Board of Directors--Nonprofit

[TheIdler]

I've been asked to join the board of a nonprofit, and I'm wondering if anybody here has experience with such a thing. It's something I'm interested in--it's an arts/cultural foundation whose mission totally resonates with me--but I have no experience with nonprofits and so I don't really know what to expect. If anybody has done or does something similar, maybe you could share your experiences? Is it fun, fulfilling, a waste of time, what?

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by TheIdler

I've been asked to join the board of a nonprofit, and I'm wondering if anybody here has experience with such a thing. It's something I'm interested in--it's an arts/cultural foundation whose mission totally resonates with me--but I have no experience with nonprofits and so I don't really know what to expect. If anybody has done or does something similar, maybe you could share your experiences? Is it fun, fulfilling, a waste of time, what?
Loads of fun if the organization has good leadership and has been run well. It can be a totally rewarding experience.

 

[itsstillmatt]

My experience is that it can be incredibly frustrating, and that the managerial ego in non-profits is much higher, and much more brittle, than in the for profit world. Still, if it is a cause you like, and you really believe that you can be helpful, then try it out.

 

[A Y]

What Matt said. Also, if you are actually serious about the organization, be prepared to put in more hours than just the "1 hour/month meeting" that they will probably tell you.

You should check out the organization first, too. How were the other board members recruited? The right way to do it is to get people involved with the organization at some basic level: volunteering for an event, random manpower stuff. If the volunteers show more interest and start doing more, they might be right for the board. The wrong way is to just invite random people to join the board without checking out how they will work in the organization first.

Have you met the executive and/or artistic directors? Do you think you can work with him/her?

Why are they asking you to join the board? Successful board members tend to have fairly defined roles.

What kind of arts organization is this? Different orgs have very different personalities, eg. a modern dance company vs. a ballet company (the latter has lots of wannabes and social climbers but they tend to have $$$, while the former has more people who actually like the art, but are poorer).

--Andre

 

[mordecai]

The non-profit I worked for was run like the Island of Dr. Moreau, but most of our work was in a developing nation so a domestic arts NP is probably pretty mellow by comparison. The personalities and thickheadedness/emotion over logic-and-pragmatism can be pretty intense in any NP though.

 

[Stu]

Originally Posted by TheIdler

I've been asked to join the board of a nonprofit, and I'm wondering if anybody here has experience with such a thing. It's something I'm interested in--it's an arts/cultural foundation whose mission totally resonates with me--but I have no experience with nonprofits and so I don't really know what to expect. If anybody has done or does something similar, maybe you could share your experiences? Is it fun, fulfilling, a waste of time, what?
I've been a board member of a food bank and an adviser to a United Way type of entity in the faith-based community. I also serve as a commissioner on my town's Economic Development Commission. Be prepared for a lot of talk and not much action. It can be really hard to get things done when you don't have the power of the purse to make things happen.

 

[JayJay]

If there are signs that the organization does not have good leadership and is not run well, then run away from it, fast.

 

[Wackadoodle]

Originally Posted by JayJay

If there are signs that the organization does not have good leadership and is not run well, then run away from it, fast.

Yup, my girlfriend worked at a very dysfunctional non-profit in Baltimore, most of the people involved were competent and affable, but the boss was a racist, sociopathic control freak (in the way only old rich ladies can be) who made life miserable for literally everyone, board members included. On the other hand, there are some non-profits that manage to avoid getting people like that on their staff and in that case it can be very rewarding. Its a crap shoot though.

 

[Kajak]

I'm on the Board of a Nonprofit Provincial Sport Organization.

It's okay. Not a lot of work at all, but I'm mostly doing it to look good on my resume. I took a job I knew wouldn't have much work, but what Matt said about lots of managerial ego is definitely true. The lack of a clearly defined mission can be a huge pain **********, especially when the interests that the board was founded on start to get diluted.

 

[Concordia]

Anything and everything is possible with a non-profit. You get some really excellent management (which might or might not support what you want to have done) on one end. On the other there are some thoroughly dysfunctional organizations that survive only because they have one committed funder and no stockholders who could insist on liquidation.

Time commitment varies a lot. Often there are very active committees where thought and effort really matter. This winter, I had to chair a search committee to replace the deceased founder of a music organization. That was a lot of time, but very fun. You'll often find investment committees that make real decisions, etc. Other boards don't require much beyond raising money-- yours or your friends'. And in a few cases, you just need to show up to make quorum and nod sagely when management tells you what's going on.

 

[michaeljkrell]

Originally Posted by iammatt

My experience is that it can be incredibly frustrating, and that the managerial ego in non-profits is much higher, and much more brittle, than in the for profit world.

+1

 

[Concordia]

Originally Posted by iammatt

My experience is that it can be incredibly frustrating, and that the managerial ego in non-profits is much higher, and much more brittle, than in the for profit world.

You have to remember that most of the staff people will have taken the job because they have a strong view of the mission's value. And because most non-profits don't grow that fast, they have to wait for someone to die before they get promoted. Mix in the low salaries, and you get a potentially volatile cocktail.

 

[jenlain]

Spend some time speaking with the exec director of the organization and the board chairman. Get clear on exactly what they expect of you as a board member (time, money, connections, etc.). Don't be shy with your questions and be brutally honest about what you will commit to.

Meet the other board members to see if you want to spend time with these people. Ask to attend a board meeting to observe how people interact. Be wary of organizations with too much turnover in the exec director role and too little turnover on the board.

Speak with the CFO to really understand the sources of funding and the financial status of the organization before signing on.

 

[TheIdler]

Thanks for all your replies, guys. I think my biggest concern is that they're underestimating (or underrepresenting) the amount of time I'll be expected to put in. I do have concerns about both the chairman and the executive director--both seem like good people I can work with, but there are some issues there. Egos seem reasonable, but who can tell from the outside? Anyway, I'll spend a little more time getting to know the key guys before making a commitment. The finances aren't in the greatest of shape, but that's part of the reason why I've been asked to come on. I think I can help out, but I'm wary of this consuming too much of my time or my sanity.

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by TheIdler

Thanks for all your replies, guys. I think my biggest concern is that they're underestimating (or underrepresenting) the amount of time I'll be expected to put in. I do have concerns about both the chairman and the executive director--both seem like good people I can work with, but there are some issues there. Egos seem reasonable, but who can tell from the outside? Anyway, I'll spend a little more time getting to know the key guys before making a commitment. The finances aren't in the greatest of shape, but that's part of the reason why I've been asked to come on. I think I can help out, but I'm wary of this consuming too much of my time or my sanity.
I'm on a board now, chair in fact, where it's actually a fun and rewarding experience. Great leadership, and an overall terrific organization.

On the other hand, I was chair of one several years ago that was the worst experience of my professional life. It had awful leadership, management, and board members. Because of all the issues, I spent way more time with that organization than I should have to the point where it encroached upon my day job. The SoB's didn't care, and even made an effort to make things more difficult for me including filing frivolous lawsuits. That experience nearly ruined me, and since then I've been very careful to do due diligence before committing to boards.

Know what you're getting into, and good luck!