compulsory Education Advocacy Group

Another worthwhile nonprofit idea you can start in a small town is compulsory education advocacy group. Trust me, the number of out-of-school children is on the increase in small towns, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries.

One of the ways to reverse this trend is to encourage compulsory education advocacy groups. Trust me, loads of donors are willing to support this cause. Compulsory education advocacy groups supply free books and stationery, free bags, and even pay schools for pupils and give out scholarships.

  1. Open an Orphanage

The tendencies for children to be abandoned or to lose their parents can’t be ruled out hence the need for orphanages. So, if you are looking towards starting a nonprofit organization in a small town, then one of your best options is to open an orphanage.

An orphanage is a residential institution, or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and other children who were separated from their biological families. You can be rest assured that there are loads of donors who will support you if you start an orphanage in a small town.

  1. Open a Drug Rehab Center

Another good nonprofit organization that you can start in a small town especially in a small town that is notorious for drug addiction is a drug rehab center. There are also high-end niches that have emerged especially for celebrities and figure personalities such as internet addiction, sex addiction, nicotine addiction, and problem gamblers. Also, some of these facilities are diversifying into treating those with eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress for war veterans.

  1. Open a Foster Home

Opening a foster home is yet another nonprofit organization idea that you can start in a small town. A foster home is a residential institution that provides care and guardianship for children whose parents are dead or unable to take care of them. If you think you have flair and you are trained for helping such children, then you should consider starting a foster home in your city.

  1. Open a Halfway House for Inmates

A good nonprofit idea that you can start in a small town is a halfway house for inmates. Halfway houses are called “halfway houses” due to their being halfway between completely independent living and in-patient or correctional facilities, where residents are highly restricted in their behavior and freedoms.

The primary focus of halfway houses is to help reformed convicts gain self-sufficiency and to treat those with mental disorders. Many halfway houses offer drug or alcohol addiction treatment, and it is also common for those who have already received addiction treatment to be accepted into a halfway house.

  1. Start a Not-For-Profit Group Home

Starting a not-for-profit group home is a good nonprofit idea you can start in a small town. A group home is a private residence for the elderly, children, or young people who cannot live with their families due to certain reasons. The term group home refers to homes of 8 to 16 individuals, which was the state-mandated size during deinstitutionalization.

  1. Start a Not-For-Profit School for the Blind

Another nonprofit business idea you can start in a small town is to open a not-for-profit school for the blind. Trust me, there are loads of visually impaired people who can’t afford education and would usually embrace free education. If you have to capacity to kick start this noble institution, you will get support from government, corporate organizations, and private individuals.

  1. Start a Not-For-Profit School for Deaf and Dumb

It is not uncommon to find families leaving their wards that are deaf and dumb to their fate, especially in small towns. So, you will do them a whole lot of good if you can open a not-for-profit school for deaf and dumb people.

  1. Start a Community Soccer Club for Teens

Another nonprofit organization idea you should start in a small town is a community soccer club for teens. Aside from the fact that a community soccer club for teens will help prepare some of the teens to play professional football, it will also engage them in a worthwhile activity and equally keep them away from crime.

  1. Start a Community Basketball Club for Teens

Similar to starting a community soccer club for teens is starting a community basketball club for teens. Trust me, loads of teens would want to enroll in your basketball club especially when they know that it is free. You can generate the funds needed to run your basketball club from donors within and outside your community.

  1. Start a Community Athletic Club for Teens

Similar to starting a community soccer club or basketball club for teens is starting a community athletic club. Trust me, loads of teens would want to enroll in your athletic club especially when they know that it is free. You can generate the funds needed to run your athletic club from donors within and outside your community.

  1. Free Apartment Overhaul for the Elderly

There are loads of elderly people who are living in dilapidated apartments because they can’t revamp their apartments. If you have the finance and connections, you should consider starting a free apartment overhauling scheme for the elderly in your small town.

You don’t have to do many at the same time, you can even start with overhauling one apartment bi-annually or yearly and keep growing the nonprofit until you can generate enough funds to carry out multiple projects at the same time.

