Ask ReproJobs: How do I join a Board of Directors?
Dear ReproJobs,
I would love to be involved as a board member for a repro org, but I don't know how. I only have a B.A. I do not have money nor do I have any fundraising skills or a network. My friends also do not have money. Every time I look at any opportunities it feels like it for people who are well-connected (lawyers, executives, etc) and are well-established and I am over here a first-generation Latina who has a passion for repro justice with a burning need to do something. How do I get started, I guess is my question.
— Passionate With Nowhere To Go
Dear Passionate With Nowhere To Go,
We hear you: it can sometimes feel like the reproductive health, rights, and justice non-profit world is a private speakeasy where you have to know the password to enter. Sometimes this is because of past traumas, sometimes this is regular old gatekeeping.
First things first—think about why you want to serve on a board. Is it to support an organization that you really love? To help an organization head in a new direction? Or to build your résumé and skills? All of these are reasons that people join boards, but what’s most important is that you’re joining the board of an organization whose future you want to help shape. Serving should be something you want to commit to rather than something you do to check off a box or because you think you’re supposed to. It’s a big responsibility; often you’re part of the governing board that approves and oversees organizational budgets, evaluates the Executive Director, approves staff salaries and benefits, and guides organizational strategy. This is why it’s important to serve on the board of an organization you care about—it’s a big investment of time and energy.
Next, you say you don’t have money or fundraising skills or a network, but we’d guess that you have tons of valuable skills and expertise that would be a great asset to a non-profit board. The idea that only certain types of skills or professional capacities are desired in nonprofit jobs or boards is exactly the mentality that leads to so many nonprofits (including repro nonprofits) to be filled with white, cis, straight, able-bodied, wealthy women who are the least likely to look like the communities they serve and experience the intersectional reproductive oppression that is everyday life for so many of us. You have valuable experiences to bring to a board or an organization just by being who you are -- maybe that experience is life experience or community organizing or being fluent in other languages. That’s just as valuable as the skills you listed!
Another reality is this: sometimes nonprofits want to bring in new people as board members, and other times, they pull from a group of already-vetted donors, volunteers, and friends of the organization (or Executive Director, which of course is problematic). There are some services like BoardAssist, BoardMemberConnect, and BoardSource that have mixed results in matching volunteers with board opportunities. Your best bet is probably the tried-and-true method of showing up (virtually, these days) at events, webinars, tweet chats, and volunteer trainings so you can build a relationship with the organization’s staff, get to know them, and see if they’d be a good fit for you in terms of board service. This also allows them to get to know and trust you as a supporter and ally.
While fundraising can be an important role for board members, it is not the sole role. Many boards help support the organization’s leadership to think critically about strategy, bring necessary community perspectives, create organizational policies, and serve as an ambassador for the organization. There are so many roles for you to play on a board beyond fundraising!
Serving as a board member is one way to be involved with a reproductive health, rights, and justice organization -- but it’s just one way. You can also donate, volunteer, fundraise, share your skills (like graphic design or creating amazing spreadsheets), and much much more. Considering the dire straits so many organizations are in right now because of COVID-19, they may not have the capacity to recruit, train, and onboard new board members. Email them (and follow them on social media, sign up for their newsletters, etc.) to ask about what support they need right now. Challenge your own assumptions about why board membership is the most important -- you might find that other opportunities to share your brilliance are just as rewarding.
Love,
ReproJobs