 Welcome everybody to another episode of the non-profit profit show blah blah. Hey, if you joined us in the green room chatter, it's Aloka in the studio because we were talking about Spanish and we now get to hear from the non-profit nerd herself, Jared R. Ransom, who's gonna join us today and ask the question, are you ready to serve your community? And I'm gonna throw the extra word in there. Are you really ready to serve your community? Jared and I were talking about this and it's really an interesting interesting conversation and so I can't wait to dig into this with her and really get some one-on-one time so we can kind of understand what it means to serve in the non-profit sector. In case you don't know who we are, I'm Julia Patrick, CEO of the American Nonprofit Academy and it's really exciting to have not only my co-host, Jared R. Ransom, non-profit nerd, CEO of Raven Group, but Jared Ransom as the guest and thanks to our sponsors, she gets to be here and have this conversation with us today. Bloomerang, American Nonprofit Academy, your part-time controller. Be generous. Fundraising Academy at National University. Staffing boutique. Non-profit thought leader and non-profit nerd. These are the folks that come join, they join us so that we can come together every day, each and every day, now more than 600 episodes of the non-profit show and if you want to access any of those 600 episodes, you can find us in streaming, Roku, YouTube, Amazon Fire TV and Vimeo and you can also queue us up wherever you like to get your podcasts. We are there as well and we can chitter chat chat into your ear wherever you like to consume those podcasts. It's kind of crazy. You know, I watch us, Jared, on the big, massive TV screen. It's kind of brutal at home so I can learn and help us refine and see what's going on and then to hear us on the podcast. Yeah, it's interesting. I love it and, you know, we've started that, gosh, I don't even know if it's been quite a year yet and I hear so many of our viewers and listeners, of course, really saying that they love the fact that we're in the podcast form as well. So welcome. Glad to be here. It's really fun. Okay, Jared, our ransom non-profit nerd, I just want to give us some context here. You know, Jared and I are 20 years in difference almost to the week, certainly to the month. We met previous to COVID, but we didn't really know one another that well. Don't really serve the same part of the sector, run in the same circles, are from the same community, but just doing different things within our community. And so it's really been an interesting, interesting thing for me to get with the non-profit nerd on a daily basis. But sometimes it's really a stretch for me because I want to hear more from her. And as a co-host, you know, we want, we want to hear mostly from our guests. And so this is really a cool thing for me, Jared, is to pull back and say, okay, now you're in the hot seat and let's really dig down and hear what you have to say. And I'm going to ask you this question. Why are we talking about service? Because anybody who's watching a non-profit show should probably already be invested in service. So what is your lens for this discussion? Thank you, Julia. I, you know, I really have to say when I find that, you know, someone asking me the same question or my community asking me the same question, I say, okay, I'm going to take notice of this because I'm hearing the same, you know, question, concern, issue more than once. And so pay attention to that. And this is one of those questions I get quite often. I'm sure you do as well. And, and so really, you know, the big question I get is, how can I be more involved in nonprofits? And my initial response is, first of all, that's fantastic, because I truly want everyone to be involved in their community in some way, shape or form, but not just to be involved, Julia, I want them to really enjoy it. I really want them to have a good experience. And so whether you're looking to serve on a board, whether you're looking to serve on a committee, or you're looking to switch from the for-profit arena into the non-profit arena, you know, those are really the three ways in which I address this. But today, we're going to dive deep, in particular, when it comes to that board service, because I'm hearing that a lot. And you had mentioned this as well in our Green Room Chatter. You know, it's those young professionals in their 30s, I would say late 20s, early 30s that are saying, okay, I want to do more. I would love to serve on a board. How do I get started? And I hear it from individuals that are maybe looking as more seasoned experienced professionals that are saying, I'm retiring from my career. So that should free up, should, right? Because I hear retirement also fills up your calendar. But it really should, hopefully, be a time where I can give back to my community. So I see this quite often, again, in early 30s. And I would say, you know, 60s, 70s of individuals really looking at, you know, retiring from their day to day job, but really wanting to dive into service work into their community. So today, that's what we're talking about. That's the rationale around it. Because again, I've heard it so often in my own community through my connections on social media. So I thought we would share it in a masterclass here. Well, I'm really excited because I think that you have some different things that can help form that decision. And the first thing you talk about is identifying your passions. So guess what I'm hearing from you is not all boards are created the same. And just because you want to serve, you really need to figure out what you want to serve first. Is that is absolutely all the time 1.8 million nonprofits in the US, right? 