As one navigates their career, different passions and interests develop that often shape how we get involved outside of our working hours. You may have read in your company’s benefits that there is an opportunity for paid volunteer time, matching dollars for donations or a financial match for your volunteer time. One way you can maximize opportunities like these while at the same time broadening your skills and community impact is by joining a board of directors.
A board is the governing body of a nonprofit or for-profit organization, and the role of a board member is important to achieving its mission as well as a requirement for the organization’s governance, legal and ethical oversight.
There is significant responsibility in becoming a board member; you are contributing your time and your talent, and with nonprofit organizations there’s also a financial donation.
Both nonprofit and for-profit organizations will have articles of incorporation, bylaws and other charter agreements that outline the responsibilities of their board members. Your involvement offers significant benefits. As a board member you bring a fresh perspective, passion, valuable skills and expertise, and you help to increase the reach and visibility of the organization to your personal network.
There are of course benefits for your employer. Your company will have increased representation in the community as well as have someone listening and learning about the needs of the community. This will allow your company to better support the community more effectively and efficiently in the long term.
So what does it take to get connected and start contributing through board service?
Understand your passion and your why
First and foremost, having a passion for the mission of the organization is critical. In the Nonprofit Leadership Initiative’s BoardBound training program for aspiring board members, the first element we cover is digging into a personal “why” to begin to understand individual passions and matching them with organizations.
Learn about the main responsibilities of a board member
Understanding your legal and ethical responsibilities as a board member will set you up with a strong foundation so you can be active and engaged from the moment you join. The key responsibilities include the duty of care, duty of loyalty and duty of obedience. A leading nonprofit board resource and training platform, Board Source (boardsource.org), defines duty of care as the legal responsibility to participate actively in making decisions on behalf of the organization and to exercise your best judgment while doing so. Duty of loyalty refers to putting the interests of the organization above your personal and professional interests when acting on behalf of the organization in a decision-making capacity. Duty of obedience means that you will bear the legal responsibility of ensuring that the organization complies with state, federal and local laws and that you adhere to the organization’s mission.
Along with your legal and ethical responsibilities as a board member, you also have a fiduciary responsibility. This fiduciary responsibility means that you oversee the financial well-being of the organization. You review finances on a regular basis, you ask questions to better understand the finances of the organization, and you provide oversight for any major financial decisions that must be made.
Assess your personal capacity
Once you understand your legal, ethical and fiduciary responsibilities to the organization, assess your own capacity. Look at your schedule. Could you add another meeting (or two) a month? This may even involve talking with your company or supervisor to get their approval to pursue the board role. Do you have the financial capacity to donate to an organization, or increase your donation to an organization if you joined its board? As a board member, you are a role model and ambassador for the organization. How you give and show up for the organization matters, and understanding that capacity before you apply for a board role is important.
Analyze your skills
When organizations look for new board members, they often conduct internal assessments to see where there are gaps in knowledge or skillset. Understanding the skills that you bring to an organization will be important. Think beyond your title at work. Do you have event planning skills, a knack for social media, video or photography capabilities? There are many different skills that a board may be searching for, and having awareness of the skills you bring will be important as you pursue a potential board role.
Find the right organization
Finding the right fit is important with a board role. While all boards have similar elements, every board is different. They each have a different mission, people and personalities, and each has an impact on a distinct community. Some boards are policy-making and strategic, often staying high-level with their decisions. Others may be more hands-on, working boards. The life cycle of an organization often determines some of the board’s focus. If an organization is newer (less than five years old), the board may be more involved in developing procedures, may be needed to volunteer more at events or within programs due to limited staff capacity, and could even be involved in hiring the organization’s first executive director. An older organization’s board may be focused more on stewardship, succession planning and planning for an endowment for future sustainability. Each organization is different and will offer you a different opportunity to share your skills, talents and voice.
The process for joining a board will also be different depending on the organization. Some actively promote board openings through social media or their websites. It’s best to contact the organization directly to learn what opportunities they have available and what their application process looks like. Typically, you can expect to have an application process, an interview with the board chair or other member, and you may attend a board meeting to observe before you are voted on to join.
Research the companies that are out there and the missions they focus on that align with your why. Look at their 990s, annual reports and other materials that they have available. Your research will help you formulate questions to ask in the interview process and will show that you are passionate about them and their impact on the community.
Your voice, skills, passion and expertise are valuable and will make a tremendous difference to an organization in our community. Becoming a board member is a significant responsibility, but when you enter it with awareness, knowledge and passion you will make a difference not only to the organization you choose to support, but to the community at‑large.
