Yesterday I had the honor of joining Janelle Coleman of AEP, Matthew Goldstein of Besa, and Carrie Maun-Smith of Grange Insurance for a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum, The Power of Showing Up: A New Case for Engagement, which can be viewed on CMC’s recorded live stream.
This forum asked our panel to address why each of us should consider how our own gifts, talents, and experience might support Central Ohio nonprofits, especially now when people are searching for connection and meaning in their lives, employers are looking to bolster engagement in the workplace, and nonprofits are faced with rising need with reduced resources.
During the conversation, Janelle asked directly about the ROI of nonprofit board service. It’s an important question and wanted to share more of my thoughts here.
ROI means return on investment and is typically calculated with a financial measure, but the returns in this case are not financial. When someone serves on a nonprofit board, there is no paycheck or profitability to measure. But the return? It is profound, and I would argue it is not found anywhere else in society.
The ROI of nonprofit board service has five components:
- Relational — You build new networks and meet new people and communities you may never otherwise encounter.
- Impactful — You use your real skills to solve real problems that matter deeply.
- Developmental — Nonprofit board service is leadership development, full stop.
- Personal — You connect to a cause or a community you care about, and that fills you up.
- Reputational — You — and your employer — are seen at the table, doing the work, alongside others who are doing the same.
All these benefits accrue not just to the individual who serves, but to the company or organization that employs them.
But the ROI I care most about is the one that flows to the nonprofit.
Nonprofit chief executives are among the loneliest leaders in our community right now. The challenges are complex. Rising community need. Shrinking resources. Workforce demands. Funder requirements. A board they sometimes feel at odds with rather than supported by. Every board meeting can feel like a performance review.
I always say: abundance can only be created in community. Not in isolation. Not by a chief executive doing it alone or a board that does not engage. Abundance is created when the board and the chief executive are truly interdependent — each making the other stronger.
When a board becomes a genuine strategic asset — working in constructive partnership with the chief executive — something shifts. Nonprofit leaders are no longer carrying the mission on their shoulders alone. And together with their engaged and effective board, they can move mountains. What an ROI.
To help you think about how to choose a board to serve and build a culture of service in your workplace, the teams at Besa and Mollard Consulting created a worksheet that we distributed at the forum. You can download that here as you explore the power of showing up.
Thank you to the Columbus Metropolitan Club for this conversation, to the sold-out crowd for their interest and engagement, to the sponsors for their support, and to my fellow panelists for a room that felt like exactly the right place to say hard and hopeful things at the same time.
And to Michael Corey, who was in our hearts throughout today’s forum, thank you for everything you give to this community. We are with you.
