Final Blog

Many people mentioned seeing themselves as future board of nonprofits and I do as well, however I can also see myself working more on the service side, as the director of a nonprofit. I am not certain exactly what I want to do as a career but I know it will be something in the service sector. I will probably work as a social worker for a few years and then go on to get my masters and work as a counselor or the director of a nonprofit. I would also like to participate as a board member of other nonprofit organizations.

The Board Immersion Program has been a great experience. I have learned so much about nonprofits that I know will benefit me in the future. My entire understanding of nonprofits was reformed after reading Forces for Good and hearing various speaking that came into class. I thought it was beneficial to learn about how nonprofits work in particular, the most successful nonprofits, before we started work at our assigned nonprofits.

The aspect of nonprofits that appeals to me the most is the underlying foundation based on helping others. Nonprofits vary in whom they help but all contribute to society in one way or another. I agree with Molly in that another appealing aspect of nonprofits is the passion of the employees and board members. As we learned in class the nonprofit world can be frustrating and exhausting so it is extremely important for employees and members to have passion for the work. It is amazing how many people are helped through the work of nonprofits. Board Immersion Program made me aware of the hard work and dedication it takes to run a nonprofit and the many passionate people who are involved in these organizations.

Final Blog

I see my future with non-profits on the board side of things. After getting my accounting degree and working in the field, I see myself being on at least one board. Since my future career path is unsure, I believe that is definitely subject to change. I would love to somehow incorporate non-profit work into my job at some point, but I am still unsure how I can make that happen exactly. Whether my job has nothing to do with my involvement in non-profit or whether they intertwine, I know that it will be something that is always present and that is reaffirmed at the Board Immersion Program.

I have learned that there is a lot involved with working on a board when it comes to politics, group dynamic, and networking. I think these are all things that makes sense looking back, but I had no idea how prevalent they were before going through the program. I think what I learned by hearing the good and the bad on these topics is invaluable when entering the non-profit world in the future. Having a leg up and knowing these things before getting involved, and maybe not getting involved where it looks too sticky, are something that I am very grateful to have learned.

I think what appeals to me the most is the passion that I see in the people involved in non-profit. I feel that it is something that I have always wanted in my life and to finally be a part of that now and, hopefully, more involved in the future is something that I am very excited about. Working towards something that I believe in passionately will always be the most appealing thing in my life.

Maegan's Final Blog Post

Because I am uncertain about my future career path, I am not sure what role nonprofits will play in my future. However, after participating in the Board Immersion Program, I now know that working in the nonprofit world encompasses more than just food pantries and community gardens. Before Amy Wade showed us the video about the scope of the nonprofit industry, I did not think of universities, churches, or think tanks as nonprofits. As of today, my long-term career aspirations are to be a professor or a researcher at a think tank, so I will likely be working in the nonprofit world.


BIP has opened my eyes to the governance and administrative aspects of nonprofits and has taught me that people with all kinds of skills, occupations, and interests have something to offer, whether it be a background in finance helping to balance the books or someone who has benefited from the organization's services that can offer insight into programming. Even knowing this, I am still not sure if a role on a nonprofit board is for me. Right now, I think that volunteering and helping with programming is more down my ally. Even though I know that without dedicated and responsible board members there would be no nonprofit, the hands-on aspects and consistent interactions with clients is more appealing to me. It is possible that my perspective will change through working with Kaleidoscope on my project throughout the year.  


Hearing about the successes of nonprofits from our guest speakers as well as through the readings has reinforced my commitment to service and faith in the nonprofit world. I am sure that nonprofits will remain an important part of my life whether it be through direct service, employment, membership on a board, or simply through monetary donations.

Andrew's Last Post

When I heard about the Board Immersion opportunity I was pretty skeptical about what it could offer me from both a professional and personal standpoint. I am a pretty outgoing guy but it was still pretty hard to break from my engineering mold in north campus. I am so glad I trusted my instincts and joined the cohort because I would definitely say that it has made me a more dimensional person than I would have been otherwise.

Even since my early childhood, my dreams for my future have always revolved around a for-profit world. Whether it was making it big, making planes fly, or whatever the case was at the time, I was pretty dead set on getting my engineering degree and building a career. Today, I am still on track to my engineering degree but I have discovered that I want non-profits and their mission to be an integral part of my personal and professional life past college. Before BIP, I thought volunteering met manual labor or spending entire days on retreats but I never dreamed of leveraging my skills gained in the professional world for a non-profit purpose. I think that boards provide an amazing opportunity for people who lead demanding professional lives to give back to their communities and I hope to get involved with one wherever my future career and passions take me. I know that BIP has given me a new perspective amongst all my engineering classes and I hope that my involvement in the non-profit sector will do the same for my professional career. I have seen many people get burnt out during their careers and hope that my involvement with non-profit organizations will balance my energies. Throughout this process Brook (from Kaleidoscope) has proven to me, in my mind, that one can lead both a successful career and a successful life giving back to good causes.

