What's Your Commitment to Serving on a Board?

How many times have you been asked to serve on a Board of Directors of a nonprofit? Organizations whose purposes matter to you and are comprised of good people trying to do good things? As proponents of the sector, we want to see thoughtful, caring people participate on Boards and engage in good governance.

But what exactly does that mean? While it’s important than you have a heart for the work, Board service is much more than simply caring about an organization. If you commit, here’s a few of the things you must be willing to do:

• Agree to articulate the organization’s mission to your friends and business colleagues

• Delve into the profit and loss statement and balance sheets and ask questions about what you don’t understand

• Mark Board and committee meetings as priorities on your calendar

• Understand the organization’s strategic priorities – where does it want to go and how does it intend to get there?

• Don’t be afraid to question how well the organization is achieving its purpose/mission and if that mission could be better achieved differently

• Help build community relationships that support the strategic direction

• Donate

• Acknowledge donors and other funders whenever possible

• Be aware of areas of high risk and vulnerability

• Attend special events and invite others to join you

To do this well requires a commitment of time, energy and focus.

Effective participation requires knowing your capacity and limiting the number of Boards on which you serve accordingly.

We say “Just Do It!” But with the caveat to first commit to doing it well.