You Don’t Have to be a Corporate Titan to Serve on a Nonprofit Board
By 2009 ProInspire Fellow and Board Member, Nick Takamine
We're on Day 2 of our 5 Days of Giving series on the blog with the goal of
helping each and every one of you with your goals to change the world, in both big and small ways.
Nonprofits in San Francisco, home to ProInspire’s newest class of Fellows, boast Boards of Directors that include private equity moguls and former Fortune 500 CEOs—but you don’t have to be a corporate titan to contribute meaningfully to the leadership of a nonprofit organization. Increasingly, young professionals, MBA students, and passionate people of all varieties are going beyond donations and volunteering to support social missions by dedicating their skills and leadership on a nonprofit board.
Take me, for example. When I joined the board of ProInspire this year, I had five years of experience in investment banking and nonprofit management. As a former ProInspire Fellow myself, I was a huge supporter of the organization’s mission, and I wanted to get more involved. As a board member, I have contributed to the mission in a number of ways. I have increased the number of young professionals seeking to work in the social sector by raising awareness of the ProInspire Fellowship within my peer group. I have utilized my professional network to identify nonprofits that could benefit from hiring a Fellow and to connect ProInspire with volunteers offering skillsets we don’t have on the staff. At this week’s board meeting, I’ll be making recommendations on adjustments to ProInspire’s earned income approach, contributing to the financial sustainability of the organization. Nonprofit board service has been a way for me to engage in a social mission about which I care deeply, in a way that makes use of all I have to offer as a professional.
But serving on a nonprofit board is as much a learning experience as it is an act of giving. Coming from a large, established nonprofit, I have now helped to tackle the distinct challenges faced by a young, growing organization. For one key initiative, I had to re-learn and apply key marketing principles—one area of my business education I had not yet applied to a real-world situation. Notably, I broaden my perspective while helping to guide the organization’s strategic direction alongside the entrepreneurs, professors, and seasoned executives who also serve on ProInspire’s board.
Sound interesting? Learn more about serving on a nonprofit board with resources from the organizations below. If it's the right fit for you, do more this giving season by dedicating your time and your skills to a nonprofit mission as a member of a Board of Directors.
- The Bridgespan Group website is a great place to learn more about serving on a nonprofit board. Check out their Nonprofit Boards 101 and their article on finding the right match as a nonprofit board member.
- So you’ve decided you’re ready to seek a nonprofit board position? boardnetUSA is an online service that facilitates connections between people seeking these positions and the nonprofits that need them.
- BoardSource offers a robust set of resources—including books, tools, and trainings—to help you be an effective board member. Check out their nonprofit board glossary to learn the key terminology of nonprofit boards.
- Interested in food for thought on nonprofit board service? Subscribe to Blue Avocado’s Board Café blog.
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Nicolas Takamine is a 2009 ProInspire Fellow serving in Washington, DC with FHI360, a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. He currently serves on the ProInspire Board of Directors as an Alumni Representative.