The thing that has surprised me the most about non-profits has been the level of seriousness and governance that I did not expect. I guess my initial assumption was that non-profit boards were comprised of a group of individuals who met in church basements over coffee and discussed social issues. I had no idea how similar they are to what most would consider “corporate America” or the for-profit sector. They manage finances, execute on visions/missions, and assume risk just like any company would in the Fortune 500. I am truly glad that BIP gave me direct insight so that my perspective could be accurately molded.

Last Blog Post!

As of now, my future role with non-profits is uncertain. I know that I want to continue volunteering at non-profits that I care about. I also would love to participate on a non-profit board. As I have begun to attend board meetings at Neighborhood Services, Inc, I have really enjoyed the different aspects of the meeting and I can really see participating on my own board as part of my future. I want to be able to participate on a board for a cause I truly care about because I will be more willing to donate my time and talents towards something I care about. I’m not sure if I can see myself working at a non-profit as my full time job but if I get sick of corporate America, working at a non-profit could definitely be a possibility. I love volunteering but I’m still unsure if a full time job at a non-profit is the right job for me.

I would say the thing I learned during class that surprised me the most was how donations are allocated throughout the non-profit. I found it interesting that if a donation isn’t specified for a certain program that the non-profit provides that the donation can be used for operating costs such as staff salaries. I always wondered how staff were paid who worked at non-profits and I don’t necessarily agree that donations are used to pay for staff salaries.

I learned a lot of information about non-profits in regards to how money is raised, how programming works, how the board interacts with staff at the non-profit and how the board works. I found the board and staff interaction very interesting. After listening to all our guest speakers, I noticed they all exhibited determination and passion for their job at the non-profit and for the mission the non-profit works for. I believe these two qualities are necessary to work within the non-profit sector. Most of our speakers also talked about organization and utilizing your resources, two characteristics I believe I possess. It was reassuring to see that I have similar characteristics to those who work in non-profits and has made me think twice about a possible career in non-profits.

Final Post!

I envision working with non-profits on a volunteer and leadership path in the future. Because of my degree path, I’m interested in introducing business concepts to the non-profit environment. I’d love to build a career around non-profit work, but not necessarily with the same non-profit in the role of an executive director. Consulting non-profits or helping non-profits form effective networks or pool resources (like grant-writers) would be my dream position.

Over the quarter, I’ve been able to see how some of my past experiences have prepared me to work in non-profits. I am really excited to see how being an assured decision maker can be a key asset in the non-profit world as well as the importance of networking. The diversity and the broad skill sets required appeal to me most. I’ve always been interested in having a generalist position - one where I can work with a variety of people on a variety of tasks. I don’t really want to know what each day holds. It has been great to hear that from each of the executive directors or board members about their work with the non-profits.

I learned a lot about the issues of governance this quarter. It was a surprise to know there are so many regulations on non-profits, both from the government and from businesses. I wasn’t aware there was so much someone had to be knowledgeable of before having a leadership role in a non-profit. Prior to this experience, I thought the business skills were the most important skills a leader could bring to a non-profit. Now I recognize that networking skills, diplomacy skills, critical thinking and creativity are all skills to be valued equally for an effective leader.

Katie Is Thankful For This Opportunity

I cannot believe it is already Week 10! I have enjoyed learning about the ins and outs of nonprofit organizations and have gained so much valuable knowledge from the Board Immersion Program. Having this experience has really allowed to me to think about what I would like my future with nonprofits to be like and how I envision working with nonprofits in the future. This experience has confirmed my more recent revelation that while I would still like to attend graduate school to become a Physician Assistant, I would only be happy in my life by remaining significantly involved in the nonprofit sector. I could see myself working as a PA in a clinic for a low-income area or underserved population. If I continue my path to work in pediatric oncology, I would love to get well connected with nonprofits that support the cause. I would enjoy working with nonprofits in some capacity with my future career, but I know for a fact that my personal life will involve volunteering for nonprofits that I am passionate about.

Throughout the course of the quarter, I have reaffirmed my future career goals (in a partial non-specific way). I have truly enjoyed learning about the role that a board plays in the success and future of a nonprofit organization and this is definitely very appealing to me. I think it is extremely beneficial to learn how to strategically plan for the continued success of a nonprofit organization and this is very appealing to me. I have learned a lot from the guest speakers we had the chance to talk with and from the readings. I am not sure I would say I was necessarily ‘surprised’ by anything specific, but I definitely was interested in the inner workings of how the board works with the executive director and other employees. I was also very interested in the more specific ways to make a nonprofit more impactful on the community/population it is serving.

