“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.”
Robert F. Kennedy
Leadership Through Board Service
A number of years ago, a mentor planted the seed for me to consider serving on a board. He continued to explain that board service was a way to gain a different perspective, continue learning concurrent with one’s career, and influence an organization outside your company. He furthered that it would help me better understand a CEO’s relationship with his or her board, and most importantly, make a contribution to the community above and beyond my current employment. His reasons were compelling and humbling, and they set in motion discernment of how, and on what board, I might get involved.
Still early in my career, I doubted if I really had much to contribute at the board level. While I donate as generously as I can to charities I believe in, I am not independently wealthy. My kids were still young and I had my hands full. I also was clueless about how to go about getting asked to join (voted onto) a board. I had every excuse not to pursue it, and still the intrigue was there.
I started thinking about organizations I admired, within my industry and beyond. I inquired about the board of one privately held company in a different sector of healthcare, but decided against it early on given the potential for conflicts of interest. To risk stating the obvious, I also quickly realized that not all boards are the same. For my first shot at board service and given the amount of time (and philanthropic giving) I could dedicate, I steered clear of private and public/corporate boards. I started reflecting on if I wanted to serve on an advisory board or the board of a not-for-profit. I settled on the latter.
Selecting an Organization to Get Involved With
One of my favorite not-for-profit organizations is the Boys & Girls Club, which I first encountered through the after-school program in my children’s public elementary school. It’s “mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens” (Mission Statement: Boys & Girls Club of America). This takes the form of community-based club houses, school-based programs, and enrichment opportunities to expose kids and young adults to career opportunities and promote high school graduation.
According to Boys & Girls Club of America, 11.3 million kids (1 out of 4) leave school each day with no place to go. 43 million kids lack access to summer learning programs. The result is that millions of our nation’s youth risk being unsupervised, unguided, and unsafe. The Boys & Girls Clubs is about providing youth with a safe, constructive, supportive environment when they are not at home or at school, where they can have fun with peers and be guided by trained youth development professionals.
Knowing very little about the Boys & Girls Club at the time, I sat as a young working mother transitioning from the extended hours available at preschool to kindergarten, shocked and horrified at the disruption inherent in the public school system (and this was before COVID-19). I vividly remember kindergarten orientation circa 2016, hearing about the number of half-days, holidays, week-long breaks and early dismissals. Tears started streaming down my cheeks. A mother next to me turned to offer me a tissue, offering “they grow up so quickly, don’t they!?!” I accepted her kindness with a smile, and didn’t bother explain that nostalgia was not the true reason behind my tears.
Make it Personal
My husband and I both worked full-time in the city. Trying to figure out the jigsaw puzzle of our evolving childcare needs was bringing on feelings of logistical overwhelm and financial stress. I found myself wondering if I would need to step back from my career, unsure of how this was all going to work. I appreciate that we were a dual-income family, and cannot even begin to fathom how difficult this chapter of life might be for families with less means.
Toward the end of the session, the principal mentioned that the Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle was available for early-drop off starting at 7am, after school care through 6:30pm, and provided afternoon coverage on half-days, affordably priced to serve all children. They even offered enrichment electives for a modest fee, including robotics, music lessons, and chess. My jaw on the floor, I almost audibly thought “Couldn’t he have led with that!?!” I previously knew nothing about the Boys & Girls Club, but they instantly became my #1 favorite not-for-profit, supporting working families and particularly working mothers.
As my daughter grew up within the Elementary School, a few dedicated staff members of the Boys & Girls Club started a talent show to give the children confidence performing. The next year, they stood up a full-blown musical. In first grade, Natalie came home having been cast as “Molly” in the musical “Annie.” After squeals of celebration, out of curiosity, I asked her who was playing the grown-up characters (e.g., older students, teachers). The next day, she came home and told me that she’d volunteered me to be “Miss Hannigan.” You didn’t have to ask me twice! The following year, I played the role of Natalie’s mother as Mrs. Gloop in “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.” Watching the staff of the Boys & Girls Club work with the children in rehearsals, my admiration for the club and their mission grew.
Making it Happen
And so one night, on LinkedIn I searched Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle, stumbling upon the profile of the President of their Board. Using the messenger feature, I reached out directly inquiring about the possibility to get involved.