1.8 million. Our guest yesterday mentioned in New York, there was over 750,000 registered in the state of New York, right? And that number changes across the nation. And so there's so many opportunities for us to serve. But I like to say, let's narrow it down from 1.8 million, right? Let's go into, are you passionate about animal welfare? Are you passionate around education? Are you passionate, you know, for the human service sector? What truly is your most, you know, highest passion? And to realize it might not be one, we're not always binary individuals. So it could be multiple, multiple ways in how, you know, we truly serve our passion, you know, as well as I do Julia, there's so many people out there that love to serve the animal welfare community. And there are tons of shelters and organizations, you know, in that space. So again, narrow down to identify your true passion, like what keeps you up at night? What is that number one concern in the community that you say, gosh, I really wish I could do more to help solve this community problem. And that's our first step, because if there's so, so much out there, 1.8 million. So let's identify our greatest, our greatest plural passions to figure out how we want to serve and give of our time. I love that because I think what happens is a lot of times, especially for young professionals that are maybe have been coached or understand that board service is going to help their career, help them, you know, in other ways, they look for that set I call it the sexy board. It's like the board that everybody wants to be on because it seems like it has like the coolest stuff going on. And that's really not a good way to start in my opinion. I have a lot of young professionals that were like, Can you help me get on XYZ board? And I'm like, my question is always like, why? What's the attraction? You know, and so I love love love that you started with passion because that really helps synthesize where it's where you want to go. The next thing that you talk about is is a little bit harder in its research, local nonprofits in your community, right? How and why? Well, you know, I don't know how much of a secret it is anymore, but guide star also known as candid now. So guide star is now referred to the name is candid. I go there. It's a free database of nonprofits across the US so it should have all of those 1.8 million. And you can search there by state and you can search by so many different keywords. And that is a great free software and database where you can start this. The other place that I like to send people is your local United Way. Find out from your United Way, what are the organizations in your community? Again, you know, focused on that passion. So United Way representatives might be able to help you identify, you know, what are the education focused organizations in our local community? What are those arts and cultures, you know, culture organizations in our community? And you know, just start making a list, literally start making a list. I also this is this is a freebie not on the list. Start following their social media channels, right? Start paying attention, follow their social media channels, really just, you know, sign up for their newsletters. Find out and just observe what they're up to and does that still resonate and align with you? You know, I love that you said that because I think that that's powerful because you can get a lot of information about what it is they're working on. And if you can be of service in that direction, absolutely, absolutely. I love that you said that, you know, I wouldn't have necessarily intuitively gone there. But yeah, that's awesome. And then I think I'd love to get your feedback on, you know, nonprofit state associations. So many states have an association. I, I, I liken it to like a Chamber of Commerce. So you have to pay money, not everybody's going to be there. But what are your thoughts on maybe finding those and seeing if there's alignment there? Is there absolutely? Most? Yes, most states have like an alliance of fill in the blank nonprofits. And that's a great place to go. It's, again, you know, quite similar to United Way, a Chamber of Commerce, which ironically, Julia, I started my career in Chamber work. So I started in that association membership base, which they're nonprofits, right? Like these are true nonprofits as well. So it might come to a place where you say, I really do want to serve in this membership capacity, perhaps you start with your Chamber of Commerce, or perhaps you realize, I've been a member of my chamber for so long, I didn't realize that I was already, you know, playing in this space of service work to my community. I love that comment. You are absolutely right. And yeah, those trade