This document provides information for engaging HR and marketing employees in nonprofit board service. It discusses the benefits of board service for both businesses and employees. It also shares key findings from research on getting more professionals involved in nonprofit boards, including the top reasons professionals do and do not serve on boards. The document then provides 20 ways that HR and marketing professionals can use their expertise to drive impact for a nonprofit board and includes stories of professionals serving on boards. It concludes by providing resources and contact information for organizations that can help connect professionals with board service opportunities.

1. ENGAGING YOUR HR & MARKETING EMPLOYEES
IN NONPROFIT BOARD SERVICE
sponsored by

2. ► 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

3. BOARD SERVICE
MAKING THE
AS A STRATEGY
CASE FOR PRO
BONO

4. BOARD SERVICE AS A STRATEGY
MAKING EXTRA HANDS INFRASTRUCTURE AND
BUDGET LEADERSHIP
Skills-based Volunteering
Financial Support Hands-on General Skills Pro Bono Expertise Board Service
Volunteering
►Cash Grants ► Beach Clean-up ► Tutoring ► IT assistance ► Board
►Dollars for Doers ► Soup Kitchen ► Junior ► Collateral Placement
►Matching Gifts ► Habitat for Achievement Design ► Board Training
Humanity ► Science Fair ► HR Consulting
Judge

5. NONPROFIT IMPACT
Food Hands-on Volunteering
Sorting
Tutoring Skilled Volunteering
Junior
Achievement
Marketing Support Pro Bono
IT Assistance Service
Strategic Planning
Board
Service
Board Placement

6. 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

7. 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

8. INSPIRATION &
KEY FINDINGS

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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)

12. THE OPPORTUNITY
87% of surveyed HR 92% of surveyed Marketing
professionals are professionals are interested in
interested in board board service
service
1,081,520 HR Professionals (US) 560,490 Marketing Professionals (US)

13. 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

14. 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

15. WHY DON’T MORE PROFESSIONALS SERVE ON BOARDS?
Consistent Finding: LACK OF AWARENESS on both
sides
HR and Marketing Nonprofits need education
Professionals want about Point
information on
HR & Marketing in general
Need for board service How to articulate what they
How to get started NEED to these
How to leverage their professionals
specific skill set, What these professionals
once engaged can do for their boards

16. 10 WAYS HR
PROFESSIONALS
CAN DRIVE
IMPACT FOR A
NONPROFIT
BOARD

17. Preach the gospel of
1 talent management
plans
“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.”

18. Find access to pro bono
2 resources
“Human capital is a horrible thing to waste. Too
often nonprofits struggle with limited or no access
to technicians that can enable their cause.”

19. Counsel the Chief
3 Executive during
personnel crisis
situations
“I assisted in an emergency board meeting
and helped investigate a sexual harassment
case between an employee and program
manager.”

20. 4 Change management
“I could help [the board] to understand the impact
of change and how to drive desired change in the
organization.”

21. 5 Serve on the
Governance Committee
“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.”

22. 6 Leverage the talents and
skills of board members
“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.”

23. 7 Help with hiring, and
when necessary, firing
the chief executive
“[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.”

24. 8 Help with management
and regular assessment
of the chief executive
“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.”

25. Help develop compensation
9 philosophies and policies,
and determine chief
executive compensation
“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.”

26. 10 Help lead the board
through a self-
assessment process
“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.”

27. 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.”

28. 10 WAYS
MARKETING
PROFESSIONALS
CAN DRIVE IMPACT
FOR A NONPROFIT
BOARD

29. 1 “Manage” the
organization’s reputation
“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.”

30. Help articulate and
2 refresh the
organization’s mission,
vision, and values
“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.”

31. 3 Serve on the fundraising
or development committee
and/or help develop
fundraising messaging
“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.”

32. 4 Take part in a branding
exercise
“Branding is not just for external reasons — it pulls the
organization together — like a North Star.”

33. Participate in strategic
5 planning
“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?”

34. 6 Provide access to pro
bono marketing resources
“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.”

35. 7 Lead board
communications training
“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.”

36. Develop and review an
8 organizational crisis
management plan
“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.”

37. Provide access to media
9 through public relations
“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.”

38. Increase organizational
10 awareness of emerging
networking technology
“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.”

39. 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.”

40. READY TO ACT?
MAKING THE
CASE FOR PRO
BONO

41. 1. DETERMINE YOUR STRATEGY
Making Extra Infrastructure and Leadership
Budget Hands
Skills-based Volunteering
Financial Support Hands-on General Skills Pro Bono Board Service
Volunteering Expertise
►. ►. ►. ►. ►.
►. ►. ►. ►. ►.
►. ►. ►. ►. ►.
►. ►. ►. ►. ►.
►. ►. ►. ►. ►.

42. 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

43. 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

44. 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

45. 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.

46. QUESTIONS & CONTACT INFO
DEBORAH DAVIDSON
Vice President
Vice President for Governance Research and Publications
Deborah.Davidson@boardsource.org
AMANDA PAPE LENAGHAN
Senior Manager, Development & Strategic Initiatives
amanda@taprootfoundation.org