Setting the Stage for Impact through Berkeley Board Fellows
Berkeley Board Fellows kicked off the 2015 program by convening students, nonprofit partners, coaches, and faculty at Berkeley’s International House. In its 12th year, the program continues to provide resources, education, training, and support for Cal graduate students looking to include board service in their lives. Current nonprofit board members are also supported through training and other resources.
The participating nonprofits cover a wide array of services and sectors. Here are some statistics on this year’s selected organizations:
- 30 Nonprofit organizations from 10 bay area cities
- Combined $118.5 million annual budget
- 1650 employees (in 3 different countries)
- 30% of the organizations participated last year
- Buchanan YMCA is the oldest nonprofit, established in 1855
- Bay Leaf Kitchen is the youngest nonprofit, established in 2014
First-time board mentors were provided some pearls of wisdom by Aaron Schwartz, MBA10, who was a Berkeley Board Fellow in 2008 and now serves as a board mentor for Larkin Street Youth Services.
The program kickoff deliberately focuses its attention on the new Fellows and Board Mentors. That’s why we’re thrilled when there is a connection between the two groups that will enable a positive experience and fruitful project. As one nonprofit Board Chair mentioned, “We came away impressed and excited to see what our two Fellows can do.”
Rich Lyons, Berkeley-Haas Dean, relates the fundamentals of board service with the Haas defining principles.
Follow @ImpactMBA on twitter to get updates on the program.