With Thanksgiving finally here in a few short hours, I guess it seems appropriate for me to say one of the many things I am thankful for in my life. And the one that makes sense to say here is how thankful I am to be a student at The Ohio State University. I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend school out of state and the opportunities I have had are absolutely incredible…the Board Immersion Program being one of those opportunities. After interning with a few nonprofits, this experience has allowed me to see the other side of the organizations and find a different way to continue work with nonprofit organizations in my future. And for that, I am incredibly thankful.

Quote of the Week: “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.” William Arthur Ward

In the future, I plan on working for a nonprofit. I don't have much of a vision of what that will exactly look like because there are so many different kinds of things that I could do. I imagine that I wouldn't be working too much with accounting or finance since I have no skills in those areas. It also depends on whether I work for a big or small nonprofit. I could definitely work with the budget if I were in a small nonprofit because as we've learned in class, there are so limited employees, that anyone paid could have a hand in the finances of the organization.

So even though we've learned so much about nonprofits, I'm not sure exactly how I see myself working within a nonprofit yet. I don't think I could be the executive director, but I definitely would want a big role within the nonprofit, nonetheless. We also didn't learn much about larger nonprofits. I'd like to learn more about United Way and bigger nonprofits like the ones we learned about in Forces For Good to maybe get a bigger sense of what kind of job I'd like to go after in the nonprofit world.

Everything we've learned this quarter supports my goals for the future because it directly relates to my career hopes. As far as what appeals to me most, I would have to say that working in a bigger nonprofit seems more like what I would be likely to do because I don't think I could handle the stress of that the small staff on a small nonprofit would have. It surprised me that the board and the staff often don't see eye to eye. I would've thought that since they have the same mission, they would often have the same goals and ways of reaching those goals.

Final Blog Prompt

Now that you have learned all about nonprofit organizations, the inside and the out, reflect on the following questions: How do you envision working with nonprofits in the future? What role do you want them to play in your career/personal life? What have you learned this quarter that matches or supports your goals from the future? What appeals most to you? What did you learn that surprised you? 

Post 6 (Sorry for the delay)

Each time that speakers like Cheryl and Dr. Gilbride-Brown come and share at our class, I truly learn a great deal about the non-profit world. Their honesty and personal experiences are invaluable supplements to the texts that we read. That being said, I learned a great deal from the two of them about the responsibilities of board members, specifically relating to the duties of care, obedience, and loyalty.

To me, duty of compliance/obedience  (staying focused on the mission and maintaining strong financial oversight all specifically for the purpose of upholding the integrity of the organization) seems so basic that it could actually be taken for granted. Cheryl and Dr. G-B mentioned the case of the Grove City food pantry’s embezzlement scandal, which was particularly interesting to me because I suppose I naively assumed that because community-serving nonprofits begin with benevolent intentions, that board members are free from the greed, corruption, and temptation of the private sector.

Duty of care refers to the basic involvement and participation of board members. It was interesting to hear from both of them about what duty of care and participation meant in the contexts of their own boards. For example, the idea that financial contribution and attendance to fund-raising events was expected was something that I had not thought about. They also discussed in detail how they manage the lack of participation and engagement and how to manage the dynamic of people “burning out” or never really being energized because they are required by their bosses to serve on the board. Additionally related to duty of care is the element of fiscal responsibility.

Finally, duty of loyalty refers to the “evangelism” that we studied in Forces for Good, meaning that board members promote the mission, objectives, and interests of the organization when around their close friends, at public events, etc. This is very important because so much funding is generated through tapping these networks, and each public event can serve as an opportunity to make new donor relationships--which means that the org. can do more.

Again, while the idea behind these “cares” seems pretty standard, I learned the most from their personal anecdotes and experiences.

Blog 6

Cheryl and Dr. Gilbride-Brown came and spoke with us about board responsibilities. They also spoke of the legal duties of nonprofit boards: duty of care, duty of obedience, and duty of loyalty. What did you learn about these duties? What surprised you? What do you think of these duties?

It was a very great learning experience to talk to Cherly and Dr. Gilbride-Brown and I feel like I gained a more clear view for the responsibilities of a board member.

we talked about three duties: duty of care, duty of obedience and duty of loyalty.

Duty of care:

it is about involvement of board member. it includes financial contribution, attending board meeting and actively contributing ideas.

