ENGAGING YOUR HR & MARKETING EMPLOYEES

IN NONPROFIT BOARD SERVICE

sponsored by

► Understand how Board Service fits into your Corporate

Community Engagement Strategy

► Understand the Benefits of Board Service

► Learn about this Project & Key Research Findings

► Hear about 20 ways Marketing & HR Professionals can use

their Expertise on Nonprofit Boards

► Access Tools / Resources

► Ask Questions / Give Feedback

MAKING THE

CASE FOR PRO

BONO

MAKING THE

CASE FOR PRO

BONO

BOARD SERVICE

AS A STRATEGY

BOARD SERVICE AS A STRATEGY

MAKING

BUDGET

EXTRA HANDS INFRASTRUCTURE AND

LEADERSHIP

Skills-based Volunteering

Financial Support Hands-on

Volunteering

General Skills Pro Bono Expertise Board Service

►Cash Grants

►Dollars for Doers

►Matching Gifts

►Beach Clean-up

►Soup Kitchen

►Habitat for

Humanity

►Tutoring

►Junior

Achievement

►Science Fair

Judge

► IT assistance

►Collateral

Design

►HR Consulting

►Board

Placement

►Board Training

Hands-on Volunteering

Skilled Volunteering

Pro Bono

Service

Board

Service

Food

Sorting

Board Placement

Marketing Support

IT Assistance

Strategic Planning

Tutoring

Junior

Achievement

NONPROFIT IMPACT

BUSINESS BENEFITS

� Give back to - and strengthen - the communities where you live and work

� Enhance reputation/brand in your company’s communities

� Enhance employees’ leadership skills and engage in a highly desired and

effective professional development experience

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Employees serving on nonprofit boards report:

� Strong sense of personal gratification

� Unique networking opportunities

� Broader insights into leadership they bring back to their jobs

Employees whose employers support their community service report:

� Higher levels of job satisfaction

� Greater commitment to their companies

� Source: The Business Professional’s Guide to Nonprofit Board

Service: Leveraging Your Talents for the Social Sector, Second

Edition

INSPIRATION &

KEY FINDINGS

THE INSPIRATION

“What if every board had a treasurer of human

capital?”

“What if we nonprofit boards had a CMO or VP of

marketing to serve as treasurer of an

organization’s brand and social capital?”

“Do you think of your HR or marketing department

when a nonprofit partner asks you about

strengthening their board?”

- Aaron Hurst, President & Founder of Taproot,

2009 BoardSource Leadership Forum Keynote Speech

WHAT IS “LITERACY” RELATIVE TO A

BOARD?

LITERACY is enough familiarity with an area to understand issues and challenges to

aid decision making

� Boards often focus on Financial Literacy

� Other kinds of literacy are highly relevant to board service

• HR Literacy

• Marketing Literacy

• IT

• Legal

• Engineering

PROJECT GOAL & RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

► PROJECT OVERVIEW

META GOAL: To identify new opportunities for board leadership that:

• Create tangible entry points for board service

• Provide practical tools for organizations to identify, recruit, orient and engage

new board leadership

DELIVERABLES:

• Recommended “roles” for marketing and HR professionals within the board

• Handbooks and how to guide for engaging new board leaders

► METHODOLOGY

INTERVIEWS

• 24 interviews with Marketing & HR professionals (both on and not on boards)

and nonprofit Executive Directors

SURVEY

• 261 responses from Marketing & HR professionals (both on and not on

boards)

THE OPPORTUNITY

560,490 Marketing Professionals (US)1,081,520 HR Professionals (US)

92% of surveyed Marketing

professionals are interested in

board service

87% of surveyed HR

professionals are

interested in board

service

PROFESSIONALS WHO SERVE ON BOARDS

95% said it’s important to share their expertise with the

organization

TOP THREE REASONS TO JOIN A BOARD

� A positive volunteer experience with the

organization

� To use professional skills to help a nonprofit

� Professional networking

PROFESSIONALS WHO DON’T SERVE ON BOARDS

9 in 10 expressed interest in serving on a nonprofit board

BARRIERS TO BOARD SERVICE

� Don’t know where to start or who to approach

� Time commitment

� Reluctance to fundraise

� Uncertain about what role to play

WHY DON’T MORE PROFESSIONALS SERVE ON BOARDS?

Point

Consistent Finding: LACK OF AWARENESS on both

sides

HR and Marketing

Professionals want

information on

� Need for board service

� How to get started

� How to leverage their

specific skill set,

once engaged

Nonprofits need education

about

� HR & Marketing in general

� How to articulate what they

NEED to these

professionals

� What these professionals

can do for their boards

10 WAYS HR

PROFESSIONALS

CAN DRIVE

IMPACT FOR A

NONPROFIT

BOARD

Preach the gospel of

talent management

plans

1

“Many nonprofits lack the financial resources

and knowledge to optimize the capabilities of

both staff and board members. An HR

executive could provide the perspective and

tools to guide the nonprofit to improved

performance.”

