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.

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