More than meetings: Considerations for joining a board

If you’ve served on a nonprofit’s board of directors, you know that the role demands much more than simply showing up for meetings. Nonprofits benefit from board members’ active engagement, strategic oversight, and a deep commitment to the organization's mission. Indeed, board members are fiduciaries responsible for guiding the nonprofit’s culture, ensuring sound governance, providing financial stewardship, and acting as ambassadors and advocates within the community. Beyond legal duties, they are expected to help secure resources, oversee leadership, and contribute to the charity’s long-term sustainability and impact.

If this sounds like a lot, it’s because it is! Before you make the leap to join a nonprofit board, please consider reaching out to our team. Kitsap Community Foundation can serve as an invaluable resource to support your decision-making process. Our professionals know a lot about local charities, including in-depth information about programs, impact, leadership, financial stability, and reputation. We’re happy to provide an impartial assessment of the nonprofit’s governance practices, evaluate alignment with your values, and fill you in on the current needs or challenges the board is facing.

Thorough due diligence is crucial, not only to ensure that the board position would be a good fit for your skills, interests, and availability but also to avoid potential legal pitfalls and liabilities that could stand in the way of your ability to carry out your fiduciary duties. Our team can provide a high-level review of these duties, including:

• Duty of Care:

  This duty requires board members to act with the same level of care and diligence that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in a similar situation. It involves being informed about the organization's activities, finances, and operations, and making decisions with reasonable judgment.

• Duty of Loyalty:

  This duty mandates that board members act in the best interests of the nonprofit, putting the organization's needs above their own personal interests or the interests of any other entity. It requires avoiding conflicts of interest and ensuring that decisions benefit the nonprofit's mission.

• Duty of Obedience:

  This duty requires board members to ensure that the nonprofit complies with all applicable laws, regulations, and the organization's own governing documents (bylaws, articles of incorporation). It involves staying informed about legal requirements and ensuring the organization operates within its legal and ethical boundaries.

These duties translate into real responsibilities for strategic planning, fundraising, financial oversight, and executive evaluation.

Please reach out anytime. It is our honor to help you make a difference in the community we all love, whether that’s through charitable giving, board service, volunteering, or advocacy. Kitsap Community Foundation is your home for philanthropy in all of its many forms.