Looking Forward by Giving Back: How and Why Project Managers Should Consider Serving on Not-for-Profit Boards

  Governance   Leadership   Knowledge Shelf  

This article discusses how project managers can leverage their experiences and skills to give back to their communities by joining the board of directors of not-for-profit organizations. The article begins by presenting the skills that render project managers uniquely positioned to positively impact not-for-profit boards and provides specific examples to illustrate this concept. Hands-on tips are also provided to give project managers specific ideas on how to make an immediate impact. The article then provides an analysis of how individual project managers will benefit both personally and professionally from serving not-for-profits in this capacity. The article concludes by commenting on how not-for-profit board service can be viewed in the wider context of the progression of the project management discipline.

Across the Board

The board of directors occupies a special place in the world of management. This body, used in various forms by most for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, often represents the pinnacle of leadership. On a general level, a not-for-profit board (Note: For the remainder of this article, “board” will refer solely to a not-for-profit board) is understood by most to be the body that governs the operations of the organization. These responsibilities typically include the following activities:

• Developing and reviewing the …

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