What a Founder at Parichute Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Startup Industry
Kyle, Founder at Parichute, learned that success is "so relative" in the nonprofit sector, with vastly different fundraising goals among partners, requiring a nuanced perspective beyond simple key performance indicators (KPIs). The most impactful lessons learned involved adapting to setbacks, viewing even small wins as significant ("if you raise $20 and that $20 can provide warm cooked meals for a child for that entire week, I'm gonna count that as a win"), and avoiding comparisons between different partners or organizations.
Achieving Goals, Overcoming Challenges, Resilience, Industry Realities, Practical
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kyle Crognale
Founder
Parichute
Kent State University, 2017
N/A
Creative Writing, Journalism
Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking, Advertising, Communications & Marketing
Entrepreneurship and Business Owner
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Greek Life Member, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Success is relative and depends on individual goals and circumstances. What constitutes success for one nonprofit partner (e.g., raising \$5,000) might be considered a failure for another (e.g., aiming for \$500,000).
2. While Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are important for business success, especially in startups, the impact of even small contributions should be valued (e.g., \$20 providing meals for a child).
3. Every experience, even setbacks, offers valuable lessons. Learning from mistakes and applying those lessons to future campaigns is key to continuous improvement and success.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry, or before breaking into it?
I wish someone had explained that success is relative. Each of our nonprofit partners has a different goal and a different measurement of success.
Some partners aim to raise $5,000, while others target $500,000. It's difficult to compare the success of these two partners, as the first would be thrilled with $5,000, and the other might consider that a colossal failure.
I have to remind myself and my teammates that hitting KPIs is important from a business perspective, especially in the startup world. However, if $20 can provide warm, cooked meals for a child for an entire week, I'm going to count that as a win.
If you miss the mark on a campaign or things don't go as planned, there's always a lesson to be learned. You have to take that learning, apply it to the next campaign, and continue to build on what you've learned to be more successful in the future.
There's always a learning curve. Even if things don't go your way, take what you can to prevent that from happening in the next campaign or project. Ultimately, you cannot compare success between partners, or between yourself and another company or colleague. It's all so relative.