Capital Region Cares Capital Region Cares 2018-2019 | Page 19

in the Capital Region, where there’s a large concentration
of agencies and high demand for donor dollars. One way to
do that is to cultivate young community members for lead-
ership roles. But while millennials volunteer and donate to
charitable causes in high numbers, it’s less common to see
them pursuing seats on the boards that make key strategic
decisions for the future. One national survey of nonprofit
boards published in 2017 found that just 17 percent of all
members are under 40.
“The best boards are not homogenous, they’re a mix-
ture of older and younger and people who are more di-
verse and less diverse and who have all different jobs,”
Hassett, of WEAVE, says. “[But] it’s hard to find people
who are younger in their career who have enthusiasm
and interest in being on a board and who have access to
and willingness to ask for donations.”
Kim Tucker, who trains nonprofit boards as president
of The Impact Foundry in Sacramento, has seen that
challenge firsthand. Organizations desperately need
new members, especially digital natives to help amplify
a nonprofit’s mission among the next generation. Addi-
tionally, early introduction to board service is seen as key
for developing lifelong commitments to the community
— and a pipeline of future board leaders. But Tucker says
young professionals, consumed with career development
or raising families, often don’t “feel like they have the
time and understanding to serve on a board.
“What I try to help young people understand is that
you have skills that you don’t even realize are so needed
in that nonprofit,” says Tucker, who has led training for
the UC Davis program. “You can be a leader out the gate.”
What’s more, the short-term nature of the placement
can help focus an enthusiastic new member’s energy
around a specific project or goal. “A lot of times, the board
really welcomes their participation and the person who is
participating really gives back,” CalNonprofits CEO Jan
Masaoka says. “Sometimes these people are more effec-
tive than a regular board member.”
The program’s value was quickly evident at Valley
Vision, which participated last year. Their fellow, MBA
student Kirti Adlakha, offered helpful insights on every-
thing from a rebranding campaign to making the board
meetings more efficient.
“These were MBA students learning about the latest
in terms of business, whether it’s about marketing issues
or management issues, we were able to use that to have a
student do some evaluation of us too,” Valley Vision Op-
erating Officer Alan Lange says. “[Our fellow] provided a
very helpful critical eye.”
Rob Shanahan, who chairs the board of the Stockton-
based sustainable agriculture nonprofit PUENTES,
described the board fellowship as “a great way to add
someone who really brought a lot to the organization.” He
says, “We’re always looking to add new board members,
especially ones who are an infusion of excitement.”
PUENTES’ fellow was male (the program is open to
all students), but the goal of the initiative got Shanahan
thinking about what more the organization can do to
promote gender equality within its own ranks. The board
was predominantly female in years past, Shanahan says,
but by the end of 2017, men outnumbered women by
a ratio of 2-to-1 due to a number of open seats. He says
the fellowship was a reminder that representation is an
important component of an organization’s success. “The
only way to make sure we progress toward that equality is
to specifically address it,” Shanahan says. “Of course, we
want the most qualified candidates, but honestly, the top
candidates that I’d like to see join our board over the next
few months, they’re all women.”
Nonprofits generally have a better record on gender
parity than their for-profit peers. Nationally, about half
of all charity board positions are filled by female mem-
bers. Masaoka sees that as yet another incentive for wom-
en to seek such roles: “There may be many more openings
for you to have a position for leadership in a board than to
be on a corporate board.”
On top of that, Tucker sees extra benefits from the WiL
program’s goal of elevating young women to seek service
opportunities in the sector. 
“Nothing against the guys,
but women have a perspective in how they approach
decision making and collaboration,” she says, adding,
“They have what it takes.”
WHAT IT MEANS FOR WOMEN
Gillett was no stranger to the world of nonprofits. She had
long admired the work of WEAVE and other organizations
in the Capital Region. Before pursuing her MBA, she worked
at an arts nonprofit in Hawaii. But it had never occurred to
her to seek a board position before she joined the Women in
Leadership Club.

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