associations, you know, they have a special status within the nonprofit world. But yeah, hello, they're nonprofits. They're nonprofits. Yes. And so there's so many organizations, again, those registered organizations. So I do, I do like the associations. It's a great opportunity for you to learn a lot about a lot of your organizations and agencies in your community. So it's a great place to be a part of. Absolutely. Now, the next big step, which seems like it could be a little frightening, is to contact the organization. Now, you advised us to, you know, connect with them on social media, sign up for the newsletter, you know, all of those sorts of things. But when you say contact the organization, do you like, say, Hey, I think I could be a great board member, or what is this looking like? Absolutely. So if you're following them on social media, that is a great start. Sign up for their newsletter. Connect with the leaders on LinkedIn. That's another great opportunity to learn from the social media platforms, you know, what the what the leaders are pushing out. Take a look at the board members, you know, most organizations, if they have an annual report, that they have digitized, you know, that's online, you can find it. Most nonprofit websites also list their staff and their board. So you can really find a lot of information about the organization and who you might want to contact. So back to that six degrees of separation, right, which I think now Kevin Bacon is laughing because it's more like one degree of separation, really, because of LinkedIn and so many other, you know, platforms, there's tons of information, you know, on our interwebs and contact the organization. Absolutely. I say, you know, go to that CEO, executive director, director of development, board chair, vice chair, introduce yourself, find out how you can learn more about the organization, let them know your interest in the organization and see if they're willing to have a conversation, see if they have any committees that you can start to play on. Yeah, play in that space and learn more about, you know, their leadership, their values, their culture. There's so many great things that come from that connection with the organization. And Julia, one thing I know to be true, and I'm sure you've seen this as well, board development is nonstop, right? Yeah, I love that you said that. It's nonstop. Yes. Yeah. And so usually it's the board members and the leadership going, we cannot find the talent in our community. So I guarantee you, it'll be a breath of fresh air for the organization to actually be contacted by you as someone who's interest interested in serving that organization. So board development is nonstop succession planning should be nonstop. So again, just letting them know who you are with an introduction, find out more about them as an organization, you know, what are they focused on right now? Let them know, you know, what you've seen on social media as well as the newsletter and say like, Hey, I see what you're up to. And I just really want to say congratulations. You know, you're doing amazing work. So I'm really, I love that you said that because I think so often that I hear from people and I go back into my own life and I think, Oh, we're waiting to be asked, waiting to be tapped on the shoulder that it seems a little pushy to, to, you know, do what you just said to contact somebody and say, Hey, I think I'm ready to serve. And one of the things I love that you said is that it's not always a board position but committee work. So talk to us about that. I mean, what does that look like? Absolutely. I will say that committee work is a great place to start. You get a feel for the organization. They get a feel for you. It's a little less of, I would say like a little less of a binding agreement, you know, it's a little more fluid, a little more flexible. But it usually is truly, you know, hands on experience. And so that's a great opportunity to get to know the players, see how it fits with your schedule, see if you really like, you know, walking into the sausage factory and seeing how the sausage is made, right? I mean, that's, it might be a horrible relation, but it truly, you know, you see so much good work in the community, but being in, inside the middle of this, it really, you know, it's a whole new perspective. It is. And I appreciate you saying that because I think there can be a lot of stress when somebody becomes disillusioned. Oh, yeah. And I think that that's something we all need to be talking about is that this is not easy, and it is not glamorous. And it could be heartbreaking. And it, at the core, a lot of this is the human condition. It's ego, it's frailty, it's, it's tough. And you're privy to a lot of information. Oftentimes, depending on what committee you're serving on, and certainly if you're serving on the board, you're privy to a lot of information. And not all of it is, you know, rainbow. No, it's not. And I think too, from my board experience on a local level, I think it's fascinating what you learn about your community. Oh, yes. It's not just that institution that you're serving, but it's really the ecosystem of what's going on. Absolutely. It's fascinating. One thing I have to mention, and I went