Hi friends, and thanks for stopping by to read Surviving on a Shoestring: Life as a Personal Non-Profit.
Yeah, I run a non-profit. It’s called ME!
One of the fun things about being a housesitter is getting to watch TV streaming services that normally I would not subscribe to. In this case, the homeowners had Netflix. One of the top 10 movies came up called The Wrong Paris. The trailer caught my attention – a woman in a barn brushing a horse and chatting with a cowboy.
OK. I’ll watch it. Turns out The Wrong Paris is a fluffy romantic comedy that is a parody of reality shows similar to The Bachelor.
At one point the heroine tells the bachelor: “I run a non-profit. It’s called me.”
I nearly fell off the couch. Because honestly, that’s my autobiography in one sentence.
The annual report nobody asked for
If I ran myself like a real non-profit, my balance sheet would read something like this:
- Revenue: Pocket lint, odd jobs, and the occasional birthday cheque from Aunt Mildred.
- Expenses: All of them. Always.
- Fundraising Campaigns: Waiting for Visa and MasterCard to approve my “grant applications.” Spoiler: they declined.
- Capital Projects: Buying a new pair of sneakers without holes.
Staffing challenges
Unlike fancy non-profits with volunteers, I don’t have eager interns. Unless you count my in-house therapy team.
Meet my staff: dogs and horses who provide unlimited emotional support. Free therapy? Not exactly. Between kibble, vet bills, hay, and farrier costs, I’m pretty sure they’re the highest-paid counselors in Canada.
Still, they listen without judgment, and no session ever ends with: “And how do you plan to pay for that today?”
Programs and services
Every non-profit has programs. Mine include:
- Free Counseling Sessions: Open ears for friends who need to vent. (Donations accepted in coffee or cookies.)
- Educational Outreach: Me explaining to my bank why my account is overdrawn again.
- Community Engagement: Sharing thrift-store hacks like they’re classified government secrets.
Fundraising events
Most non-profits throw galas. Mine is called: “Clearance Rack at the Thrift Store.”
Black tie optional, 75% off mandatory.
Silent auction items include:
- Half-used scented candles
- A toaster that only burns one side
- A mystery bag of unmatched socks
Tax-exempt? Ha!
American non-profits get letters from the IRS saying, “Congratulations, you don’t have to pay taxes.” Meanwhile, here in Canada, I can make under $30,000 a year and Revenue Canada still sends me a bill.
Even with RRSP contributions, medical expenses, and every scrap of paper I can dig out of the shoebox at tax time, I end up owing about a thousand dollars.
Honestly, I should be tax-exempt by default. Instead, it feels like I’m running a one-woman charity that donates directly to the government. My mission statement may as well read: Serving Canada, one tax payment at a time.
The Real Mission Statement
The truth is, being a one-person non-profit means I’ve been purpose-driven, not profit-driven. My “organization” is about resilience, laughter, and getting by with the help of my four-legged board members.
And while I may never roll in profits, I roll in dog hair and horse manure – which, in a way, is its own kind of wealth.
Life as a personal non-profit
All right, ladies. Who else hears me on this?
We spend a lifetime existing on low income = non profit.
And eventually we reach a stage in our lives where we realize we might not have profits, and maybe we’ll never be profitable, but we’ll have experiences instead.
I’ve taken my non-profit show on the road as a nomad and international housesitter.
Works for me. What about you?
Stay tuned. I have a very important Annual Report in a post coming soon. Yes, a letter from the Director running my non-profit. Spoiler alert: that’s me.
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on February 26, 2026.
