Libertyville Residents Learn Boardsmanship

Libertyville resident Sharon Parson has always wanted to be part of a non-profit board but didn’t know how or where to begin.

“For those of us who don’t work in non-profits, it seems kind of like this mythical thing where random people just chosen and then you wonder, ‘how do you become one of the chosen ones? How does this all work?’” said Parson, a member of the steering committee for United Way of Lake County's Lake Effect program, which connects emerging leaders with each other and their community.

Parson’s curiosity sparked the idea for Lake Effect to host its first non-profit boardsmanship workshop in January.

Another participant, Ryan Zicco, who serves on the board of several boards, says he attended the event because he wants to learn more about what’s expected of him as a board member.

“Sometimes I don’t really know what my responsibilities are. As a board member, when is it my responsibility to shake things up and say ‘we should change the operations’ and when is it my job to go along, so some guidance on that, and even what’s expected of me from a donation stand point; is my time the donation, or is my money the donation?” Zicco said.

Boardsmanship 101

During the one-hour workshop, panelists addressed several topics, including board member duties and fundraising expectations.

“Sometimes [an organization] will say, '[board member’s] responsibility is governing, it’s not operations; it’s not being involved with the day-to-day operations of non-profit activity,'" said Kim Dodson, United Way of Lake County’s fundraising manager who also oversees the Lake Effect program. "However, you are responsible for making sure that things are moving smoothly, so you really should have a good idea of how things are working operationally.”

In addition, fundraising is also an important part of being a non-profit board member. Dodson says the expectations are different for each organization, some will request specific dollar amounts, while others request donations that the individual is comfortable with. Either way Dodson says the important thing is “to make sure the organization has a fund development plan or fundraising plan.”

So how do you get on a non-profit board?

“Introduce yourself to an organization,” Dodson said. “If there’s an organization you are passionate about and you want to get involved, let them know who you are, maybe take on a meeting with the executive director, one of their staff members or really any staff member that can help identify where that pipeline is to get you in front of their nominating committee.”

Panelist Julie Khan, a communications specialist with the Illinois State Treasure’s office and vice president of the board for the Lakefront Progressives Network, says you don’t necessarily need to present a resume to the nominating committee. Khan volunteered for a year before become a member of a non-profit board.

“It’s important to create those relationships so people know who you are and if you are introducing yourself to existing board members you are going to be a walking resume at some point,” Khan said.

Next Steps

After the workshop, Parson said she was pleased to learn about nominating committees.

“Up until talking to Kim, I didn’t know there was such a thing as a nominating committee, I didn’t know how you would get referred to them,” Parson said. “A lot of my questions were answered about how you get in front of a nominating committee … it’s not as formal as say a job interview, it’s not like I need to have this resume and letters of recommendation.”

For Libertyville resident Zicco his favorite part of the event was the diversity of the panelist.

“I look to [the panelists] as more resources and people I could talk to going forward,” Zicco said. “I would love to see the next step, though, which is, ‘okay I’m on the board now, what do I do now?”

Parson echoed his sentiment and says she would like a workshop on board member’s financial and legal duties.

“If they did host a follow up, I think it would be a deeper dived into the financial responsibilities, understanding the tax forms, making sure you know what you are looking at in terms of financial health of the organization,” she said.

For more information on United Way's Lake Effect Program, visit: www.uwlakeco.org.