Each year brings a fresh slate of officers to the YNPN Twin Cities board of directors. This is the group elected to keep an eye on the big picture and help the whole board stay in alignment as we work toward meeting our mission and vision and giving you, our members, the best possible experience.

But did you know? This group has quite the artistic streak too! To prove it, we asked the four of them to open up Paint on their computers and draw us a picture to represent what they'd like to see happen during their term. Read on for their artistic inspiration!

How boards define how an organization looks, works and feels

It’s easy to understand many of the responsibilities of a board once you know what they are. Budgets, hiring approval, membership confirmations, and executive salary are all concrete decisions to make with very definitive results. The complication comes with the fact that board responsibilities do not stop there. Leadership development, strategic planning, and organizational culture may all also be direct charges of the board or its committees. It’s often difficult to see what sorts of decisions or activities the board could be involved in that may address these abstract goals. Lucky for you… you’ve got On Board!

It’s easy to understand many of the responsibilities of a board once you know what they are. Budgets, hiring approval, membership confirmations, and executive salary are all concrete decisions to make with very definitive results. The complication comes with the fact that board responsibilities do not stop there. Leadership development, strategic planning, and organizational culture may all also be direct charges of the board or its committees. It’s often difficult to see what sorts of decisions or activities the board could be involved in that may address these abstract goals. Lucky for you… you’ve got On Board!

As a young nonprofit professional I had, until very recently, no idea what a board of directors did. Even as someone fascinated by the structure and composition of nonprofits’ organizational charts I could give you only the vaguest of answers when asked what the responsibilities, activities, and benefits of board service actually are. (I’m completely aware that this last sentence outs me as a governance geek, which I hope you will not only forgive me for, but come to see as endearingly dorky.)

Meet Three of Our New Board Members - Cary, Lauren and Lucas!

When asked to do a short article about us for The Bridge, our collective competitiveness kicked in. These were going to be the coolest most informative new board member intros to date. But why do just an article? How about a puppet show? Interpretive dance? A three act play in iambic pentameter?

Okay, so we didn’t come up with a way quite that epic to tell you a little about ourselves, but we all think you’ll enjoy watching these short videos. We decided to take you on location to a spot around the Twin Cities that has shaped who we are today, and why we’re excited to be a part of YNPN’s latest board recruits.

We rarely ask ourselves "Is this enough?" unless we have a sneaking suspicion that our efforts, whatever they may be, are falling short.

When the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964, it clearly applied to laws that imposed segregation, such as in public schools. The practice of segregation enforced by law, or de jure segregation, was a clear target for the forces of integration and equality.

However, there were also a number of schools that provided a more nuanced problem—de facto segregation. These schools were divided along racial lines simply by the makeup of their neighborhoods and communities. While legal segregation ended, de facto segregation has had a lasting impact on our schools and children.

“Leading from the middle” is one of those phrases we throw around in the nonprofit world, but never clearly define – hoping and trusting that no one will be forward enough to ask us directly what we mean by that. I sat down with Alfonso Wenker, the Director of Development & Communications at PFund, to discuss his experience with this buzzy phase of professional life.

What do you think “leading from the middle” means?

It is noticing and recognizing the strengths you bring to an organization, and putting that foot forward. You recognize the skills or connections that others on your team, even executives, do not have, and find places where you can contribute to those deficits. This means you do not default to “I’m not an Executive Director, so I can’t leverage this relationship, create this partnership, etc.”

Alright, you. Deep breath. Remember your talking points, check your teeth for cilantro from lunch, and smile. Another deep breath. Dry-off your sweaty hands. Confidence, poise. Keep. Breathing.

How many of us have experienced this inner monologue? Whether meeting someone for a promising first date or interviewing for what you may consider the perfect job, nerves get the best of many of us. Luckily the more experience you have with interviewing (or dating for that matter) the less stressful it often becomes. Being well prepared, self-aware, and confident can often muffle the voice we have in the back of our minds questioning whether that laugh made us appear interested or overeager.