Non-profit board service is a win-win-win

As the CEO of Bauerfeind USA, I have had the honor of serving on three non-profit boards. They have all been German American cultural and business organizations, including the German American Chamber of Commerce (GACC), German American Cultural Foundation and Goethe Zentrum Atlanta.

This has been a triple win because I have benefitted professionally, Bauerfeind has benefitted and from the feedback I have received, and the organizations have also benefitted from my leadership.

I’m currently serving on the board of GACC and the German American Cultural Foundation. I served three terms on the Goethe Zentrum Atlanta board, including one as Vice Chair. The normal tenure is two terms. At the request of the organization, I was honored to serve an additional year. My board membership ended in December 2023.

Let me share some insights on each of the three types of wins.

Win for the Executive

As a board member, I provide key leadership overall and with special projects. It has allowed me to significantly expand my professional network with individuals whose paths I may have never crossed. The fellow board members are successful in a variety of careers. This includes attorneys of various practice specialties, a professional artist, and educators at various levels of elementary to college, business consultants, and financial executives, executives of large and small businesses, business owners, and politicians.

Additionally, there have been several honorary, but faithful board members, from the consulates of several German-speaking nations. I worked with these talented individuals to set organization goals, assure good governance, hire or select new executive leadership, create and approve budgets and support the staff at events. It is amazing what the lean staff and dedicated volunteers can accomplish together. I always felt humbled to play a supportive role in all of the successful events.

Through my board positions, my family, friends and I have had the pleasure of supporting German spring festivals, Christkindl Christmas Markets, musical concerts, art shows, mural design contests, golf tournaments, local Oktoberfest, international wine tastings, annual galas (with a fun and well-populated dance floor), international speakers on important topics, authors, and international movie festivals.

I’ve had the honor of joining fellow board members at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington when she hosted a meeting of the National Governor’s Association. I also joined a small delegation of business executives meeting with the newly appointed German Ambassador during his trip to Atlanta (his first outside of D.C.). Additionally, I was on a panel of leaders of local German companies who met with a class of senior military officers from several European countries during their visit to Atlanta. The goal of their visit was to experience more of the U.S. outside of the NYC-Washington, D.C. corridor.

Win for the Company

Of course, I was invited to join these boards due to my role as CEO of Bauerfeind USA. At every event, I have the opportunity to tell everyone about the great people, products and culture of Bauerfeind. As a mid-sized German company, we get more exposure than we might in other situations. I get to meet with potential collaborators and prospective customers in a relaxed, often fun, environment. Fortunately, Bauerfeind is a major brand in Germany, and all of my German friends know the company and the quality of our products. They are usually very happy to recommend it to others at an individual or corporate level.

Bauerfeind also benefits from the German courses that Goethe Zentrum Atlanta provides. They have virtual and in-person offerings. A group of my team takes the corporate classes and all of our executive leadership takes individual classes. Before they moved to the Peachtree Center in Downtown Atlanta, the Goethe Zentrum was located across the street from our offices in Midtown. We hosted an orientation to our company and shared experiences from our own travel within Germany. This allowed local students to have some exposure to a German business prior to their travel to Deutschland. Additionally, we did the same for German exchange students who visited the organization.

I have been fortunate to share the story of Bauerfeind USA with other German companies considering locating a facility in the U.S. I also had the pleasure of designing and presenting a seminar to attendees at a GACC-South business conference. I was focused on the topic of successfully growing an e-commerce business in the U.S. with both a brand site and Amazon. This was a great opportunity to highlight the excellent work of Bauerfeind USA’s digital marketing and e-commerce team.

Win for the Non-profit Organizations

The non-profit organizations benefit from the expertise of board members as we provide support to the leaders with our various skills, interests and networks. I have been on boards where we re-wrote bylaws to improve governance. I have served on search committees for executive directors and supported initiatives to improve health benefits to help retain staff. Other boards have crystallized the true purpose of their organizations and prioritized programs that combine branding and revenue.

During the depths of COVID, we successfully relocated one organization to a new office, secured grants from supportive foundations and donors, and created and implemented an onboarding program for a new Executive Director and staff. The staff was able to create remote classes that expanded its reach, customer base and income. Another organization was able to transition its signature program to a more sustainable economic model with the help of a local event company.

I hope you now have a better understanding of how board leadership is a win-win-win, and will join boards or encourage your colleagues to do so.

What has been your experience serving on the board of non-profit organizations?