Low and behold, Mary Jo Jacobs responded and within a week we had dinner together at a local restaurant. My resume was brought before the existing board for a vote to have me join as a new member. While I needed to initiate it and stick my neck out a little, it really wasn’t very complicated or difficult to join a volunteer not-for-profit board. My willingness to dedicate time and expertise was welcomed with appreciation and enthusiasm. My first board meeting, we reviewed and fleshed out the strategic plan of the club. As someone who had built their career in strategic planning, maybe there was something I could contribute afterall.
Shepherding a 92-year-old Not-for-Profit through a Once in a Century Pandemic
I joined the Board about six-months prior to the COVID-19 surge in New York, hitting New Rochelle as the nation’s epicenter. As school’s closed, the programming provided by the 92-year-old organization began to shutter, and with it our revenue stream. Almost overnight, the club was forced to furlough 150+ members of our staff (mostly part-timers).
All unsure of how long schools would be impacted, I remember wondering with concern how quickly we’d be able to reinstate our programming, given high-quality childcare providers are an in-demand workforce. With a Board Member’s perspective, I recall appreciating the longer the programs stayed closed the harder it would be to reopen them to their previous scale. I heard anecdotally that employees appreciated the swiftness with which the decision to furlough was made, as it gave individuals time to get their unemployment in order ahead of the bolus that followed a couple weeks later. Still to me it was heartbreaking.
As our big Spring fundraising Gala approached (traditionally an in-person plated dinner at an upscale venue), I recall debating with other members of the Development Committee whether it was better to postpone for a few months (looking back on it, a bit naive in concept) or cut our losses and take a completely different approach. We settled on a fully virtual event, with lower costs and proportionally lower expectations on fundraising, with hopes that the annual fall golf outing might be less impacted. Our sites turned toward grant funding and PPP loans.
Keeping The Faith Alive
Over the summer, an emergency board meeting was called to examine the financial solvency of the company. Already paired down to barebones staff, many of which were absorbing 20-25% haircuts on their salaries, we debated whether or not it was necessary to reduce the staff further. Instead, the Board agreed to a “give or get” challenge with each board member being responsible to produce $10K to keep the 92-year-old organization alive. As a Board, we deeply engaged feeling responsible not only to our remaining core staff, but also our mission.
The food scarcity for the kids and families we traditionally served was real. The educational divide between low-income and more affluent families was as marked as ever during remote learning. While our programming was stifled by CDC regulations, our mission to serve the community continued with a beating pulse stronger than ever. In the midst of suffering, love prevailed.
Investing in the next 100 years…
Coming out of the pandemic, the CEO of our club chose to move on after five years of service. Having engaged deeply in the work of the Board in the past year+, I now serve as the Vice President supporting the incredible Mary Jo Jacobs. As VP, I’m also responsible to lead the search committee for the next CEO. As a part of that work, we dream about the next chapter of the Boy & Girls Club in Southern Westchester, serving one of the highest density communities in the United States.
Reflecting back on the leadership lessons my mentor hoped I’d gain from participating Board service, I feel that I’ve been able to do all of that and more in a very short period of time. I’ve stayed employed in the same time period without disruption. I’ve seen a CEO come and go. I’ve supported the strategic plan development in peace and war times for a community-based not-for-profit. The challenges inherent in COVID-19 has continued to necessitate me, as a working mother, to lean on the programming provided by the Boys & Girls Club, who successfully stood up study pods on remote work days. While I appreciate my family is just one small piece of the demographic served by the Boys & Girls Club, and arguably the least mission-critical, my ability to relate to the relief the services provide, as well as evaluate our quality firsthand with what I’d want for my own children has been very powerful. In turn, my children have benefitted from the diversity of friendships they have each made with the children of the club.
Reflecting on the Inherent Leadership Lessons
My volunteerism in a not-for-profit has allowed me to not only serve, but learn lessons in leadership that wouldn’t have been possible in the same period of time without the perspective that Board service provided. I was thrown into very real challenges and was asked to weigh-in on the solvency of a historic organization during a pivotal moment in its history. The current President of the Board has taught me much about how to be as a female executive and as an engaged member of the community. The investment of time to an organization I care deeply about has paid dividends in my own learning and development as an intentional leader of my community. For those looking to make a bigger contribution with their time and talents, I strongly encourage you to get involved with a cause(s) that you care about. Thank you in advance for your board service!
To learn more about the work of the Boys & Girls Club and make a donation, visit:
https://bgcnr.networkforgood.com/projects/122373-a-positive-place-for-kids
