Leaders OnBoard Program to Bolster Area Nonprofit Boards

Free, multifaceted Leadership Pioneer Valley program slated to begin June 1 at Greenfield Community College

GREENFIELD— Leadership Pioneer Valley and its sponsoring organizations are unveiling a free and comprehensive program, called Leaders OnBoard, which is geared toward new and longtime nonprofit board members. It will offer basic skills, mentorship opportunities and connections for inspired community members who want to get involved.

Lora Wondolowski, executive director of Leadership Pioneer Valley, said Leaders OnBoard is a multifaceted program that will fill a need in training board members and staffers at nonprofit organizations alike, in areas from basic board service to budgeting to governance.

“Our program seeks to address this need for diverse, well-trained leaders in Franklin County,” Wondolowski said, adding that next year, the intention is to expand Leaders OnBoard across the Pioneer Valley.

Wondolowski said there are 772 501c3 organizations—or nonprofits—in Franklin County alone that range from private schools to small social service agencies. “Many organizations lack the staff and capacity to develop their boards,” she said. “Many individuals are brought in and forced to learn on the job.”

Wondolowski quoted a 2013 study of 934 U.S. corporations and nonprofits that notes the average age of board directors is 68. “Our program seeks to address this need for diverse, well-trained leaders in Franklin County,” she said.

We want to give the opportunity for people to develop their skills from where they are in their journey,” Wondolowski added. “We want board members to feel like they’re making a bigger difference, that they’re being more effective in strengthening our communities.”

Wondolowski said the program, which begins June 1 with a Board Basics Workshop at Greenfield Community College, is offered to anyone interested in nonprofit board work.  Leaders OnBoard sessions will be repeated quarterly.

Danielle Letourneau-Therrien, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County, is excited about the possibilities that Leaders OnBoard presents in terms of strengthening nonprofits through the members that sit on their boards.

She said the board members of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County have all been involved for many years and feel a personal responsibility to stay and watch over the organization. She wants to recruit solid new members so those who have served for so many years can feel like they can step away.

The Leaders OnBoard program will help educate a new pool of board members and connect them to boards in need of service, and Letourneau-Therrien is excited about the possibilities that presents.

“One of the reasons I’m really excited is to connect to new people who are inspired about the work we do,” she said. “We’re hoping to get new people interested and give them some tools so they know what they’re doing.”

The Leaders OnBoard program has three main components:

• Board Basics Workshops, for new or veteran board members to explore topics such as what it means to sit on a board, how to conduct a budget review and how to ensure an organization’s values are reflected in its work.
• Peer2Peer Connections, for current board members and nonprofit staff to build peer relationships and swap notes and ideas on facets of board work from fundraising to management.
• Board Member Matching, which pairs community members seeking a seat on a board with an organization growing its board.

The first session of Leaders OnBoard begins Wednesday, June 1 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Greenfield Community College, Main Campus, with a Board Basics session to be facilitated by Beth Spong, vice president of RAINMAKER Consulting, Inc. of Holyoke.

For more information or to register, contact Amy Proietti, program coordinator, at aproietti@leadershippv.org or www.leadershippv.org.

The Board Basics and Peer2Peer sessions will be offered quarterly; a board matching event will be offered after each Board Basics session.

Wondolowski said while Leadership Pioneer Valley is spearheading the board learning program, it couldn’t have offered it up without its partners and sponsors: the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Franklin Regional Council of Governments and Greenfield Community College.

“They also saw the need for this program and have been involved in its creation,” she said. “We worked with them to develop it. They’re more than funders; they’re true partners in the work.”

Wondolowski said as Leaders OnBoard gears up to accept participants, she is getting positive feedback from area nonprofit staff and directors.

“We’re so gratified that we’re getting so much interest from organizations who are saying, ‘This is what we need.’ We’re getting positive reinforcement,” Wondolowski said, noting individuals who are interested in volunteering on boards have also expressed interest.