Tis The Season To Give Hope

How To Be A Great Board Member And Make a Huge Difference   Lots of good work is happening around you in your community. I can guarantee there are least four organizations a stone’s throw from your office that are dedicated to helping others.  Houses are being built for those who can’t afford them at market rate. Exercise classes are being taught to lonely elderly who need social connections and ways to stay healthy. After-school programs are giving children a warm and safe place to be while their parents finish their workday. The list is endless.   These organizations are usually being run by mission-driven, big-hearted, thinly spread executive directors who need your help. While giving financially is, of course, always an option, the best thing you can do with your experience, position and resources, is to join the board of directors.   The board of directors is a group of volunteers who help the executive director fulfill the mission of the organization. This is a great way to truly serve in your community, but it’s not always easy. You can choose to simply fill a seat, or you can be a great board member.   According to Grant Buenger, Executive Director of Racine Habitat for Humanity, the board has a huge impact on the success rate of a non-profit organization. Buenger, who has served on multiple boards himself and now leads his own at Habitat, says that all board members are usually well-intentioned but without proper training in governance, the board as a whole can become a traffic jam of egos, poor execution and bad meetings, leaving the board ineffective and an executive director exasperated.   Being a great board member can have the opposite effect by supporting the executive director, growing the organization, fulfilling its mission and changing a community. Buenger offers the following ways to be a GREAT board member:   Learn the ins and outs of the organization: Ask questions. Learn the structure of the organization, its mission, history, goals and programs. Listen to the executive director and truly understand what he or she is doing to fulfill the mission. You are there to help steer the ship, but the ED is the captain. Get on board with his or her vision, making sure that person feels encouraged and supported. Approach the other staff with a position of humility and ask them about their jobs and the daily operations. The more you understand about the organization the better you can help steer it.   Make sure your input aligns with the mission: Fulfilling the mission is the top priority. Use that lens to filter your comments, ideas and decisions. Continually check to make sure that you’re not letting your personal opinions, ego or just plain fear get in the way of you serving the organization in such a way that furthers the mission. You have great resources, experience and expertise to bring to the table but it's only useful if you are tailoring what you offer to the needs of the organization. Think about what’s needed first, then how you can help fill that need.   Bring resources to the table: Here’s where you get to shine. The two things non-profits need the most are money and connections. You can leverage yours for the organization. Advocate for the cause in your social circles. Talk about the mission and organization everywhere you go. Showcase your excitement and support. Invite those you know to participate in fundraisers or other events and tell them that you are giving to the cause, encouraging them to do the same. Use your season tickets to take a potential donor to the game or offer unused tickets to the ED for him or her to do so. Your energy and support is contagious. Use it to make a difference. Roll up your sleeves and work: Non-profits generally have lots of volunteer opportunities. You can join a board committee in your field of expertise, offering to review financial documents, lead projects or support other employees. You can also volunteer in the actual programs, such as mentoring a youth, building a home or organizing an office. Make sure to show up for these tasks as an actual volunteer, taking direction from others instead of offering your expertise.   A great board member is a huge asset to an organization. You can be that asset. ### This blog post is based on the IOL Podcast #147 Building Hope and Transformational Leadership with Grant Buenger.   Blog Author: Ashley Buenger      

Leaving a Legacy Ron Tatum was walking through Wal-Mart with his wife one afternoon when a young store employee walked up to him and told him that he owed Tatum a debt of gratitude. The young man reminded Tatum that, years prior, he had given the young man interview advice when the man was re-entering society after being incarcerated. Using the advice, the man had landed the job at Wal-Mart on the spot and was soon to become a manager.   This sort of interaction happens to Tatum all the time. Due to his mentor mindset, the Executive Director of Kenosha-area non-profit organization, KAFASI has impacted the lives of close to two hundred young people. He has been mentoring for over twenty years, a service he considers paid forward since he was mentored when he was young.    “I was once statistically identified as an African American black male who wouldn’t make it out of the inner city,” Tatum says. “Now, I’m an Executive Director.  But there is a journey associated with that. I wasn’t supposed to be here. I could’ve been dead somewhere or in jail or prison easily with the group and the crowd who I associated myself with at a young age. It was through my mentors and with the faith passed down to me from my family, that I began to see something in myself I hadn’t before.”   Tatum cites two major mentors: a former supervisor and his mother. His supervisor noticed right away that Tatum could be an executive director one day. She told him so and asked him to trust her so she could help him get there. His mom, a lifelong mentor to him and to other kids in his neighborhood, reminded him that life was meant to be lived for others.   Now Tatum is a great leader who is making a significant impact.   Mentoring others is powerful, life-changing, and well worth the work. However, it isn’t easy. In theory, it may be something that many think highly of, but in practice, it’s not always done well or at all.   Many leaders are where they are today because of a mentor—someone else who was generous with their time and energy—who guided them, showing them what the future could be as a result of hard work and dedication, offering sound advice that spoke into their lives during particular situations.   Tatum considers “paying it forward” as a part of his duty as a leader. He was given an opportunity because of his mentors so he should offer the same to others. Considering Tatum’s example, here are 3 qualities of a highly effective mentor:   A Heart of Humility and Gratitude: It begins with humility in understanding that you have what you do because others helped you achieve it. You didn’t land where you are completely on your own with your own power and will. From that humility comes gratitude. Out of that gratitude you extend the same kindness to someone else. Begin by identifying someone in your life in which you see potential and then offer to spend some time with him or her. Ask if he or she would be interested in being mentored and go from there.   The Ability to Point out Calling: From your position that is higher up and further ahead of someone you are mentoring, you can see things your mentee cannot. You have experience, wisdom and understanding you can offer. Take time to identify what gifts and talents your mentee might possess and what opportunities they have in front of them. Offer advice on how to use those things to move forward toward success. It may not be the same path that you took, so be thoughtful in helping to create a path for your mentee that is a fit for him or her.   Committed when it gets tough: Just because you offer great insight, doesn’t always mean that it’s received the way you think it should be. In a mentor and mentee role, the mentor is patient and committed, adjusting messaging and lessons that help the mentee to understand, especially in times that might be a little frustrating. It doesn’t mean that you should require your mentee to wax multiple cars, but well, why not?  You are helping another person learn and grow. Your role might require you to get a little creative. Treating your mentee with love, patience, and kindness won’t steer you wrong.   Tatum says mentoring has been some of the most important work of his life. “Things you do for yourself are gone when you’re gone,” Tatum says, “But things you do for others, will remain as your everlasting legacy.”   At Impact of Leadership, we emphasize the importance of leaving a legacy. The most important work you do is not gaining a paycheck or scaling your business, it’s in taking your resources and choosing to make the world a better place.   ###   This post is based on the IOL Podcast Episode #154: Impacting Your Community with Servant Leadership & Mentorship.   This blog was written by Ashley Buenger.