Volunteer Opportunity of the Week: Serve on a Board
This week, consider joining a board of directors to make a difference in your community. Board members are individuals who (1) have the time and interest in a non-profit organization to attend meetings and (2) have experience they can offer to the non-profit. Sounds like we baby boomers meet both of those qualifications.
I was on the school foundation in my children’s school district for a number of years, and it was a great way for me to help the school system (we did fund-raising and used the money to benefit the schools and to provide scholarships for the children) and to network with other business owners.
RetirementJobs.com says board members fill several important roles on boards of directors:
1. Experience in the industry or activity. For example, if you were experienced with restaurant operations, you might be of value for a non-profit group running a soup kitchen. Your background as a teacher might make you a great board member for an educational organization, or your health care experience might be needed on a hospital board.
2. Specific functions on the board. If you have a professional background (marketing experience or financial management), you might be of interest to a board that needs your expertise. Non-profit organizations have more “hands-on” boards than do corporations, so you might be called on to look at the books on a regular basis. If you have corporate experience, your expertise as a board member might be extremely valuable.
2. Networking capabilities. In local communities, board members can be helpful in obtaining donations and organizing events. When I was on the school foundation board I helped gather donations for the annual golf outing which brought in a lot of money. And it was a fun event!
Working on a non-profit board will take some of your time, but it will definitely be rewarding. I would encourage you to figure out what organization you would like to work for and talk to them about joining their board.
Image source: PicApp/Corbis