Nonprofit Junior Board: Bad Idea #NonprofitBoards

Not all nonprofit innovations are a boom!  Yes, I've said it!  One of these that strikes deep in the heart of a core premise: every nonprofit has ONE board - one group of individuals tasked and accountable for the fiduciary well-being of a nonprofit.  In my opinion it is essential that there be only one board.  More than one whatever type of board only lends, in my experience, to confusion and at-times, "crossing of swords" over who has what authority, when, over what.  Call it anything else but not a board, please.  And especially not an Associate or Junior Board.  Call it a committee or task force if a structure is needed, not a board. And certainly individuals can be titled: like maybe an apprentice board member but be perfectly clear about duties and authority. Governing is tough enough without adding other governing entities.

From Forbes:

 

Meet The Startup Helping Employees Join Nonprofit Junior Boards

Forbes Jan 1, 2018Plenty of entrepreneurs are building software targeting large corporations like Citigroup, Deloitte and Unilever. Rhoden Monrose is doing it with a twist. His startup, CariClub, helps those companies get their employees to give back.

A for profit company living between big business and the non-profit sector, CariClub functions as a matchmaker for young professionals and associate boards. Employees gain leadership experience while contributing time, and often money, to serving on a junior board helping to operate a non-profit. The organizations themselves receive a steady stream of interest from high-achieving professionals who might have otherwise never heard of their work.

Associate boards are increasingly critical to the fundraising and planning at many non-profits, says Monrose. How people find the boards or stay active, however, has been a mess. “This is a market that’s completely un-served,” says Monrose. And it’s good business, he argues. “Billions are lost when employees are not engaged, and it hurts a company’s bottom line. CariClub is a meaningful solution for engagement and retention.”

CariClub works with 14 large-sized companies today, including Citigroup, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KKR, UBS and Unilever. Each business pays hundreds of dollars per user to provide access to its largely twenty-something young employees, who can search through local non-profits by area of focus and time requirements, then apply through the site.

Read the full article about the startup helping employees become nonprofit junior board members by Alex Konrad at Forbes.