Joining a nonprofit board is a great way to give back to your community, meet new people, use your expertise, stay relevant, and gain new skills.
We have several tools to help you in your exploratory phase:
- Get on Board Matching Service
- Giving Back Guide directory of nonprofits
- Volunteer Fairs
- Intro to Board Service Videos
GET ON BOARD BERKSHIRES!
Get on Board is a relatively new matching service from Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires and Berkshire United Way, in partnership with 1Berkshire and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
Community members interested in exploring board service fill out a form identifying their interests and skills. Nonprofits searching for board members also fill out a form identifying their needs and requirements.
A small team reviews the confidential information to find potential matches and then reaches out to the appropriate parties to see if they want to connect and carry on the conversation. Information is only shared with permission from the parties involved.
* OCT 30TH GET ON BOARD EVENT CANCELLED!
GIVING BACK GUIDE
Every year, NPC publishes a directory of over 1,000 nonprofits organized by category (i.e. Arts, Education, Environment, Housing, etc.). The guide includes 100 profiles of nonprofits with descriptions of their programs and ways to help. 15,000 copies are distributed free to community members via The Berkshire Eagle. Copies can also be found in coffee shops, lobbies, town halls, libraries and more.
Individuals use the Giving Back guide to identify volunteer opportunities and giving prospects. The guide is also used by schools, leadership programs, giving circles, employers, religious institutions and other civic groups.
Download your free copy here
VOLUNTEER FAIRS
NPC partners with Berkshire United Way and other organizations to present volunteer fairs across Berkshire County. They are lively events where community members get to meet nonprofit representatives in person to find out more about how to help. Find out more about these events here.
INTRO TO BOARD SERVICE
If you have never served on a board before and have some questions, we can help! We’ve created a short video series that covers the basics of board service and is designed to give you enough knowledge and confidence to say “yes” to board service.
Four 10-minute videos provide an overview, and information about board roles & responsibilities, finance and fundraising. Funded by grants from the Berkshire Film & Media Collaborative and Massachusetts Service Alliance, the videos are FREE to watch below:
1. About Board Service
2. Roles & Responsibilities
3. Finance
4. Fundraising
OTHER RESOURCES
Click here to learn about Municipal volunteer opportunities
Check out Berkshire United Way’s Online Volunteer Platform