through a local leadership program here in my community, Julia, there are so many leadership programs tied to your, your community. So it could be your city, you know, leadership program, that is a great place also to learn about that ecosystem, to learn about the leaders, the government officials in your local community, the nonprofit and social sector in your community, the for profit, your utilities, electricity. It's such a great eye opener. And that if you're really looking to research your community, if you're in it for the long run, you might want to consider what those leadership programs look like. I love that you said that because, you know, that's one of the things that we talked about with board service is, you know, how do you step outside that board room and bring people into your nonprofit and understand you have to be a champion of that service. And the more you know who's in your community and what's going on, the better, you know, the stronger representative you can be. So I think that's super cool. Now, this is like the sticky wicked. And I think I'm really interested to hear what you have to say. You're giving us five questions at minimum that we need as a prospective board member to be asking of an organization. So I guess my first question is we don't just say, well, they asked me, they tapped me on the shoulder. You're saying, wait a minute, it's we need to interview them. Absolutely. We have to interview them because being on a board, being on a board, not a committee, but being on a board, a governing fiduciary board has a lot of responsibilities and it truly comes with that personal connection. I don't want to scare anyone from not serving, but I really want to hammer in the fact that it is a big responsibility, right? And and that's why I have in here in the center here, directors and officers insurance, also known as D&O. So these are the five questions that I recommend when I talk to people that are looking to serve on the board, I ask them, you know, to consider asking the organization that they are considering to serve on because it should not just be, woohoo, I was asked, I'm going to say yes. It's like, thank you. You know, I'm really honored for this consideration. I have some questions. I would love to get this information back from you. So here are the questions that I like to say. First of all, what do you expect of me as a board member, right? So truly knowing those board expectations, hopefully they have this documented, they can send it over to you in an email, something for you to review. But you really need to know and very clearly in the onset before you even get on boarded is what are the expectations of me as a board member? And that is by far and large the first question that I like to I like to ask. OK, with that being including like everything from meeting attendance to maybe even a give or get policy or yes, the whole we're looking for, you know, are they looking for amount of time for me? Is there we have in here, you know, attendance of meetings and then also asking, are your meetings in real life? IRL or work from anywhere, having that remote connectivity because there was one organization, Julia, I was serving on as a committee member and this was way pre-COVID and they only had in-person opportunities and it just did not fit with my schedule, right? It truly did not fit in my schedule and I couldn't serve because of that, because I literally could not get from point A to point B to point C with my schedule knowing when the meetings are held and how they allow that connection point. So asking, you know, what do you expect of me by way of meeting attendance? What do you expect of me by donation requirements, right? With that give or get policy, which many organizations have and I'm I'm a firm believer of as well, not necessarily a dollar amount, but I do believe that all board members should give up their time and of their financial resources because we want to be able to say in our community, we have 100% board participation in our financial support as well. So those term limits, you know, are you talking about that? Yeah, are you asking me to serve on the board for how long, right? Typically, it's two years minimum. I often see three years, right? It's three years with a with a renewal, another three years. And so really looking at, OK, if if I sign up for this, how long am I signing up, you know, for this commitment and these expectations? So again, your meeting attendance, your giving policy, this isn't just for 12 month calendar. This is for, you know, the long haul three years, six years, perhaps. So really looking at it from from a big picture because it's again, don't want to scare anyone. It's a big commitment. OK, let's go back to the D&O insurance. I always with my board trainings. A lot of times I call this the kiss or cry moment. When I bring this up, I'm horrified by the number of highly functioning, you know, like leader community leaders that have never really heard of this or are shocked that they don't know more about it. So we don't have a lot of time left, but I'd love for you to talk about that D&O directors and officers insurance. Yeah, so this is an insurance policy that every single organization, every single nonprofit, I believe