The Encore Career Handbook by Marci Alboher

Author:Marci Alboher
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Published: 2012-03-20T16:00:00+00:00

Board service can be an invaluable way to expand your network and get a firsthand look at how an organization handles all kinds of strategic and operational issues. If you’re already in the nonprofit sector, joining a board can be a way to connect with a new set of people, contribute to an issue that’s new for you, and develop new skills and perspectives.

Whatever the impetus, you’re probably not going to start a relationship with a nonprofit by talking about board involvement. “Usually board members come through an informal network of contacts,” said Steve Villano, whose firm Social Vision Productions helps nonprofits build better boards.

Lawyers and other professionals often get asked to join boards after doing a pro bono project for a nonprofit. Sometimes boards are looking for people who have a personal connection to an issue or are a part of the community they serve—so a treatment facility may tap a person who has overcome addiction, or a group working with immigrants of a certain culture may want people from that background.

The more time you spend with an organization—showing up at events, volunteering, or doing pro bono work—the more you will know about whether joining the board is the right move for you.

If you’re new to boards and considering joining one for the first time, do these things first:

Get to know the organization as well as you can. Go to its events. Take on a serious volunteer or pro bono project to see what it’s like to engage with the organization from the outside.

Meet as many staffers and board members as possible. Ask to see the minutes of a few prior meetings.

Review the IRS 990s, the tax forms that all nonprofits must file, to make sure you know as much as possible about the organization’s operations and financial health.

Consider joining an advisory board first. Advisory boards are groups of people who lend their time and counsel to an organization without taking on the fiduciary responsibility of being on an official board of directors.

Find out if there is a “give-get” requirement—does joining obligate you to either give or raise a certain amount of money each year?

Ask if it’s possible to join with a three-month probationary period to see if it’s a good fit on both sides. If you don’t like what you’re seeing after a trial period, investigate other organizations until you find one that’s a good fit. Usually, there are many organizations working on the same issues. If you’re ready to make a board-level commitment, take the time to find the best match you can.

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