Emily Heard’s recent post on the Board Life Matters blog, “Why Don’t More Members of Gens X and Y Join Boards?” sparked quite a bit of discussion and speculation on the reasons why young people are so underrepresented on nonprofit boards of directors.
But Ms. Heard’s post sparked another, more pressing question for me. Do nonprofit boards really want younger members? If you go by the numbers, the answer is a resounding “no.” BoardSource’s 2007 Nonprofit Governance Index found that only 2 percent of board members were under 30 years old.
The “under 30″ focus is really important to note because that age bracket encompasses all of Generation Y, the largest generational demographic behind the Baby Boomers at 80 million strong. Which means that there are a lot of young people out there who can be recruited for board service. But just because there are a lot of Gen Y’ers out there, doesn’t mean nonprofit boards are looking for them. The numbers don’t lie. According to Boardsource, 62 percent of board members are age 50 and over.
A follow-up report shed more light on the lack of age diversity on nonprofit boards. Boardsource’s Next Generation and Governance Report on Findings showed that nonprofit boards understand the many benefits of having younger members:
- Passion for the mission
- Results-oriented thinking
- Access to new networks and donors
- Fresh perspective on old problems
Yet, the report also highlights several disincentives for nonprofit boards to actively seek out younger members:
- Skepticism about the need to have younger generations on boards
- Uncertainty of where to find younger board members
- Preference for a “C-Suite” or corporate officer type profile on the board
- Concerns of isolation (of being the only young person on the board)
Boardsource is slated to release a 2010 Nonprofit Governance Index soon. Do you think the numbers of young people on nonprofit boards will be higher this time around? Or will nonprofit boards continue to allow the disincentives to keep them from reaping the benefits of having more age diversity in their leadership?
18 Responses to Do Nonprofit Boards Really Want Younger Members?
danbrady82 - March 25, 2010 at 2:53 pm
This was a great post. Thanks, Rosetta. I think the other side of the coin is how does a young professional go about joining a nonprofit board if they are interested. Luckily, you’ve already outlined how on your blog. http://www.rosettathurman.com/2009/04/from-entry-level-to-leadership-how-to-join-a-nonprofit-board-of-directors/
vanessamk - March 26, 2010 at 9:49 am
Hi Rosetta. Great post and very intriguing. I’ve recently begun the process of forming an environmental non-profit called Big Blue Marble Inc. As a Gen Y’er myself I can attest that although there are lots of us out there working the front lines of the non-profit scene, it is true that we are very under represented serving on boards. In developing a board for Big Blue Marble many of the people involved are young adults under 30 (partly having to do with my own social and professional network). Young adults on boards can bring new and enthusiastic energy, with people very driven to see results and success. The way we communicate and spread information is rapidly changing. Gen Y’ers are part of this new and innovative way of thinking and can help non-profits communicate to a broader and more diverse range of people using social media. I would love to see more people of my generation participating on boards but I think it will take openness by non-profit boards to seek younger members, and for younger members to have more resources readily available as to how they can get involved.
lsiskin - March 26, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Rosetta, thanks for the post and links to the resources with the data. I think older board members underestimate both Generation Y and even the teen population. I worked for an organization that’s primary population was teens. We had non-voting teen members on the board. The teen members did a great job articulating their view point and helping the board members understand how their decisions would impact those that the program served. It is not appropriate for every organization. However organizations that claim to be committed to teen empowerment and/or leadership should think about what having teen board members could do for their organization!
skimmel - March 26, 2010 at 2:47 pm
I am a GenXer with both a career and young children with several years of board service under my belt. I feel that the problem is that Gen Y and Gen X are in the midst of building their careers and their families, so a leadership role on a board or any volunteer service often takes a back seat. For me, I just can’t make meetings during the week before my kids go to bed right now –or I would never see them. Other colleagues who travel for work or work long hours have their own constraints. For boards who understand the differences that these youger people can bring to the table and can find schedules that accomadate real lives, this can be successful. I was recently asked to serve on an advisory committee for an organization here I used to serve on the board. I was glad to do so to keep engaged. However,then they planned the only meetings at 5 pm on a weeknight – so it’s pretty much impossible.
aloisiojones - March 26, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Call me a naysayer once again, but I’ve found that both for profit and non profits are as expected looking for large donors/investors. My contention after 40+ years is that Board Members leadership and advisory skills are simply not as important as the depth of their pockets.
