Four Tips for Finding a Board Seat
Aaron Hurst
Founder US Chamber of Connection, Taproot Foundation, Board.Dev & Imperative
Last week I wrote about the three myths about joining a nonprofit board and so many of you were fired up to do it. But as fired up as you were, many didn’t know where to start. So, here are four ways you can use LinkedIn to put yourself out there.
1) POST AN UPDATE
At the top of your LinkedIn home page, there is a box to send an update to your network. Use it to share that you are looking to join a board and ask if anyone knows a nonprofit board looking for new members. Share a few sentences about what you are looking for in an ideal board seat.
2) JOIN LINKEDIN GROUPS
There are a number of LinkedIn groups for nonprofits focused on boards and board recruitment. Join one and post a note that you are looking. BoardSource. Nonprofit Board Forum. Board Member Connect. Bridgespan Nonprofit Board Members Network.
3) UPDATE YOUR PROFILE
Fill out the Volunteer and Causes field on your profile. This allows nonprofit leaders to see what causes you care about when they search for board members.
4) REACH OUT TO NONPROFIT LEADERS
Use Advanced Search to find nonprofit leaders you know that might help you find the right opportunity and answer your questions about nonprofit boards. Send them a message or InMail to ask to for a meeting.
Let me know how it goes and if you have any success. There are 2 million open board seats today. You need to fill at least one!
Distributed SQL @CockroachDB
11 年Thanks, Aaron! This is very inspiring. My non-profit Top Banana Education Foundation is looking for new board members who are enthusiastic about fixing our elementary education, especially math and science. I'd love to hear from this group's members!
Web Marketing Consultant, Social Media Strategist, Web Development Engineer, Madhouse Media Group, LLC
11 年Thanks Aaron! You've motivated me to add this to my Trello for this year! It's so important to contribute to the world outside of your own. I need to tap into causes that I feel strongly about.... Again, thanks for the nudge!
Director of Operations/Major Fundraiser for Corporations and Professional Executives
12 年AND LASTLY...BE READY TO GIVE OF YOUR SELF AND YOUR DIVERSE KNOWLEDGE BEFORE EXPECTING TO RECEIVE!
Founder, Relief, Inc. U.S. & Liberia
12 年I am the founder of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a NGO organization. For ten years we strive to educate women and children of war torn Liberia, west Africa. Additionally, we create opportunities for our local young people to participate in these international efforts. For example, we have just shipped a forty foot container to Africa. It is currently on the water, headed across the ocean. This container would not have been able to be shipped if it were not for the participation of dozens and dozens of local High School and college students that wanted to help others on the other side of the world! They helped raise funds, get needed school supplies, pack goods, inventory and load the container. This ten year old organization is run by a hand full of us all volunteers and donors. We would love to have leaders/experts that cares about our cause to join our team in the areas of marketing, HR, technology, strategist planning, legal and a secretary for our board.
Able ARTS Work, formerly known as Arts & Services for Disabled, Inc CEO/Founder
12 年Thank you Aron, this is a practical and useful list of suggestions! My organization is currently getting the guidance of pro bono professional expertise through a grant from Taproot to target these exact things for board membership. This is timely and extremely relevant for me as a 30 year nonprofit veteran exploring strategies that will stimulate the nonprofit energy moving forward in these new societal times. We are a unique nonprofit who need to recruit board members the understand us and have clear guidance to their roles and how they can support us in the meaningful ways we need them to. Phew! Its quite a journey! Thank you! Helen Www.artsandservices.org