Find access to pro bono

resources2

“Human capital is a horrible thing to waste. Too

often nonprofits struggle with limited or no access

to technicians that can enable their cause.”

Counsel the Chief

Executive during

personnel crisis

situations

3

“I assisted in an emergency board meeting

and helped investigate a sexual harassment

case between an employee and program

manager.”

Change management4

“I could help [the board] to understand the impact

of change and how to drive desired change in the

organization.”

Serve on the

Governance Committee5

“I’ve found my work on the governance committee

very rewarding. Being a seasoned organizational

development professional, I feel I have been

utilized in the organization’s efforts to transcend

its business as usual and to create a sustainable

legacy.”

Leverage the talents and

skills of board members6

“Companies are now recognizing the importance

of HR, how well companies engage their talent;

at nonprofits, you have the ability to demonstrate

the differences between passive HR policies and

proactive HR policies.”

Help with hiring, and

when necessary, firing

the chief executive

7

“[The board member with human resources

expertise] was on my search committee and was

very integral in the process. Our most valuable

resource is human capital and this person puts us

in a position to attract other leaders with

competency and strategic direction.”

Help with management

and regular assessment

of the chief executive

8

“The board recognized that the executive

director’s performance wasn’t where it needed to

be...[but if] performance expectations are not

clearly outlined [it is] impossible to approach [the]

individual to assess [his or her] performance.”

Help develop compensation

philosophies and policies,

and determine chief

executive compensation

9

“I was able to help with researching best practices,

contribute to developing a contract for [the executive

director] and also look at salary levels to inform the

appropriate level of compensation. I wanted to make sure

that we had good retention strategies in place. It would be

devastating to lose her for a lack of proper policies or

noncompetitive salary.”

Help lead the board

through a self-

assessment process

10

“Because of the very nature of HR, you’re always

thinking about what else needs to be done — what

could I do to improve this process, what can I bring to

the table? I don’t know if other people, besides HR

professionals, come to the board with that mind-set.”

STORY: HR

THE PROFESSIONAL

Stacy Proctor, VP of Human Resources, Associated Third Party Administrators

THE NONPROFIT

The Arc of San Francisco

THE NEED & FIT

“I was recruited specifically for my HR background. They were looking for board

members with specific skill sets.”

� Helping the board go through structural changes

� Evolution and eventual dissolution of the HR committee

� Hiring HR director

“There should be an HR person on the board – where the analysis of the board

leadership happens. The board president calls me a lot.”

10 WAYS

MARKETING

PROFESSIONALS

CAN DRIVE IMPACT

FOR A NONPROFIT

BOARD

“Manage” the

organization’s reputation1

“Organizational reputation is very important,

especially in the nonprofit space, where there is

so much competition. Organizations are

constantly bombarding people for time, attention,

and resources. A strong reputation is essential to

stand out.”

Help articulate and

refresh the

organization’s mission,

vision, and values

2

“Particularly with newer nonprofits, I see a great need

to really set up a solid mission and goals, and then

have monthly reviews to ensure that they’re following

these. It’s way too easy for nonprofits to go off on

different tangents that don’t really move their

organization forward. As well, having a succinct

mission makes development of a marketing plan or

branding much easier and more beneficial to the

organization.”

Serve on the fundraising

or development committee

and/or help develop

fundraising messaging

3

“I happen to be a ‘connector’ so I want to use my

capabilities to help connect my nonprofit with

companies, individuals, and other organizations that

can move it forward.”

Take part in a branding

exercise4

“Branding is not just for external reasons — it pulls the

organization together — like a North Star.”

Participate in strategic

planning5“If you think of a nonprofit like any other type of

organization, with the need to attract funding, clients,

and volunteers>and if you have a budget of a certain

level, you are at the scale at which marketing expertise

would be very valuable. Through a strategy lens, you

review whether or not you are engaged in the right

activities, using your resources in the best possible

way, how you are aligning your mission back to the

way your resources are deployed — are they in the

best places?”

Provide access to pro

bono marketing resources6

“There’s always a need for pro bono. I’ve never met a

nonprofit organization that isn’t stretched beyond full

capacity.

Two pieces that are needed: 1) a compelling case

made for pro bono service to be provided to the

nonprofit organization and 2) both parties need to be

clear in contracting — what are the roles each side

needs to play to have a successful outcome. Nonprofit

readiness is key.”

