News from the Boardroom

Everyday, BoardStar works with Board Directors and nonprofit organizations. Sometimes we hear a story we think should be shared because you can learn from it, because it shows the impact BoardStar can have, or just because it's fun.  

It pays to be in BoardStar's orbit!
November 3, 2010

Just this month at a workshop we offered, the ArtWorks for Milwaukee Board President connected for the first time with the Executive Director of the Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship. ArtWorks for Milwaukee, Inc., utilizes the arts to train employability skills to Milwaukee teens through paid youth apprenticeships that prepare young people to successfully enter the workforce in any industry. The Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship empowers young people to experience personal and professional growth through programs and coaching related to financial literacy and entrepreneurship. Meeting at our workshop resulted in a collaboration to make an upcoming event possible for ArtWorks on short notice and for opportunities for future collaboration as well.

ArtWorks for Milwaukee had been planning its second annual fundraiser, A Night by the River, and faced a dilemma of needing a liquor permit for the event. Each organization receives only two for the year from the city of Milwaukee and unfortunately ArtWorks had already used their alottment. Since the fundraiser is a beer and wine tasting, the liquor permit was necessary to execute the event. ArtWorks was looking for another nonprofit organization that would be interested in partnering to utilize an available permit and the Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship was happy to help.

"BoardStar has been a great resource for connecting our organization to potential program partners and was a life saver in connecting us with a partner for one of our fundraisers at the last minute. I would recommend BoardStar to anyone interested in networking for potential community collaborations, as well as professional and Board development," said Vanessa LaCoste, Board president, ArtWorks for Milwaukee.

How can BoardStar help you do more? Contact us now at (414) 271-4752 or info@boardstar.org.

BoardStars Stars in Focus:
Theresa Boyd, Board President, and Amy Rowell, Executive Director of the Milwaukee Animal Rescue Center
November 3, 2010

You wouldn't think that the Executive Director of The Milwaukee Animal Rescue Center (The ARC) would suspect she had found a perfect Board Director candidate when she heard that the candidate was allergic to cats. "Sign her up!" Amy Rowell remembers thinking.

As their mission statement says, the founders of The ARC incorporated the organization in the fall of 2005 to place homeless animals into loving, permanent homes, as well as to provide community outreach programs for a better, more secure future for all companion animals.

Amy was moving the organization from a fledgling nonprofit with a Board comprised of friends, family members, and dedicated volunteers. She sought out the expertise of Rob Meiksins, Board Placement Coordinator at BoardStar, to find not just potential Board Directors but, more importantly, the leadership for her Board that would help take the organization to the next level of professionalism. And just as vital to Amy was finding Board Directors who believed in the mission, but did not necessarily want to immerse themselves in the day-to-day operations of the organization. Amy needed a Board to help the ARC grow and raise money, not to provide foster homes for animals. And how could Theresa do that, allergies and all?

When the two met, their passion and needs clicked. Amy had been working with BoardStar to populate her Board and had attended workshops examining the Executive Director role. Around the same time in 2009, Theresa heard Rob speak and sought out opportunities to serve on a Board.

It wasn't until Amy and Theresa met that Theresa learned she was being considered for the role of Board president, something she had never done before. "If they had told me," Theresa reflects now, "I might have said no, but it would have been a big mistake."

Both Amy and Theresa interact regularly with BoardStar today. The organization now has three Board Directors and two committee members from matches made by using BoardStar's OnBoard - Greater Milwaukee. Additionally, they send new Board Directors to BoardStar workshops, especially the Orientation Express workshop, and will continue to do so as the Board grows.

They're working with Rob to find a vice president of the Board, too. They agree that those who utilize BoardStar's match-making services - either as an organization, looking for qualified leadership, or as an individual seeking a meaningful opportunity - send a powerful signal that they respect each other's roles and will take any partnership seriously.

BoardStar also provides The ARC with a valuable introduction to the nuances of nonprofit leadership. "You don't know what you don't know," Amy wisely remembers. She looks forward to taking more classes, and has also had volunteers attend workshops and realize that taking on a Director role isn't entirely what they had in mind. As she professionalizes her Board, with Theresa's leadership, the organization is moving from a nascent one to one with more structure, with a strategic plan for the future. "And diversifying the Board is necessary for our long-term success. We could have gone along as we were, but from the donor's perspective, an organization can't rest on one person forever. You can't be too much heart and not enough business."

Now, it won't be. And Amy, Theresa, and countless animals have BoardStar to thank.

For more inspiring stories, or to share a story of your own, contact BoardStar at (414) 271-4752 or info@boardstar.org.