Resources for Becoming a Board Member

Resources for Becoming a Board Member
Interested in Serving Your Community as a Board Member?

The Alliance for Nonprofit Governance (ANG) urges you to pursue this opportunity; it is an important way to support the common good and help a cause meaningful to you. If you decide to do so, ANG encourages you to learn about the responsibilities of board members before you actually join a board. The following organizations are active in providing training, informative written material and placement for potential board members in New York.

Alliance for Nonprofit Governance – New York City

Resource Contact: Donald Ebel
(executive director)
E-mail: debel@newyork.bbb.org
Phone: 212-780-9299
Website: www.ANGOnline.org
Resource Description: ANG’s website offers access to a variety of information useful to potential and current board members. Note, particularly, “Questions Potential Board Members Should Ask” under the Resources tab.
Resource Cost: No cost.

Council of Community Services of New York State, Inc. – Albany

Resource Contact: Denise Harlow (director of nonprofit services)
E-mail: dharlow@ccsyns.org
Phone: 800-515-5012, Ext. 111
Website: www.ccsnys.org
Resource Description: Offers a range of management and governance training and technical assistance. Board development services include understanding board responsibilities, fiscal accountability, legal obligations, fund development, strategic planning and human resources. Many relevant courses also given throughout New York state. See the website for additional information.
Resource Cost: Services are billed hourly, depending on agency size. Free trainings to affiliates of NYS agencies.

Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies – New York City

Resource Contact: John Glover
E-mail: jglover@fpwa.org
Phone: 212-777-4800, Ext. 393
Website: www.fpwa.org
Resource Description: Four-session workshops offered to AIDS service organizations to diversify their boards of directors. Graduates of the program are referred to serve on boards. A training video is available.
Resource Cost: Workshops are free; cost of video to be determined.
Resource Description: Management consultation and governance services to member agencies, including board recruitment, training and placement. Conducts board retreats focused on governance roles and responsibilities and strategic planning.
Resource Cost: No fee for board recruitment for member agencies, membership $250–$900 per year, depending on agency budget. Board retreat fees are negotiable.
Resource Contact: Richard Kowler; 212-777-4800, Ext. 368; rkta@fpwa.org

Griffin Green Consulting – New York City

Resource Contact: Anne E. Green (partner)
E-mail: AnneEGreen@aol.com
Phone: 212-721-2427
Resource Description: Training series “Nonprofit Board Excellence” promotes board leadership opportunities for corporate clients and provides introductions to nonprofit boards. Provides individual coaching and interactive workshops for nonprofit boards on the roles and responsibilities of directors, including setting strategic direction, ensuring adequate resources, creating board development plans, and positioning in the community, and highlights “best practices” using case studies.
Resource Cost: Determined based on the length of the training and the agency budget.

The Junior League of the City of New York – New York City

Resource Contact: Nancy Misshula
E-mail: membership@nyjl.org
Phone: 212-288-6220
Website: www.nyjl.org
Resource Description: The Nonprofit Boards Clearinghouse of the New York Junior League offers two five-session training courses per year for those interested in learning the skills necessary to serve on a nonprofit board. Workshops cover strategic planning, financial and legal responsibilities and effective board management. A course manual also includes articles and support materials. Board placement is also offered for graduates of the course.
Resource Cost: Course costs $250.

The Support Center for Nonprofit Management – New York City

Resource Contact: John Vogelsang
E-mail: jv@supportctr.org
Phone: 212-924-6744, Ext. 308
Website: www.supportctr.org
Resource Description: Support Center periodically offers courses relevant to potential and current board members. Current topics and schedule are on the website. Consultants and trainers also, through their work with individual nonprofit boards of directors, are sometimes active in seeking new board members for clients.
Resource Cost: Workshop and consulting fees vary. Contact the Support Center for more information. See Workshops section of the website for schedule and cost of courses.

Milano Graduate School of Management & Urban Policy – New York City

Resource Contact: Office of Admissions
E-mail: studentinfo@newschool.edu
Phone: 212-229-5462
Website: www.newschool.edu
Resource Description: The Governance of Nonprofit Organizations is a course offered on the governance role of volunteer boards. Relationships between boards and managers and staff are analyzed. Methods of developing and training volunteers for leadership are examined, as well as approaches to stimulating involvement of trustees in organizational affairs.
Resource Cost: Tuition is approximately $2,500 per three-credit course.
Resource Description: Milano Information Exchange (MiX) offers timely information about board governance through annotated links to articles on best practices, research, case studies, diversity tactics and tools and templates.
Resource Cost: Free
Resource Contact: www.lcmmix.org

boardnetUSA/Volunteer Consulting Group – New York City

Resource Contact: Evelyn Campos
E-mail: boardnetUSA@vcg.org
Phone: 212-447-1236
Website: www.boardnetUSA.org
Resource Description: boardnetUSA is a free site where nonprofits needing new board members and those interested in serving as trustees can find one another. Board candidate profiles can be searched according to specific needs. Organization profiles encourage candidates to contact them directly.
Resource Cost: Website is free.

U.J.A.-Federation of NY – New York City

Resource Contact: Alexis Gruber
E-mail: grubera@ujafedny.org
Phone: 212-836-1525
Website: www.ujafedny.org
Resource Description: Agency Board Referral Service offers recruitment and referral of qualified leadership to the boards of network agencies and UJA-Federation commissions. Board, volunteer and training needs of network agencies are assessed.
Resource Cost: Free for network agencies.

Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York, Inc. – New York City

Resource Contact: Marcia Brown
E-mail: mbrown@npccny.org
Phone: 212-502-4191, Ext. 27
Website: www.npccny.org
Resource Description: NPCC’s website offers “Who Does What,” a searchable database of NYC nonprofits offering technical assistance, including management, financial, legal and board governance services. Online “Information Databank” contains an extensive selection of articles on governance issues.
Resource Cost: Website is free.
Resource Description: Workshops on governance and board development issues are offered free to NPCC members.
Resource Cost: Free to members; membership dues are $25–$2,500 based on organization budget.
Resource Contact: Marcia Brown; 212-502-4191, Ext. 27; mbrown@npccny.org

All of the above are members of the Alliance for Nonprofit Governance and, as such, are interested in board governance. The ANG does not recommend the services of any one organization and urges you to satisfy yourself about the quality of the services you use.

ANG will soon have a Resource Directory available online at www.ANGonline.org that will cover a broad range of governance-related services, including the training of boards and assistance to organizations in developing their boards.

Other Resources

The Charities Bureau of the Office of the Attorney General of New York State offers a number of free brochures on topics of interest to board members. Go to www.oag.state.ny.us/charities/charities or call 212-416-8400.

There are also national organizations that offer materials useful to potential board members on their websites. Among these are:

American Association of Corporate Secretaries offers, free of charge as a download or by mail, a pamphlet: “Governance for Nonprofits: A Summary of Organizational Governance Principles and Resources for Directors of Nonprofit Organizations.” Go to www.ascs.org/cgi/pubs.pl to access it.

BoardSource publishes a number of books and pamphlets on this subject, which are available from its website at www.boardsource.org. In addition, the website has other features that are very useful, including an online newsletter and FAQs.

Council on Foundations offers its “Institute for New Board Members” week-long residential course several times a year for those who serve on a foundation. Find out about this, as well as its publications on foundation governance, from its website at www.cof.org.

Evergreen State Society offers information on specific questions about boards and board service, as well as nonprofit management. Access this information at www.nonprofits.org/npofaq/.