must carry and I don't care how many people are on your board or how many people on your staff. This is a gotta have, right? Hashtag gotta have D&O insurance. And this is certainly one of the questions that I advise anyone that I work with and coach on this response to to ask for their D&O, you know, policy certificate. How much does it cover? Because I have been with organizations, Julia, that the IRS was this close to knocking on every single board members door because of some financial mismanagement. And so this D&O insurance, this D&O policy again, it stands for directors and officers insurance that covers your personal liability, personal asset as that fiduciary agent of the organization. By and large, I say do not serve unless they can show you that certificate of D&O policy. And the other downfall I see, Julia, is the operating budget tends to grow year over year and they don't reassess that D&O. So that might have a million dollar policy, but now they've grown to a five million dollar operating agency and a million dollars is falling short. So make sure that that D&O matches the current, you know, size life cycle of that organization. But that's that's a key one. That is a key piece is to have that certificate. I love that you said that. I have never heard anyone say to make sure that you are aligned to that current value of that organization because you're absolutely right. I mean, the numbers can spike quickly. I often suggest for the larger organizations and especially anybody who's dealing in health and human services where there's some fragility and potential loss of life or disruption of life to get that certificate and then share that with your own insurance carrier and have them look at it. Absolutely. Because there's a D&O insurance opportunity sometimes that we can get ourselves. It should never be the first line of defense. And I mean, especially for really large organizations where where the numbers can be just astonishing because board members get sued all the time. I got to tell you. Well, and they do and it happens through the organization, right? And so you really want to make sure that that you're covered. I personally as a consultant carry my own E&O insurance error and emission insurance, but that's not going to cover me for a board position. So OK, before we let you go strategic plan and why should we be asking about a strategic plan? Well, I really like to ask this because you can find out from the organization what is top of mind for them, right? What's their short term? What's their long term goal and how might you be of assistance to them? So really knowing what they're looking to achieve in the long run and the short term and how you can play a part in that success. So I really think it's a great piece of information and and to see that and to truly like it's kind of like Cliff Notes, right? For those of you that remember Cliff Notes is the Cliff Note version of what the agency is working towards. Yeah, I love that you said that because I absolutely agree. I mean, it should not be a secret anyway. And I love what you just said. How can I as a board member fit into that? I love that you said that. I mean, I think it's a really cool thing. You know, as always, time with you flies by. Jared R. Ransom, the nonprofit nerd CEO the Raven Group. What an incredible blessing and gift you are to my life, to my community and to the nonprofit sector. I mean, your energy and your intelligence and your commitment is just amazing. And I see it day in, day out. All the back end things that we have to do. You are a powerhouse. And so yeah, team. I am number one cheerleader on the nonprofit nerd cheer squad. Well, thank you. You know, I'm so very passionate about our sector, Julia, across our nation and truly across our globe. So for me to be here of service to others, you know, it's truly what I was born to do and to help others learn how to serve in their community is really important. Julia, you and I are both very open. So if anyone wants to reach out to us, reach out to us. You can find us on LinkedIn, you know, our contact information here and so many ways to connect further. But I certainly hope that you will consider serving your community by serving on the board. Yeah, I agree. I think it's the best the best thing and part of the best thing that helps us move forward in our sponsors without them, we would not be here. Blue Morang, American Nonprofit Academy, your part time controller be generous. Fundraising Academy at National University, Staffing Boutique, Nonprofit Thought Leader and Nonprofit Nerd. Again, these are the folks that are with us day in and day out and support this amazing journey that we are on in support of our nonprofit sector. OK, Jared Ransom, you've totally got me churned up, excited, good to go. I'm going to be bookmarking this particular episode of the nonprofit show and sending it around as I am asked what it takes and why people should be on boards. Here it is. And this is scratching the surface. But yes, absolutely. So go serve. Have fun. Absolutely. Well, everybody, as we like to end every episode of the nonprofit show, we want to remind ourselves, our viewers and our listeners to stay well so you can do well. Thank you, Jared Ransom. Have a great day.