Tim Harty, The Business Times

Porcia Chen Silverberg has a lifetime of experience with nonprofit organizations, and she knows the following  to be true everywhere in the United States: Nonprofit organizations struggle mightily to get board members.

Few are the exceptions.

“When I worked in California, when I was running this coalition of nonprofits, I saw the need that most nonprofits are always looking for board members. It’s probably 99 out of 100,” she said.

Silverberg has been in Grand Junction for several years now, and the same holds true in the nonprofit world here, so she’s trying to do something about it.

The solution? Board Connect, a nonprofit board fair that Chen Silverberg’s business, Connect for Good, has partnered with Community Impact Council to host on May 21, 4 to 7 p.m., at The Art Center of Western Colorado, 1803 N. Seventh St. in Grand Junction.

The goal in this endeavor is simple: Introduce local nonprofits and community members to each other and let them converse – “meaningfully,” Chen Silverberg said – about board service in hopes it leads to filling more of those board vacancies.

Elaine Johnson, a Community Impact Council board member and Connect for Good “Board Connect” event committee member, thinks the nonprofit board fair can make a difference.

She wrote in an email, “Competent, engaged and supportive boards of directors are vital for nonprofits’ survival and growth. Unfortunately, organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to find not just board members, but the RIGHT board members. Volunteerism in general in the U.S. has been steadily declining, and nonprofit board service is a whole other level of commitment.”

Laurel Cole, executive director of Mesa County Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit, can speak to the commitment required on Habitat’s board of directors, and it goes way beyond the once-a-month board meeting that usually lasts about 90 minutes. There are different committees that board members can join. Then there are subcommittees that need to meet. There’s a Re-Store advisory board that needs members.

“And then,” she said, “a typical requirement of a nonprofit would be that your board members are participating in fundraising, and also that they’re attending those pivotal events that your organization hosts.”

Habitat for Humanity, however, is a rare exception as a nonprofit that doesn’t struggle to get board members. When there’s an opening, it gets multiple applicants. But that wasn’t always the case, as Cole said it’s a more recent phenomenon.

“We’ve had less challenges,” said Cole, adding Habitat’s board has 11 members. “I know a lot of other nonprofits, though, that I work with and connect with, partner with, they’ve had a very hard time accessing qualified board members in their area that are gonna bring something to their organization or have the time to commit to the role.”

Cole thinks Board Connect is needed and has the potential to effect change, so it’s important to get the word out to the people who have wondered if they’re fit for board service. And it’s important to bring a collection of nonprofits together to provide their information.

Chen Silverberg plans to have 25 nonprofits on hand at Board Connect, and she’s trying to get the word out to the public, so those people who weren’t sure how to go about inquiring will see there’s a place to get their questions answered. And perhaps a board position awaits.

Being able to do that will solve a huge problem that nonprofits encounter.

“I think that a lot of nonprofits have a difficult time getting that information out to the public,” Cole said. “A lot of them will post it on their website, but unless you’re going to each and every nonprofit website and looking to see if they have board opportunities, you might not hear about them.”

The other side of that coin is a person might be interested in a specific board, but they inquire when there isn’t an opening, and they don’t know where else to turn that might be similar and satisfying.

And, of course, there are people who just never think about serving on a board, because they never see or hear about the opportunities. So, the challenge is getting their attention.

Another thing Chen Silverberg knows to be true is there are enough qualified people in an area such as the Grand Valley that no nonprofit should be short on board members.

She believes there is no shortage of everyday people who are everyday leaders, capable of providing ideas and making informed decisions. But nonprofits need to extend invitations, or community members need to learn where their experience and knowledge are wanted.

“I’m going to have 25 nonprofits in the room,” Chen Silverberg said of Board Connect, “and I’m going to invite lots of community members who may have served on boards and have turned out, looking for new boards, or hopefully a lot of people who have never sat on the board but have been curious.”

Then, with both parties present, face to face, questions can be asked, and answers can be given.

“Being able to connect people in our community that are interested in serving on a board with those board opportunities is just an important asset that I’m excited to see offered,” Cole said.

ROOM FOR MORE NONPROFITS

Nonprofits can still apply to exhibit and participate in the May 21 event. The deadline for a nonprofit to register is May 16. Find more details at www.connectforgood.biz/board-connect.