Duty of loyalty is about being faithful for the organization. I think it goes hand in hand with duty of care. Daily involvement sometimes can be very demanding in terms of time and energy. What motivate the board members to move on is their passion for the cause that the organization represents. Truly believe in what you are doing makes one's work much easier and enjoyable.

Duty of obiendience/ compliance

it is more of a bottom line kind of duty for a board member and which people don't usually think about. It is to always think in terms of the organization's best interest and to maintain organizational integrity and have a clear understand of the federal and local legal regulation and abiding by them.

What we talked in class gives me a better understanding for duties of a board member and the daily work and problems board members are facing is much more complicated and detailed. These duties are the guideline with which they navigate themselves through every tough decision and prioritize their daily work.

Overall the discussion in class gives me a refreshed view of the role of a board member here are the points which surprised me or impressed me the most:

1. Even though financial support is an very important expectation from a board member however there is much more to be expected of a board member than just writing checks or bring in social connections. they have to really get involved in the decision making process attend the board meeting and fundraising actives on a regular basis. they have to really contribute their ideas and cares about the cause the organization works.

Cheryl, whose organization i ll be working with, is a very good example of a caring board member. from the meeting with her and later the meeting with Berine. I learnt that she is a highly involved board member. she is not only serving her financial duties well but also is engaged actively in detailed daily issues. She does everything she can to reduce overheads of daily operations and try her best to do outworks that will benefit the organization. She provides everybody a clear direction where the organization is going and consistenly making changes according to the environment and designing programs that fit into the organization's mission. When she was talking it was not the least sounds that an burdensome obligation to serve on a board and it s more of like something she really enjoy. I also really impressed by her honesty by her saying if you don't feel like you are passionate about this organization please don t work for it.

2.maintaining integrity sounds like a duty which need no more mention and most board member will not violate the bottom line. I was kind of surprise to hear that there are really embezzling members on some board and the loss they caused is quite large relative to the entire budget.

what i have never know prior to this discussion is Being a board member can expose one to legal risk. i aware that serving on a board it s a lot more than an opportunity to building networks to make one feel good about themselves, but a serious commitment which can help so many people with their lives and if not handle with care can lead to very serious consequences.

3 what also impressed me is a board member is not only asked to be faithful themselves but are also required to build a trust within the organization. it becomes very important to draw the line between a duties of board members and managerial members. even though board member expected to be devoted and involved, but too much interference with daily managerial duties will create unnecessary trust issues within the organization. this can cause loyal members lose their faith for the board and even for the this organization as a whole.

Duties

Molly Ellender

I really enjoy hearing Cheryl and Dr. Gilbride-Brown speak because of the clear honestly they are portraying towards us. I feel much more included as a member of the board since they are telling us the good, the bad, and the ugly. It is like they are really taking us seriously and want us to fully understand everything that goes on. This being said, I think it is clear that no matter what ugly things they do tell us about, it is obvious that is is completely worth it for them to continue their work in non-profit. I am constantly surprised by the amount of politics involved when we talk about new aspects of the board. I had no idea how much it truly controlled the decisions, members, and board dynamics.

Duty of care - I think the only way to truly be able to commit everything that is expected of you on a board is to 100% feel passionately about the cause in which your non-profit works. All of the duties that are expected of a member are a lot. Unless it is something that runs deeper than just feeling good about yourself for working for a greater good, it might be hard to be fully invested.

Duty of obedience - I think this is the duty that surprised me the most just in the sense that it wasn't something I had really thought about. It does seem like each member of the board would have to fully understand the legal regulations of the board or their decisions couldn't be made to the best of their ability. This is where the passion needs to come into play because outside work and research probably has to be done by each member to fully understand all of the legalities.

Duty of loyalty - To me loyalty is something that is deeply important in anything that I do. It would only make sense that complete loyalty should be shown to the entire non-profit so all actions portray a positive light and therefore gain the respect and support of the community.

Another thing that really surprised me was Dr. Gilbride-Brown and the financial contributions expected of the board members. I guess in my mind it kind of seemed like board members might not have to contribute as much financially since they are so important in making the non-profit successful, but it makes sense that their support is needed and should be part of their duty. Each speaker/topic presented to us in class makes me think deeper into the way that these boards are run and makes me excited to keep learning about the problems boards face daily.

