Called to Serve: Creating and Nurturing the Effective Volunteer Board

Max De Pree

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Preface

This book is the result of a serious person asking the right questions. How can the board of a non-profit organization work best? Now that I'm on such a board, what should I do? How can we find the best trustees? How should I think about my work for non-profits? How can trustees contribute their best? What kind of relationship between a board and the staff will work best? How can we organize and develop the service of busy, committed people? What does their commitment entail?

There is a reason why this is a small book. We want it to be useful, but not a burden. We recognize that it's the busy people who end up on boards. They don't have time to read long books about this subject, nor do we think it's necessary. We believe good people need reminders and an occasional nudge, not a sermon. We also assume a good deal about you — that your time is valuable, that you are committed to not-for-profit work, that you, too, know something about this subject.

Several years ago, my friend Dr. Verley Sangster was invited to be the president of the Center for Urban Theological Studies in Philadelphia — CUTS. The Center is a school for adults, all of whom hold full-time jobs. It is located in a difficult urban setting. When Verley arrived to begin work, he was presented with a "club" for his steering wheel, so that his car would be less likely to be stolen. At first he thought it was a joke.

Verley first came to CUTS in 1994. In his previous position, he was Vice President of Multi-ethnic and Urban Ministries for Young Life at its headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Verley and I met when he was a student at Fuller Theological Seminary (and I, a trustee), and we have shared a two-way mentoring relationship for a good many years.

CUTS — the acronym verges on becoming a name insiders use — is a sacred calling and a tough challenge for all involved. CUTS was founded in 1971. It is now an affiliate of Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Its students are primarily African-American. In many ways CUTS is unique, but in another sense it exemplifies the more than 1½ million non-profit organizations in America to whom this little book is addressed. It's not among the large, prominent ones like the Salvation Army and the Red Cross. It's different from the Boy Scouts, a local hospital, or the town library. While it fits broadly into a category we could call academic, it's very different from a liberal arts college or a major university.

Yet CUTS is one of the many non-profit organizations that are a special gift to American society and culture. 109,000,000 Americans work for them. The value of the time they contribute, according to a 1998 Gallup poll, is $225.9 billion — no small sum of money. The organizations that benefit from this energy have their own niches. They serve all kinds of people, work in all parts of the country, offer many different services, and attract their own brand of volunteers. They also share the never-ending chore of fund-raising.

Another common denominator is the need to establish and nurture governing boards that are lively, effective, fun to serve on, and demanding in the best sense of the word. The best boards combine in a fruitful way a passion for a group's mission with the competence to make a significant contribution. As you can see, I am using the word "boards" broadly in these letters. Many organizations will use a different designation.

When Verley arrived on the scene at CUTS, one thing needing his attention was the creation of just such a board. Since I had served on a number of boards over many years and since he and I work well together, we began a series of discussions about boards and life in general at non-profit organizations. I would follow up each conversation with letters for clarification and as a kind of record of our thoughts. Later I asked Verley to write his notes and suggestions on the letters. And so the two of us arrived at the beginnings of what you are reading.

Now you have the background to this book. What should you do with Called to Serve? Enjoy it. Try out the ideas and suggestions. Take it seriously. Don't take it too seriously. You surely can improve on it. Write in it. Put your stamp on it.

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