Leveraging TalentI have been tasked with providing my perspective as a Board Chair on the potential benefits that not-for-profit organizations can tap into through an interest and commitment to engaging volunteers’ talents, as well as their time. I will write this article from a few “vantage points”. I have acted on both National and Provincial Boards of Directors and I have been on the receiving end of a Board, as an Executive Director. Having recently retired, I was honoured to be asked to join the Board of the Federation of BC Youth In Care Networks. I have now assumed the role as Chair of the Board. The Federation is a youth-driven, provincial, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of young people (aged 14 to 24) in and from government care in BC. Talent on the Board of Directors The board included a highly skilled, dynamic and engaged group of people. Individual board members brought specific skills in financial management, fundraising, strategic planning, board development and legal expertise. What I learned from them over an eight year period, especially in terms of their expertise in board governance, has been invaluable to me. I felt privileged and honoured to be the organization’s founding Executive Director – I took the role to heart and wanted to do the best I could to build on my own strengths. It was all new for me. The trust and support I received from my board was very inspiring and I am now able to bring that knowledge to my current role as a Board Chair. Engaging specifically skilled volunteers to enhance personal leadership skills In my four decades of working in the social service field, I was in some form of leadership or supervisory capacity. In those years, I was fortunate to have received many forms of training in management and supervision. The talent Mike afforded to me enhanced my ability to focus on my own personal strengths to move to a higher level as an Executive Director and to achieve the goals I had set out for myself. If you are or you have been an ED, you know you have many balls in the air at the same time. Mike’s model of mentoring and coaching met my learning style. The depth of the teaching was challenging and exciting. A lot was hinged on self-learning and self-exploration but always focused on real issues. As an ED, it was so helpful to have an independent objective view from Mike when I was facing many challenges. He never gave solutions but guided me to be more strategic in ways of framing and tackling issues. Mike is a great example of what a unique person has given in the form of time and talent to a not-for-profit organization. One of the major strengths of Covenant House Vancouver is the engagement of the broader community in making a difference and doing their work. Covenant House would not be where it is today without people like Mike and the amazing volunteer Board of Directors that oversee the organization. With the gift I have been given, a career relating to work I loved doing, I am grateful. Now it is my time to give—my time as well as my talent. We all are trying to make a difference for the right reasons. Take Care, Sandy Cook About Sandy Cooke
About Volunteer VancouverThe mission of Volunteer Vancouver is to inspire & build leadership in the voluntary sector. This publication is intended to be a medium of communication and information for the many organizations active in the volunteer and not-for-profit sector. The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect official policy of the Board of Directors of Volunteer Vancouver. Volunteer Vancouver |
