Things to consider - Serving on the board

The role of the board members varies by organizations, but Taft-Pearman claims, "it is a real responsibility and commitment, something that should be taken seriously. You have fiduciary and legal responsibility."

Board members for nonprofit organizations have a number of roles. Although it is a non-paying job it must be taken seriously. Time commitments also vary, ranging from about two hours per month to two hours per week. Before joining a board, it is important to understand how often the board meets and how much time you will be required to spend on projects outside of board meetings.

When joining a board for the first time you should consider to participating wholeheartedly. Also, think about your resources and what you can contribute. Sitting on the board is something easy and simple, but it requires due diligence and perseverance, as well as integrity.

Note, "Signaling that you are a team player is critical and with that comes some humility. Listen and pay attention. Also, be creative. You should be able to "work on a very tangible project early on. Show that you can add value to the organization." Most importantly, "while you may want to swoop in and fix things, problems and solutions are not always as simple as they seem. Some of the problems have been entrenched in a nonprofit organization for a long time and you need to be realistic about what you can change.

Board leadership can sometimes go wrong. Taft-Pearman points out that "things can go wrong when there are mismatched expectations about the time commitment and who has ownership over which tasks. Also, when the board is not as involved as it should be, problems can arise in the organization after it is too late."

O'Connor also says, "Board meetings get tense when board member want to get too involved and micro-manage situations." O'Connor reminds us that while board members have a fiduciary responsibility to the organization, they are to be overseers and not micro-managers of the minutia of day to day operations. Finally, Griffith adds, "it is better to under-promise and over-deliver than over-promise and under-deliver. People in the nonprofit community talk, so be cautious about what you promise."

This goes under the heading of "Things to be considered".