For the first three months of Ankit Gohil’s recovery from limb loss, his parents took turns sleeping next to his hospital bed.
“When I moved to rehabilitation, my dad would stop by every day for lunch,” says Gohil, who lost his left arm above the elbow in a motorcycle accident at age 21. “I noticed other patients my age didn’t have the same support, and I would see them struggle. I realized how difficult it can be for families during that time.”
Gohil spent a full year in the hospital. When he returned to college to study finance, he decided to create a nonprofit to help families with children living with chronic illness or disability.
“I couldn’t imagine being that age and spending most of my days in the hospital or being a parent with a young child and seeing them suffer,” Gohil says. “I wanted my nonprofit to be a beacon of hope and help in any way I could, whether it was housing costs, a home-cooked meal, or a toy drive for Christmas.”
In his own words, here’s how he did it.
FIRST STEPS: I’m someone who needs to understand a venture as much as possible before stepping into it. I read, looked for advice, and reached out to others who were in the position I wanted to be in. I looked at how other nonprofits operated and pulled ideas that might work for mine and my scale. The hardest part was transitioning—putting what I learned into action—but once I did, I started rolling.
WHAT I DID RIGHT: I researched, planned, and engaged counsel and accountants when needed. Nonprofits are tax-exempt, but like most businesses, it’s essential to have working capital and funds set aside for marketing. I’m happy I took the time to understand this, because navigating it can be tricky.
A BUMP IN THE ROAD: My biggest mistake was not being ready to be a leader quite yet. I had no experience leading at that time, and I needed to learn how to handle situations when they didn’t go as planned. I realized that every situation will not go perfectly, and often not how you visualized it. I learned to understand not everything is in my control, and that’s all right.
KEYS TO SUCCESS:
• Plan: Planning helped me visualize how I wanted my nonprofit to operate and, on a more granular level, how I wanted my events to go. You cannot plan for everything, but preparing ahead of time can help events go smoothly.
• Ask for help: You’re not supposed to be an expert in every department. Bring in people who have the skills you lack. I wasn’t a sales or marketing professional at that time, so at one of our outreach events, I brought in someone comfortable in that role.
• Implement all the elements of your plan: It’s common to feel uncertain or hesitant, especially when faced with challenges or unfamiliar expectations. It’s important to remember that the best outcomes often lie beyond these doubts. Trust in your work, your plan, and your team, and put them into action.
FINDING A NEW NORMAL: I have taken a step back as president of the nonprofit and passed those responsibilities to someone else. I am still on the board, but it needed a different leader to operate to its potential. I’m now an asset manager and consultant at a law firm. I’m also a peer mentor for others who have gone through limb loss or traumatic accidents. I realized I couldn’t spread myself too thin, because one of those causes would take a hit and fall short of growing.
The Takeaway: A sportswear brand said it best: “Just do it.” If you have something you want to achieve, put in the work and make it happen. Don’t look back years later and ask yourself, “What if I had done A, B, and C?”
Learn more about Gohil’s nonprofit online at theajgohilfamilyfoundation.org or on Instagram @TheAJGohilFamilyFoundation.
—Interview by Rebecca Levenberg