philapa - March 26, 2010 at 3:27 pm
As someone in generation x and once the youngest member of a board, I suppose that I should be more eager to get younger people on boards…but mostly I’m not. Of the four reasons given to include them, only one of them rings true to me: fresh perspective on old problems – and really, a board should be able to get that from the younger staff members of the organization. There’s no reason why older members can’t share the same passion for the organization, and if many of them are successful business people, then they usually come with plenty of results-oriented thinking. As for access to new networks and donors, I would agree that it’s important to keep a full pipeline of new volunteers and donors, but that’s what young friends groups and advisory boards are for. I’ve been told over and over that there’s no reason why younger donors can’t give as much as older donors, but they usually don’t. And because a core mission of the board is raising money, both through direct donations and via their networks, younger board members often don’t add that much value.I see the boards of most organizations as the “wise heads” that are supposed to take a look at big picture issues, and leave the day-to-day to the executive – and wisdom usually comes with age. As long as they are flexible enough to accept new ways of doing things if presented well (online fundraising, new business concepts, etc.) that should be enough. In fact, I have more often heard of younger members that disrupt boards in very negative ways. They may get very enthusiastic about some idea, buffalo the rest of the board into following along (often because they don’t know what the heck the younger member is talking about and don’t want to appear stupid by asking too many questions), and off they go. Even if the idea works out, the board has fallen down on its oversight mission, and if it doesn’t, there’s a lot of bad feeling and wasted time, money and effort. That’s not to say that they should never be asked to serve on boards, just that the youthful enthusiasm that they bring can sometimes have a downside.
pattypfarsi2010 - March 26, 2010 at 8:01 pm
Hi, Rosetta. Valuable post. I currently chair a non profit board that has finally been successful in getting an under 40 on our board. Sometimes it may be themes; young people often want to work on Web 2.0 or with disadvantaged youth of international orgs and not disease specific enterprises. I second the comment that boards want older folks with deep pockets or access to friends who have such pockets, and that is a good observation. I am currently serving as an advisor to a group of 20 somethings, brilliant all, Silicon Valley types, and I am old enough to be their young parent. It may be easier for me to serve in this role because I am a university and community college professor, I am well connected with corporate giving and foundation donors. But one thing I have noticed is that you can often get younger people to volunteer for special events and then cultivate a board relationship from there. I got connected to one such group, Aloha Charity, through a Bay Area neighbor, I attend several of their special events, invite them to philanthropic events our non profit has hosted, and we have cultivated donors and volunteers out of that. Thanks for this infomrative piece.
christi_dutcher - March 27, 2010 at 10:17 am
Hi Rosetta, I have chaired several boards in our community and am a member of several others. Our small community (8000 pop) is making an effort to include both young adults & teens on as many boards as possible. Our position, and it seems to be proving correct here, is that we want our non-profits to collaborate as often as possible and to represent a cross section of our audience. We have opened some great communication lines, found sources of support and volunteers in places we didn’t know existed. We LOVE it!
susanfrice - March 27, 2010 at 2:04 pm
I have or currently serve on nominating committees for over six organizations. I want to see a pipeline of diverse people for consideration on each board. More women, more African Americans, more Asians, more Latinos, more young people. But as a fundraiser, I also want people who have already demonstrated they are philanthropic. I don’t want to bring someone on and find we have to spend several years helping them understand that they are supposed to be giving, not charging their board service expenses.I don’t mean “deep pockets”; very wealthy. I mean people who are inclined to say, “I can do that”, “I’ll spend time with those who are being served.” “I’ll take the tab at a breakfast meeting”, “I’ll pay for my own travel and hotel bill when serving as a volunteer with a nonprofit” “I’ll give money on an annual basis and I’ll consider increasing my gift after several years.” Because it is the giving back culture of a board that enables a nonprofit to do great things. Susan F. Rice
annewackerson - March 28, 2010 at 11:56 am
Hi, Rosetta –The bottom line for me is that boards work best when there is a diversity of voices around the table. I think that a mixed age group offers a range of experiences and wisdom that each member can tap into and learn from (just as racial, ethnic, economic diversity does). Diversity enhances individual strengths and compensates for individual weaknesses.The challenges for many boards is to 1) embrace this philosophy and 2) to act on it. Making it a reality takes strategy, time, and a willingness to reach beyond the circle of familiar board faces. In doing so, the organization will be creating new networks for itself. Diversification (of boards, staffs, volunteers, audiences) becomes an act of organizational empowerment.
