Thursday, May 16, 2013

What Size is Your Plate?



And now, the continuation of my Secrets of Non-Profit Management Series...

NOTE:  I wrote this because they always use those words at the beginning of each episode of Hell's Kitchen.  You can take me away from the TV, but the TV references just keep coming!

Are you a volunteer on a non-profit board?  If so, thank you!  There are lots of people who aren't. 

One of my friends (who was in the midst of being the PTA President at a local school) explained it to me this way when I asked her how it was going with volunteer recruitment...

A lot of people have told me that they just have too much on their plate to help.  The real truth is that they have a different sized plate -- some people must think their plate is a saucer, others think their plate is a dinner plate, and others obviously have a platter!

Secret #4 is

Know Your Plate Size Before You Join That Board



Ask the Board Chair or the CEO what will be required of you as a serving board member -- then decide if you have the time and energy to devote to the cause.

At Community Partners of Dallas, we run our board structure kind of like the Junior League of Dallas (Hey -- they trained me and thousands of other women who are changing Dallas -- if you are eligible, join the JLD today!), so while all board members are asked to attend our 4 board meetings and their task force meetings, only 6 of these 26 board members serve on the executive committee as officers, thus attend more meetings.  Know what you can manage and still be successful.

And ponder this:  Are you serving or sitting on that board?  Often the terms are used interchangeably, but they mean totally different things!

Know that before you say yes too!

Next time, let's talk about sex.

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