- by Andy Ho
Back in April, I wrote about the first Seasons of Change seminar hosted by the Joint Affinity Group in Washington, DC. Last month featured the second seminar in this series, this time on the topic of Board Involvement and Leadership. The speakers were Rubie Coles of the Moriah Fund, Dr. Madye Henson of Greater DC Cares, and Rosetta Thurman of the Nonprofit Roundtable. Each of them shared their experiences serving on nonprofit boards, both good and bad, and gave their advice on getting involved and serving on a board. Here are some of the learnings that stuck with me:
* Board leadership forces you to think differently about leadership.
* Board service helps you to learn how to build consensus.
* Be present in a board - it is not a good experience to be a board member in name only; otherwise it will get on your nerves.
* If you aspire to nonprofit management, then board service is invaluable experience.
Attractive board members, they shared, are strategic thinkers, people with large networks, good at assessing group dynamics, and those that know how to run board meetings.
So whether you are already working in the nonprofit sector, or are coming from the corporate or government sectors, there are opportunities for you to serve on boards of organizations, if you have the time, inclination, and skills. Find an organization working in your passion, and get involved!
Photo courtesy of James Jordan
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