Annette Look

What is your greatest strength? Many of us have been asked that question in an interview setting. Today, you’re invited to think about your strengths differently – How could you use your strengths to make a difference in the community?

Our community is lucky. Nonprofits are already making a difference – whether they’re serving meals, mentoring youth or providing master level music for free. Our nonprofits are a community asset. But, they can’t do it alone.

Nonprofits depend on our help – not just financially, but as volunteers to step into board and committee roles and share talents to help them make a difference. With over 70 board and committee openings posted on Nonprofit Leadership Initiative’s Board Connect site, there is an opportunity just waiting for you to use your strengths to make a difference in your community.

It’s easy to browse for openings on Board Connect. You can search by cause to find organizations making an impact in areas you are passionate about. You can also filter by your strengths; there are over 16 skills and interest areas listed. Have a knack for event planning? Opportunities to serve on committees planning golf outings, galas, and run/walks are available.

Lori Anne Glassco

Lori Anne Glassco said this about her experience using Board Connect, “I like to think that my board opportunity found me rather than the other way around. That is how easy it was to use Board Connect to search for a position I was not only interested in, but also a good fit. My choice to seek out volunteering with a non-profit was simple – I was looking for an opportunity to give back to the community in a deep and meaningful way. For me, I identified this as giving the best of me – my time and creative talents. There has been no greater satisfaction than to see the extraordinary progress of the committee on which I serve, and the impact it has made for the non-profit organization as a whole.”

You can browse the site for free and express interest in an opening, create an account and send a message to the nonprofit. That starts an exploratory conversation to see if there is a good fit. New opportunities are posted regularly, so check back often to find the best fit for you.

The Nonprofit Leadership Initiative within the Community Foundation is a partnership of Fox Valley-area nonprofits, funders, educational institutions and businesses dedicated to providing resources needed by effective nonprofit boards and executive leaders. NPLI offers a wide range of leadership, management and technical skill-building programs, as well as peer learning circles, to the entire nonprofit sector in the Fox Valley.