Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stella Love. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Stella, appreciate you joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later?
Starting a nonprofit comes with its fair share of the unknown and various questions to deal with. Where will we be in 3 years? How will we get the funding to expand our operations? And the list of questions simply never ends. Being a founder of an organization, requires one being comfortable with the uncomfortable. Even if I had the chance to go back in time to change whether I would start sooner or later, I would not change a thing. I’m a true believer that everything is God’s timing. God allows things to happen at the appropriate time. I started Stella Love Non-Profit in March 2021 right before covid-19 began its development into a pandemic. If I had started later or sooner, I probably would not have been able to receive the opportunities that I have so far. The struggles that I faced with this nonprofit through the pandemic and simply getting this organization off the ground definitely were challenging to overcome but made the journey I am embarking on is worth it. I have learned many things about the nonprofit world and about myself and I am grateful to have realized them. The people that I met and continue to meet contribute to the progression of this nonprofit which would not have been possible if I had not started it at the time I did.
Stella , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Stella Love. My name used to be Millicent Branham; however, I recently changed it. I grew up in a small village outside Accra, Ghana and I am the youngest out of 8 siblings. At a young age, I lost both of my parents and had to constantly face trials and tribulations. I know how it feels like to grow without a mom or dad. Flashing forward, I am the CEO of Stella Love Non-Profit and Stella Love Publishing. I got into these businesses because I wanted to make a difference in the world. Losing both of my parents, becoming homeless for a period in my life, and being a single mother has not only put me in situations in which I struggled but also allowed me to gain a perspective about the world that some people will not get unless they experience it for themselves. I am most proud of our nonprofit, Stella Love Non-Profit, whose mission is to provide aid to those who are facing serious issues in today’s world such as single parents, the homeless, the youth, children, and low-income families. At Stella Love Non-Profit, we hope to impact more lives by alleviating the burdens that they face on a daily basis whether that is with food, financial assistance, or simply having a conversation with them about the things they are going through.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
We keep in touch with our clients through emails and phone calls. After every service, we contact the client after two weeks to ask them a series of personalized questions and to see how they are doing. We ask them if we were able to provide them with their needs as well as if there is anything we can do better to ensure we are providing quality services. We encourage them to contact us if they have any questions or concerns that they need to be addressed or if we could possibly give them additional help. Through our client service, our goal is to make them feel welcome and well cared for ensuring that they will look to us for more help in the future.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
Funding a business is one of the hardest things in the nonprofit world to do. I started this nonprofit with my own funds. I wasn’t worried about how fast the funds were going out and if nothing come in or if any funds were to come in. I just wanted to make a difference by giving back to the community, even if I had to use my last $5 to put a smile on someone’s face. If that will make them happy, then I’m also happy too. After a few months of operating and using my own funds, we started receiving grants along with more individual donations and partnerships with other nonprofits. We began our process of applying for grants from large commercial stores and government grants in hopes that they would see our potential in bringing positive change to our community which many stores did by granting us donations of various amounts. Those generous donations allowed us to expand our operations and truly begin spreading our reach to levels.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.iamstellalove.com
- Instagram: iamstellalove
- Facebook: Stella Love
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-love-87a662123/
- Twitter: @StellaLoven
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxk7dxN_IAFbJjkWwYexSEA
- Other: https://www.google.com/maps/place//data=!4m3!3m2!1s0x4cde82a920b28581:0x98026c2b25ff14ba!12e1?source=g.page.m.ia._&laa=nmx-review-solicitation-ia2
Image Credits
The images were taken by Stella Love Non-Profit team memeber.