Why You Should Join a Board

why you should join a board by don chamberlinWhile it seems like a big commitment, volunteering to serve on a nonprofit board is a lot more accessible than you might think.  There’s often an image of nonprofit boards being restricted to extremely wealthy socialites with no shortage of money or time on their hands.  Yet the reality is a lot different; nonprofit boards aren’t anything like corporate boards, and each one is different from the other.  Organizations could hope for board members with capacity, but more than anything else you want to find somebody whose passionate and influential.  Here are some of the reasons you should join a nonprofit, based off an article I found online:

Learning patience: A lot of words can be spoken over a conference table; people can argue, say stupid things and make brilliant observations.  Being able to wade through all of that will teach you patience.

Asking for money: When you were trick or treating as a child, you may have brought around a UNICEF box, asking for pennies for a good cause.  If you can ask for money as an eight-year-old dressed like Mickey Mouse, then you can absolutely ask for money as an adult board member.

Enriching your resume: Being a board member looks good on any resume.

Meeting interesting people: People who join boards are almost always interesting, choosing a more hands-on approach to charity than that person who just attends a charity auction once a year.  Being around such people will benefit you on numerous levels.

Playing nicely: Being on a board member with a bunch of people who are otherwise unconnected to you is all about diplomacy.  Learning how to turn your board into a team will benefit everybody leaps and bounds.

Understanding assets better: You’ll learn how to better read and understand financial statements, then ask a related question that will actually make sense.

Running effective meetings: If you find yourself as a committee chair who heads a group of people that don’t work for you, you’ll need to learn a very different set of skills than any regular staff meeting, which can improve overall leadership.

Stimulating your mind: Board service at its best will let you bring your full self to the table, something you can’t always do in an organization.

Appreciating the organization better: The closer you are to the work of a nonprofit, then the more passionate you’ll become about it.

Tiny Charities

There are millions of charities in the world, each with their own mission and problem to solve. In 2014, more than $350 billion was donated to nearly one million charities, but how many of those were reputable. In the flurry of holiday feelings, a crafty thief can easily profit off of the kindness of strangers by using names of mega-charities for their ill-gotten gains. What are some smaller charities that are deserving of your attention, and can insure that your dollar goes far as possible.

 

Don ChamberlinArcadia: An interesting take on the traditional non-for-profit, Arcadia’s approach is one that benefits us all. Research clean, renewable forms of energy, this small company in Rockport, Maine, has big dreams. With the right amount of help, we could help make the world better for our children, and their children’s children.

Pediatric Cancer Foundation: Children are the best of us. Innocently unaware of the world, youth affords an ignorance of hardship, but sadly not everyone is able to enjoy it. The Pediatric Cancer Foundation raises money for children battling cancer. Funds are used to help afford the best doctors and their flights to the children, ensuring they get the very best care.

Alpha House Tampa: A brilliant charity offering aid to women during their most vulnerable, Alpha House has several programs to help women who are expecting. Whether finding affordable medical care or vocational programs to help them get back on their feet, Alpha House wants to do everything they can for the next generation of mothers.

No matter who you choose to support, contributing to a charity brings its own set of returns. The feeling of giving without expectation of return, aiming to improve someone’s life, is a gift all on its own. So when choosing which charity is deserving of your hard-earned money, consider the little charities. A dollar given for a better world is a dollar for us all.

Giving on a Budget

Giving is a gift unto itself. Whether donating to a charity or simply giving food to someone with an empty stomach, charitable donations come in many shapes and sizes. However, not all of us have the ability to donate thousands of dollars, even if the cause is something we feel deeply passionate about. But did you know there are a number of things you can donate without breaking the bank that can still make a difference? Below is a list of the best things to give when money isn’t the most abundant.

Don ChamberlinDid you know that almost 75% of accrued airline miles go unused in their lifetime? Well, if you are in the mood to give and have a few spare miles, why not put them to good use? The Hero Miles Program, designed to help veterans and their families, have produced nearly 50,000 tickets over its several years of operation. Giving back to wounded veterans is an honorable task, and you don’t need to be bursting at the seams with spare cash to do it.

Another excellent way to turn your rarely used rewards into donations is by giving away your credit card rewards points. Many card companies have adopted this process, enabling you to direct your rewards to whomever you choose. Whichever charity you decide, they will surely be happy to receive your generous gifts, and the tax-deductible donation is an excellent bonus for a good deed.

Few know that the excess energy produced by solar panels can be given as charitable donations. Gridmates, a Texas-based organization, uses the excess energy and redistributes it to low-income residents struggling to keep the lights on. A brilliant way to turn a naturally occurring resource into an act of kindness, you can donate the gift of light and heat for little to no cost.