aconner - March 28, 2010 at 7:15 pm
Rosetta, I enjoyed your post and our colleagues’ comments. I am a Gen Xer and an 18-year non-profit professional. The underrepresentation of younger professioanls and lack of racial diversity remains a challenge for many boards. However, I agree with skimmel’s comment about balancing family, career and board membership. Meetings are often scheduled at inconvenient times and our prospective contributions are sometimes not valued or recognized.
reisky - March 31, 2010 at 5:02 pm
What a pleasure it is having such a refreshing voice in the sector. Rosetta calls out anomalies that many of us overlook. She asks us to take a hard look at ourselves, consider what is being lost as a result and decide what we are going to do about it. Young board members, youthful voices, new ideas, vital sector. Keep the great blog posts coming Rosetta!
kristenputnam - March 31, 2010 at 5:19 pm
Rosetta, great post. Im on the board of the Community Foundation of Lorain County (OH). We have a Youth Fund, and about a year ago decided to have a youth (teen) position on our board. It has been terrific.–Kris Putnam-Walkerly
wildwomanfundraising - March 31, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Dear Ms. Thurman,You bring up important points here. I DON’T think that nonprofits are seeking to fill their ranks with Gen X or Y any more than they’re seeking to fill their ranks with their clients or people of color. They are just ossified in their roles, and obstinate, and frankly, if the nonprofit succeeds or fails it makes absolutely NO difference to their bottom line, so they have much less reason to care who is on there, except people like them.Having sat on boards where I was the youngest person there, I have to say that it takes a certain kind of Gen Y person to tolerate the pace of a nonprofit board. You have to slow yourself down and speak very clearly, and have the patience to explain yourself several times, and offer techinical time-saving measures to only those who appear open to such ideas. It can make you feel like the whiz-kid, but it can also make you annoyed that no one else is bringing energy or taking up the slack.Having also sat on WORKING boards, I have to say that it takes a certain kind of person who has a lot of free time of their hands to be able to tolerate the expectations of working boards, and often Gen Y will have the energy in short bursts to participate, but not over a long period of time, especially if they have other things going on in their lives.The challenge is to bring balance to these equations, and have a board that works some of the time, in expected short bursts, and have their responsibilities clearly written into the bylaws. Sincerely,Mazarinehttp://wildwomanfundraising.com
dsdincsoftware123 - April 1, 2010 at 11:26 am
I don’t want to bring someone on and find we have to spend several years helping them understand that they are supposed to be giving, not charging their board service expenses.[url=http://www.dsdinc.com/]crm software[/url], [url=http://www.dsdinc.com/]sage software[/url], [url=http://www.dsdinc.com/]sagecrm[/url], [url=http://www.dsdinc.com/]sage crm[/url], [url=http://www.dsdinc.com/]crm[/url], [url=http://www.dsdinc.com/]sage[/url]
dsdincsoftware123 - April 1, 2010 at 11:28 am
I don’t want to bring someone on and find we have to spend several years helping them understand that they are supposed to be giving, not charging their board service expenses.crm software, sage software, sagecrm, sage crm, crm, sage
jayfrost - April 8, 2010 at 11:46 pm
The arguments you make for recruiting Gen Y board members–that they have a “passion for the mission, results-oriented thinking, access to new networks and donors and fresh perspective on old problems”–aren’t in any way unique to people under 30. These qualities are in great supply among other potential board candidates, especially people of color with significant life and business experience, a case that I hope you will continue to make in your blog in the future. Fundamentally, boards are about leadership and fiduciary responsibility. Board members should have the background, talents, confidence and commitment to give, solicit and lead at the highest level regardless of age.
moneyandrisk - April 13, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Mazarine and Skimmel hit the nail on the head with the issues about younger board members. I addressed the racial makeup of board on another one of Rosetta’s post. I did outreach when I was 20 and served on non profit boards for a while but when I had personal crisises, I had to pick my priorities. I resigned from every boards within 2 months. My mid 20s and early 30s were free of any non profit involvements because I was so swamped with personal commitments. Many Gen X and Y may have the same issues. I am back in serving non profit and wildwoman is valid in stating the patience and interpersonal skills that a younger board member need. Despite my current age, I am still the youngest person on all my boards. My board colleagues ages range from 55+ to 93. These older colleagues are there because they have the time available to devote 30 hrs a week to the organization. A better way to judge fit would be the roles that is expected of the board members for each organization. If someone is expected to spend 20 hrs a week during working hours to be the face of the non profit in public meetings, this might not be the best fit for working board members. Thank you Rosetta for bringing all these issues up. I love your posts. I think that we always need to have a dialogue going so that we don’t take anything for granted or avoid changes.