My Nonprofit Reviews
JennR
Review for National Novel Writing Month, Berkeley, CA, USA
OLL sponsors NaNoWriMo--National Novel Writing Month--every November. It is a free program that motivates writers to reach the goal of writing 50,000 words in a novel in thirty days. It is a true non-profit--they are not out to get you in any way. They request donations, but you can have all the perks of participating without giving them a dime.
At first I thought this program was too good to be true. Then I thought maybe they were just crazy nerds that I wouldn't fit in with. The staff is quirky, witty, fun, and zany at times, but they are the type of spontaneous, motivating people that I know I would want to be friends with in person.
Also as a true non-profit, OLL exists to better society. All of their programs are to reach that goal.
About asking for donations, as a participant it was highly encouraged, but I never found hounded. They were always honest, upbeat, and very grateful about their fund raising goals which was very refreshing.
More Feedback
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
Participating in NaNoWriMo made me achieve a creative goal that was bigger than anything I have ever done before in my life. That success has made me more open about this part of my personality and encouraging to other to reach for and actually get to their dreams. OLL has made me a better person, friend, community member, citizen, and human being.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
The only thing I can think of is that they have a clearer message in their FAQ that there is no charge to participate. It seemed too good to be true that I was skeptical at first but was very pleased when I found out that they were legit.