  1. Free Furniture Repair for the Elderly

Another worthy nonprofit idea you can start in a small town is free furniture repair for the elderly. This idea is highly suitable if you own a carpentry workshop or if you are just interested in making sure that the elderly have comfortable furniture in their homes. You don’t need to use your money to fund this nonprofit idea because there are people who will be willing to donate to this cause.

  1. Free Eye Check and Glasses

You must have come across nonprofit organizations offering free eye checks and glasses in some communities. The truth is that no one should be permitted to go blind just because they don’t have the required finance to go to the hospital. So, if you are interested in starting a nonprofit organization in a small town, then you should consider starting a nonprofit that offers free eye checks and glasses to people in small communities.

  1. Free Medical Checkup and Treatment

Similar to starting a nonprofit organization that offers free eye checks and glasses is starting a nonprofit organization that offers free medical checkups for the less privileged in a small town. You will be shocked to note that there are people in small towns who have never gone to the hospital, they would rather self-medicate because they don’t have the money to go to the hospital. This is why a nonprofit organization that offers free medical checkups and treatment is needed in a small town.

  1. Start Safe and Clean Environment Advocacy Group

A good nonprofit idea you should consider starting in a small town is a safe and clean environment advocacy group. Your organization will encourage people in the community to engage in practices that help keep the community clean and safe.

Safe and clean environment advocacy groups usually engage in cleaning gutters and drainages, providing wastebaskets and installing them in strategic spots in the community, and also organize lectures to sensitize people in the community on the benefits of keeping their community clean.

  1. Start a No Teen Pregnancy and Underage Marriage Advocacy Group

If you live in underdeveloped or developing countries, you will agree that teen pregnancy and underage marriage are common. So, if you live in such an environment, then you should consider starting a no teen pregnancy and underage marriage advocacy group.

You can take your campaigns to schools, churches, and other religious centers that will support your course. Please note that this is a sensitive issue hence you must work with wisdom when carrying out your campaign.

  1. Start a Pro-Life Advocacy Group

Another nonprofit organization that you can start in a small town is a pro-life advocacy group (anti-abortion advocacy group). The United States anti-abortion movement (also called the pro-life movement or right-to-life movement) contains elements opposing induced abortion on both moral and religious grounds and supports its legal prohibition or restriction. Interestingly, there are people who are opposed to such a group hence you must be well-equipped with the right argument to be able to run a pro-life advocacy group.

  1. Organize Award Events

One of the ways to encourage people who are contributing to the community is to give them awards of merit and this is one idea that a nonprofit organization can leverage on. In essence, if you are looking for a good nonprofit idea to start in a small town, then you should consider organizing events that give out awards to illustrious sons and daughters of the town who have contributed positively to building the town. There are several nonprofit organizations that are involved in giving awards to people and Noble Peace Prize readily comes to mind.

  1. Start a Vaccine Advocacy Group

With the advent of the deadly coronavirus, people have become skeptical of vaccines due to loads of contrary information out there. So, there is no better time to start a nonprofit group that is involved in advocacy for vaccines. If you live in a small town and you are looking towards starting a nonprofit, then you should consider starting a vaccine advocacy group.

  1. Start Health Living Advocacy Group

Another worthy nonprofit idea that you can start in a small town is a healthy living advocacy group. Trust me, there are loads of people who wouldn’t have died young if they are exposed to information that will make them live healthily and this is where healthy living advocacy comes in. Paying attention to what you eat, being physically active, and learning more about your food and yourself can help you meet your health goals.

  1. Start a Vegan Society

A good nonprofit organization idea that you can start in a small town is a vegan society. The Vegan Society provides information on all aspects of vegan living. The Vegan Society also offers tools for activists such as free leaflets, as well as advice on effective outreach.

The Vegan Society campaigns on multiple issues. Current campaigns involve improving hospital catering and their ‘Grow Green’ campaign, whereby farmers are incentivized to move from animal farming towards planting protein crops.

  1. Start a Safe Sex Advocacy Group

Lastly, another nonprofit organization idea that you can start in a small town is a safe sex advocacy group. Safe sex advocacy groups campaign against unsafe sex, they encourage people to have only one sex partner and shun having multiple sex partners. They distribute condoms and contraceptives, especially to commercial sex works. They organize seminars and roadshows to sensitize the public on the benefits of safe sex.