When Nonprofit Boards Come Calling
By Mark Bassingthwaighte
Look, I get it. An opportunity to sit on
the board of a local nonprofit is finally
yours for the taking. Better yet, it’s a
charitable cause you strongly believe in,
the opportunity will allow you to get your
name out there, and one would expect
the new contacts made will lead to new
clients down the road. Your desire is to
accept, because the bottom-line is, you
will be able to give back to the community
in a meaningful way in exchange for the
marketing and business benefits of your
donated time. Works for me as long as
you remember our ethical rules are in play
and, as a director of a nonprofit, so too are
certain duties.
Before discussing the consequences of
accepting this opportunity, let me share
one thought which can make life so much
easier. Sitting on a nonprofit board starts
to get messy when the attorney board
member wears two hats. In a number of
situations, the nonprofit is seeking attorney
board members because the board hopes
to have the attorney handle a little legal
work on a pro bono basis. There is an
obvious solut