Lead board

communications training7

“Few nonprofits have marketing staff, and as a result, very few

have a clear understanding of what marketing is (and is not).

They also do not understand what's involved (time, resources,

discipline, focus) in embarking on a marketing effort. It is

important for board members with marketing expertise to

understand and anticipate those factors. A large part of what they

will have to do is explain, persuade, and advocate for a market-

driven point of view.”

Develop and review an

organizational crisis

management plan

8

“A crisis plan should be simple and unencumbered so that it

can be activated should a crisis occur. It must be approved

by everyone, and reviewed on a regular basis. You can’t

simply put it on a shelf and never review it again. I

recommend a review on a quarterly basis, so that

preparedness becomes inculcated into the organization’s

culture.”

Provide access to media

through public relations9

“A marketer needs to make sure nonprofits are

representing their brand correctly — everything from

making sure sound bites are the correct ones, to notifying

the right people, etc. Sometimes folks get daunted by a

“PR” program, but it’s just a normal part of a marketing

plan; for example — rebranding? — notify the media.”

Increase organizational

awareness of emerging

networking technology

10

“Nonprofits need more integrated marketing strategies

that utilize social media, new media, product placement,

and creative media partnerships>.move beyond

traditional methods and explore innovative ways of

marketing and communicating their brand to a broader

audience.”

STORY: MARKETING

THE PROFESSIONAL

Tammy Brown, Marketing Director, Technicolor

THE NONPROFIT

LA Commons

THE NEED & FIT

“I just knew exactly what the Executive Director was looking for. They wanted somebody who lived and breathed their new marketing strategy, really giving the rest of the board a repository of knowledge.”

► Oversees brand & marketing strategy

► Working board; Tammy is the only marketing professional on the board or staff, so she uses her skills regularly

“Marketing is the one thing people think they can do, but they can’t. Most nonprofits would kill for marketing experts to be on their board to guide the perception of the organization and build PR strategy; it’s just a matter of making the marketing professionals aware of the need.”

MAKING THE

CASE FOR PRO

BONO

MAKING THE

CASE FOR PRO

BONO

READY TO ACT?

1. DETERMINE YOUR STRATEGY

Making

Budget

Extra

Hands

Infrastructure and Leadership

Skills-based Volunteering

Financial Support Hands-on

Volunteering

General Skills Pro Bono

Expertise

Board Service

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2. EDUCATE

SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR

EMPLOYEES & NONPROFIT PARTNERS

Free Handbooks (PDF):

www.taprootfoundation.org/leadprobono/board_service.php

www.boardsource.org/Workshops.asp?ID=147.528

3. CONNECT

CONNECT YOUR EMPLOYEES & NONPROFIT PARTNERS

PRO BONO SERVICE, WHICH CAN LEAD TO BOARD SERVICE

Taproot Foundation: www.taprootfoundation.org

BOARD MATCHING PROGRAMS

Bridgestar: www.bridgestar.org

Corporation for National and Community Service: www.serve.gov ; www.allforgood.org

VolunteerMatch: www.volunteermatch.org

Boardnet USA: www.boardnetusa.org

CORPORATE SOLUTIONS

BoardSource www.boardsource.org

RESOURCES: BOARDSOURCE

How can BoardSource help our company provide our employees with the opportunity to obtain the knowledge and develop the skills they need to become better nonprofit board members?

► Educational Programs

► Customized “On Demand” Online Training Programs

► Leadership Counsel and Coaching

► Licensing BoardSource Content

► Customized Publications

► Corporate Membership Program

RESOURCES: TAPROOT

USE OUR TOOLS

www.taprootfoundation.org/leadprobono/state/101/

► Competencies Map

► Business Value Flashcards

► Designing for Impact Framework

USE OUR ADVISORY SERVICES

► LEARN. Taproot can help you better understand the world of pro bono – including the value that developing a program can provide. Need to generate senior-level support for a program? Taproot can educate key internal audiences.

► BUILD. Develop a pro bono service strategy that lays the foundation for pilot program design. By researching the needs of nonprofits you support and aligning these with your company’s core competencies, our design process will ensure the smooth and effective launch of a pilot program.

► SCALE. For those companies that seek to have greater positive impact on their community by expanding an existing employee engagement program, Taproot can offer program oversight and evaluation tools.

QUESTIONS & CONTACT INFO

Vice President

AMANDA PAPE LENAGHAN

Senior Manager, Development & Strategic Initiatives

amanda@taprootfoundation.org

DEBORAH DAVIDSON

Vice President for Governance Research and Publications

Deborah.Davidson@boardsource.org