By Katherine Vanderberg, Principal
Being part of a non-profit board can be personally rewarding and have a positive impact on your professional development. It is an opportunity to meaningfully contribute to serving an organization and its mission. It also helps expand your network, build your brand and learn new skills beyond your current and past work experience. It can be a key move to further your career.
Another benefit of board involvement is that it gives you a unique opportunity to add value to an organization from the outside looking in. This perspective shift is a tremendous learning as you work alongside other professionals to contribute to an organization’s success through a strategic lens.
If you have been thinking about joining a board and are ready to take action, consider the following steps to ensure a positive experience.
Reflect
To get started you’ll want to reflect on your interests and passions. Identify the causes you have an affinity to and align with your values. Whether it’s art and culture, mental health and wellness, the environment, healthcare, or any of the many other non-profit sectors, take time to explore and narrow down your options to the one that is most important to you. It’s key to find a cause that matches your passion.
Another area to reflect on is your role on the board. Think about your professional goals and what type of role would be most fulfilling. Determine if you want to leverage your existing skills and experience or learn new skills.
Lastly, consider how much time you are willing to put into board work. Board involvement means dedicating your time beyond your work commitments and personal priorities. Assess your current work-life balance and decide how much time you can realistically devote to your board service.
Research
The next step is to identify board opportunities in your targeted sector. Charity Village (www.charityvillage.com) is a great place to start your research. Its website has a wide variety of board postings for charitable and non-profit organizations across Canada. LinkedIn is another place to research organizations and contacts and search for board postings. Compile a folder with postings of interest to access when you’re ready to reach out.
You’ll want to learn as much as you can about organizations in your targeted sector by reviewing their website and reading their annual report. Now is the time to leverage your network and speak with people you know who have served on boards in your targeted sector. Seek their insights on topics such as sector trends, current challenges and opportunities, and relevant courses and certifications.
Reach Out
Once you have identified and researched the right opportunity for you, you’ll want to respond to board postings by expressing your interest in a cover letter and resume. In your letter highlight your research and knowledge of the organization and its values, programs, and mission. Convey your passion in the sector and how your values, professional experience, and goals align with the organization, its purpose, vision, and values. Include how your skills and leadership experience can benefit the board and organization.
As you plan for your interview, review board competencies and prepare your accomplishments from current and past experience that best demonstrate your abilities and strengths. Also, include examples from volunteer or community activities if you have relevant experience. Some common board competencies include strategic planning, collaboration within a multidisciplinary group, ability to build consensus, financial acumen, fundraising, community partnerships, internal governance experience and committee work. Be prepared to speak about your affinity to the organization and their mission and how your passion and values align with the organization’s purpose and values.
During your interview, you’ll want to find out what is expected of you as a board member and learn specific information about the role requirements. Ask questions, be curious, and be sure to emphasize what you know about the sector and the organization based on your research. You’ll also want to communicate how your skills and experience will add value to the board’s ability to further the mission of the organization.
Lastly, during your interview evaluation think about your answers to the following questions:
- After learning more about the board’s leadership, structure and role do you still have a high level of enthusiasm and energy for the organization and your involvement?
- Did you click with the leadership team? Is there an openness to ideas and do you believe you can add value?
- Do you continue to be passionate about the organization’s purpose and mission and does the role align with your professional development goals?
- Do the time expectations fit with your work-life balance goals and are you certain you can commit the time required to fulfill your board member responsibilities?
If your review checks all the boxes then you’re ready to move forward with confidence knowing you have made a well-thought-through decision and that this opportunity is the right one for you.