Board Duties Reflection: Andrew Wharton

I felt that I had multiple takeaways from our discussions with Cheryl and Dr. Gilbride-Brown. I felt that their introspective approach to their involvement on their respective boards allowed the class to get a firm grasp on the intangible details that are too often lost in the fine print. The thing I was most surprised to discover was the legal duties board members have to each other, their boards, and the state. I know the last thing I thought about when joining the board was what legal risk I could be exposing myself to by signing up for the BIP. I couldn’t help but chuckle when I heard there was such a thing as “board insurance” as there is for every other facet of our lives but you would rather be with than without I guess. The duties part did not surprise me too much but I thought it was nice that they were explicit rather than implicit for our sake:

Duty of Care: You have to have a certain level of engagement in the organization and its mission. If you are not a contributor of time, talents, and wealth, a seat on the board is probably not for you. It was very interesting to note how devoted both Cheryl and Dr. Gilbride-Brown have been with their organizations and how much outside effort they put back into their organizations. Like everything else in life, if its not worth doing right, its not worth doing at all.

Duty of Loyalty: In today’s world trust is everything. Everywhere you go people are looking for pristine levels of trust that are accrued through long bouts of loyalty. As a board member, it is your duty to the organization to promote honest financial objectives, not slander the organization, and to uphold what most would consider a natural level of faithfulness in any duty your perform on behalf of, or outside the board.

Duty of Obedience/Compliance: It is your duty to understand all rules and regulations and abide by them. Just like sports, life is difficult when you don’t follow the rules and loops back to a degradation of duty of loyalty as well.

The key point in all of these duties is that being a member of any board is a serious and revered position that should be managed with care. You are holding people’s dreams, visions, and typically lives in the balance through your decisions and actions on the board. This is why being a board member, while it is an exciting opportunity, must be regarded with all seriousness as well.

Duties

This was a really great learning experience for me. I’m working on a business plan for a class in one of my classes this quarter and part of the model includes a board of directors. I wasn’t aware that boards had legally binding responsibilities to the state to sit on a board of directors.

I learned the most about the duty of loyalty. Prior to the conversation, I got the feeling that people use boards for a lot of networking and move from board to board to board pretty quickly. But, I learned it was important to maintain respect and loyalty to that board and not have conflicting interests within the community.

I was surprised to learn about the duty of care the most. Dr. Gilbride-Brown’s feedback about the frustrations and joys of being the director of the board was great to understand as well. I would not have previously thought about the financial support that is important to come from a board member. This made a lot of sense with Dr. Gilbride-Brown was talking about asking friends to donate and participate in the mission of the organization. It is harder to get community buy in of any kind when you aren’t completely bought into the organization.

It was great to tie this in with the information about the collective power of non-profits. The example given about the buying power a dollar being multiplied to buy nearly 7 times the amount of food for a person through Neighborhood Services. It was also really practical information to learn how boards deal with non-cooperative board members, those that might not continue to financially give to the organization or who are less than active in generating interest and support amongst their peers. Prior to this meeting, I was aware that it was important for board members to have strong connections and the desire to network and build those relationships. But, I was not aware that it was so important for a board member to continue and grow this networking talent once on the board.

Katie Learns the Duties of a Board Member

Cheryl and Dr. Gilbride-Brown came and spoke with us about board responsibilities. They also spoke of the legal duties of nonprofit boards: duty of care, duty of obedience, and duty of loyalty. What did you learn about these duties? What surprised you? What do you think of these duties?

I learned so much from listening to Cheryl and Dr. Gilbride-Brown talk about their experiences with nonprofit boards and the responsibilities that one must uphold when accepting a position to sit on a board. As they spoke about the legal duties of the board, I have learned something about each one and how they play into one’s role on a board. I feel like these duties allow us to really remember the reasons we accept a position and remind us of the basic values we have promised to the nonprofit we are serving.

Duty of Care: Being engaged. It is extremely important to be invested in the mission of the nonprofit and actively participating in all of the board’s activities, functions and meetings. Not only should you attend these commitments, but understanding discussions and engaging in thoughtful conversations is important.

Duty of Loyalty: You must be devoted to the mission and values of the organization. It is your responsibility to live out these in your daily life and prove that you are passionate about the cause.

Duty of Obedience/Compliance: You must be faithful and ensure that the organization is complying with laws and regulations. By understanding your full responsibilities, you will know what your role is and how to fully execute your duties.

I think what I gathered most from the discussion about the duties one has as a board member was how important it is to take the position seriously. You have been asked to sit on a board for a reason, and you must be honest with yourself and the board to ensure that you are advancing it in the best possible way. By fulfilling your duties, you are able to make a difference, but by not fulfilling these duties, you are actually hurting the direction of the nonprofit. I appreciated how honest Cheryl and Dr. Gilbride-Brown were with us when discussing this topic. It was especially helpful in understanding the effects that board members have on the growth of an organization.

Quote of the Week: “Be proud of how far you have come, and have faith in how far you can go.” Richard Springs