As more of our organizations face recruitment and engagement issues with our Boards of Directors, it is time to think outside of the box and take new approaches. One such idea is to consider youth serving on our Boards. Below is a great overview and info from the
National Council of Nonprofits, the umbrella organization for the NYCON, for your consideration.
You’re
only as old as you feel
By
Jennifer Chandler
When
a question landed in my inbox last week about youth serving on nonprofit
boards, my thoughts turned to our society’s attitudes towards age and the role
that charitable nonprofits can play in bridging the “generation gap.” The
question in my inbox was: “Are there any programs that prepare youth to serve
on nonprofit boards?” The question prompted me to think about the distance
between young and old, and how nonprofits bridge what I think of as a
“perspectives gap.”
But
first, let’s clarify a threshold issue relating to the question posed. While
seven states (Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and
Utah) prevent anyone under the “majority age” (usually 18) from serving as a
board member of a nonprofit corporation, most states are silent about the age
of board members. This leaves the decision about what age is appropriate for
board members up to the individual nonprofits. (To our knowledge there are no
state laws that restrict older individuals from serving on boards.) If
you are curious what your state law says about the age of board members, you
can research the statutes that govern nonprofit corporations in your state at LawForChange.org.
The
post "Youth Board
Members: Can minors serve on nonprofit boards?" by Emily Chan,
co-author of the Nonprofit Law Blog, gives an excellent overview of the legal
issues raised when young people serve on boards. Chan raises many important
questions nonprofits should tackle before inviting youth to take on
decision-making roles, and she offers several alternatives to board service.
Chan’s post is very comprehensive (and we always appreciate Nonprofit Law
Blog’s carefully researched resources). My own view is that whether someone
under 18 should serve on a nonprofit board should not turn on whether the
“youth board member will feel isolated” or “what skills or training the youth
board member needs that the organization currently does not provide?”
Isolation, preparation for taking on the fiduciary duties that board service
requires, and other issues are equally relevant across the age spectrum. What
we are really exploring when we ask the age question is whether this particular
individual has skills and experiences that will add value to the board’s work
and/or whether placing that person on a governing board is necessary to fulfill
other goals, such as growing the bench of leadership for the organization, or
creating ambassadors to segments of stakeholders that are important for the
nonprofit’s work.
Conscious
of the need for continuity of leadership, many nonprofits cultivate talent,
whether young or old, to make sure that multiple perspectives are represented
on their board and that when one generation steps aside, another is ready to
take its place. “It’s something the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits
advocates, as we want to see nonprofits grow their leadership and ensure that
other generations are ready to serve,” explains Trisha Lester, Vice
President of the North
Carolina Center for Nonprofits.
“Authentically engaging young people as partners and decision-makers is a
crucial and challenging topic for youth-serving nonprofits (and other groups).
Service on governance boards can be a powerful way to do this, but there are
other ways to accomplish the goal of giving this particular constituency
voice,” says Molly O’Connell, Resources and Advocacy Coordinator at the Maine Association of Nonprofits.
Looked at another way, we all need mentors, and when seasoned seniors can pass
their wisdom and insights on to younger generations – whether defined as under
18 or under 30 – everybody wins over time. (If you think that working with
board members is a little like herding cats, this 60 Minutes story about the
importance of role models for elephants may suggest a different analogy!)
Moreover,
a board that boasts a diversity of perspectives is simply better-poised for
scenario planning. Different life experiences not only help board members see
around the organization’s corners, but also help the organization see
challenges in the community more clearly. Such added perspective can lead to
more effective problem-solving and greater impact. When the work of charitable
nonprofits reflects diverse perspectives, this is a perfect example of a
“triple bottom line” ROI because it benefits the nonprofit, volunteers, and the
community.
At
the National Council of Nonprofits we are strong believers in the value of proactively preparing leaders
and diversifying governing
boards (and staff) of nonprofits. We also believe in the important role
that charitable nonprofits play as places where people in communities, young
and old, of all shapes, sizes, and colors, come together to learn from each
other and collaboratively solve problems.
So
what does age have to do with it? Age, like any other characteristic,
adds meaningful texture to our own perspectives. And the perspectives of
charitable nonprofits are really all about the perspectives of individuals in
communities, coming together through nonprofits, to affect change and improve
their worlds.
Resources
about cultural competency (Bridgestar and BoardSource)
Resources
Boards
and governance issues (National Council of Nonprofits)
Next Generation and Governance
(BoardSource)
Plan
A – How Successful Nonprofits Develop Their Future Leaders (Bridgestar)
Youth
Advisory Committees (Michigan Community Foundation Youth Project)
Creating
a Teen Board/Ambassador Program (United Way of Central New Mexico)
Case
study on board diversity (Maine Association of Nonprofits)
