Why volunteering on a not-for-profit board might be the smartest thing you ever do

You’re a busy person. Whether it’s because your career keeps you at the office six days a week or you’re trying to balance a growing business and a growing family, free time is something you haven’t seen in years. And while you might have causes you support or charities you endorse, the idea of spending some of those precious hours serving on a not-for-profit board is a non-starter.

According to some of this province’s biggest names, though, that might be a serious mistake. After all, if you’re looking to become a leader, it helps to spend some time in the company of other leaders, and there are few environments that are more rich in that regard than the boards of this province’s not-for-profit organizations.

Model Behaviour Audrey Luft, the president of Manpower Alberta and past-chair of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, says board experience can offer the rare opportunity to see leaders in action up close and personal. “Boards gave me the opportunity to see how leaders, often very senior leaders, think and problem- solve,” she says. Dr. Bob Westbury, the recently retired chair of Telus Edmonton Community Board and a recipient of the Order of Canada for his contribution to the community, thinks not-for-profit boards are a great place for young business people to find mentors. “Look for role models who are self-made leaders with a moral compass who are driven to not just do the right thing for a company but also the right thing for the society in which a company lives,” he says.
Leadership 101 Eric Newell, the former chair and CEO of Syncrude, also believes that board experience and leadership skills go hand in hand. “Your colleagues usually think the way you do, but when you are on a board, you are exposed to different perspectives,” Newell says. “The key to leadership is to understand why people think differently.” Those kinds of experiences can also help you build up your core business skills. “You learn to hone your analytical skills and determine the strengths, the weaknesses, the threats, the challenges and how to manage risks,” Newell says. “Generally, you learn about guiding the strategy for an organization.”
Speak Easy Board experience also enhances your communication skills, which are an essential component of leadership. “Volunteering on a board enables you to be comfortable in any crowd or in a one-on-one dialogue with anyone and feel very much at home,” Luft says. “It teaches you how to be a public speaker, get your points across, develop your own style, be visionary, and how to be successful in a well- planned and thought out process in order to accomplish what you set out to do.”
Network Building There’s also the ever-important dynamic of networking. And while networking has moved beyond luncheons and mixers with the rise of social media, online interactions can’t match the social and professional opportunities that arise when you work side by side with experienced leaders on a not-for-profit board. Volunteering for a campaign, event or board will help you develop a large network linking you to the community, and within the network will be peers and mentors to support the development of your leadership skills. Best of all, the personal relationships developed in a not-for-profit leadership position are built on common goals and interests, and are therefore profoundly authentic.
Build your Brand It’s not just about you, either. Involvement in your community can also create a goodwill trust account that you build up with your customers, your employees and the communities where you do business. An important intangible benefit for you and your company may not even be evident until needed, according to Angus Watt, a managing director at National Bank Financial and the chair of the Alberta Order of Excellence. “There’s no doubt in my mind that people would be prepared to give a company more leniency if something happened, someone made a human error or whatever the case may be, if they thought they were a good corporate citizen.”
Find your Field Don’t try to pick the most prestigious organization or the one with the most influential people on its board. Instead, pick one that matches your interests. You don’t have to start at the top. “A board doesn’t have to be your only entry point with a not-for-profit,” Newell says. “It’s often better to go to an organization and say, ‘I’m really interested in what you do. I don’t really know how I can contribute but I’d like to. Is there any way I can help?’ It’s amazing what could be done that way.” If you’re new to volunteering, pick an area you are interested in and offer to help on a fundraising campaign, a golf tournament, a fundraising event or the board of a small organization. As you gain experience, your name starts to get known, and if you’re lucky – and good – you’ll be invited to other boards.
The Final Product In the end, while finding your way onto the board of a local not-for-profit may help you grow your skills and define your career path, the biggest reward may come in the form of personal growth. “You’ll find clarity with your own life, a better understanding of your community and a better understanding of the people within your community,” Watt says. “And at the end of the day, contributing to your community will help you develop your leadership skills to become leaders of leaders versus leaders of followers.” Who wouldn’t want that?