Every nonprofit relies on the skills, talents and resources of the people who volunteer to serve on its Board of Directors. But what does being a board member really mean and what are your responsibilities? What is your level of understanding about nonprofit governance and structure? To help answer these and other questions, United Way of Sheboygan County Volunteer Center and Kohler Company are teaming up to bring valuable, capacity-building training to the nonprofit community on November 12.

We envision strong nonprofit organizations governed by diverse, passionate and resourceful leaders. This training will give current nonprofit board members, executive directors and those who want to serve, the tools they need to expedite their ability to contribute to their organizations. This is also a great refresher course for those who have been serving for a long time.

BoardStar (boardstar.org) will be presenting this workshop focused on responsible governance and nonprofit operations. Participants will learn the fundamental roles and responsibilities of nonprofit boards with emphasis on governance, policy and planning. Additionally, an overview of the nonprofit structure, funding and business models will be included to ensure a board member not only knows their role, but understands what a successful nonprofit looks like overall.

Open to current nonprofit board members, executive directors and those with an interest in becoming a board member, this training from our friends at BoardStar out of Milwaukee, will help you deepen your understanding of responsible governance, funding, policy, planning and structure.

The event will occur at the Inn on Woodlake from 8:30 – 11:00 a.m. on November 12. There is no charge to attend but registration is required at www.uwofsc.org/events/board-star. There are still some seats available for this workshop, but they are limited.

At the close of this session, we will be taking applications for enrollment in our 2016 Board Education Series. The series will be much more in-depth and will occur over several months. It will be open to current nonprofit board members and executive directors with an estimated launch in the spring of 2016. These monthly workshops will be between 90-120 minutes in length and the format will allow for the broad work and conversation to take place within the workshops, listed below, leading to discussion outside of the sessions with the staff and board members around their specific challenges, questions, etc. The Series will feature the following topics:

• Pursuing Nonprofit Sustainability
• Role of the Board in Strategic Planning
• Understanding and Assessing Financial Health
• Taking the Fear Out of Fundraising
• Governance Feedback & Convening

Our overall intent is to offer this training on an annual basis. This is because each year a percentage of board members have to rotate off of boards due to bylaw requirements and new ones must rise up to replace them.

Having worked in the nonprofit sector for 16 years, this is something I am truly passionate about. I have had the great honor to work with several boards over the years and I have seen first-hand the positive impact an educated, skilled, enthusiastic and well-rounded board has on a nonprofit. Workshops like this one are offered regularly in larger cities but rarely in Sheboygan County so if you are interested, please take advantage of this opportunity by registering at uwofsc.org. 

BoardStar is the premier organization that specializes in the training of current and future board members. Their mission is to increase individual involvement in nonprofit boards & strengthen the capability of the boards of nonprofit organizations.