Ending My Service On Non-Profit Boards
December 16, 2017
Iâve decided to stop serving on non-profit boards.
I used to have a rule that Iâd only serve on three non-profit boards at a time. I let this get out of control and found myself on eight non-profit boards with a commitment to join a ninth one.
During our Q4 vacation last month, Amy and I talked a lot about this. I realized that I wasnât enjoying the non-profit board service, even though I deeply enjoy my personal engagement and support of the organizations Iâm on the boards of.
There was an intellectual conflict here that Amy and I spent a lot of time discussing. Our philanthropic work is important to us. However, the actual board service part of it, while fulfilling to Amy, is not fulfilling to me.
Itâs also very time-consuming. While most of the boards only meet four times a year, each board meeting is three hours long. If I include another two hours for reviewing materials in advance and travel, thatâs 20 hours per year per board. For eight boards, thatâs 160 hours/year. If I only worked 40 hours/week, thatâs four weeks of work. While I work a lot more than 40 hours/week, the five hours per board meeting is probably low, especially if I physically travel to a board meeting.
My conclusion was that I could be just as impactful to the non-profits we support â and in some cases even more so â without being on the boards. Instead of consuming my time with board meetings, Iâll engage directly with the CEOs and Executive Directors of these non-profits in ways that are specifically helpful to them. Iâm already doing this in many cases, so itâs not a direct re-allocation of time, but rather a huge time saving on my part, which allows me to more focused â and more enthusiastic â about the work Iâm actually doing.
Iâve now talked with all the CEOs/EDs of the non-profit boards I used to serve on. They all understand my perspective and, in most cases, are supportive and excited about the change in my involvement. As my goal is not to withdraw from the things Iâm involved in, but to increase my impact by shifting my focus and activities, the feedback was good positive reinforcement to me.
Also published on Medium.