To round out week 2 of our 40 Days/40 Rights campaign, we would
love to share some cool things about our favorite place to connect for community
engagement, nonprofits, and specifically info about serving on a nonprofit board in
Genesee County: The BEST Project.
The
BEST Project is a capacity building program in Genesee County, Michigan, supported by the Flint Funders Collaborative
(FFC). For those of us who are not
familiar with what capacity building exactly is, basically it involves helping
individuals, institutions and society as a whole to connect to each other and
interact in order to provide effective public services.
Check out this video which gives you a bit of a crash course in
what BEST does. It’s a lot of
information to get through, so if you want the basic questions answered we
recommend checking out the first 2 minutes and then skipping to the last 2
minutes.
“But guys” you might say, “this looks really exciting but it’s
kind of over our heads. We’re just
people- how can we be involved in this?”
There is a whole lot that BEST does which has to do with
strengthening the structure and involvement of nonprofits in the community, but
one very cool thing that BEST does on an individual level is connect people to nonprofits for the
purposes of serving on a board. It’s
really cool because it gives you a way to network with your neighbors, get
active in an effective way, and feel empowered by collaborating with some
really dynamic individuals who are also working to make changes. We wanted to give you a Cliff’s notes version
of what it is to serve on a board, why it is important and how you can find out
more by reaching out to BEST.
So let’s say I am a person living in Genesee County, right? I have lived here for a while, long enough to
see the economic hardship and depression in my city and also long enough to
notice the bright spot that has become downtown Flint. I may drive through on my way to school or
work and I might hang out downtown or around the other neat places in
Flint. I may see the development of houses
being renovated, I might notice that there are more people walking around
outside during the day, and I may have attended some festivals (Back to the Bricks,
Buckham Alley Music Fest) and been impressed by the great energy happening in
the city. I am so excited about it that
I would love to get involved, but I am unsure of how to start.
If this sounds like you, this is where BEST comes in. The first thing you want to do is check out
the class entitled “Serving on a NonProfit Board”. It’s a one-stop shop for what it means to
serve on a board, how to start, and what resources you’ll need to sustain your
involvement. The
next Serving on a Nonprofit Board workshop is being held on Saturday June 9th
from 9-12:30. People can register here on the website: http://bestprojectonline.org/eventdetail.asp?id=356.
Usually this workshop costs $35. However
there are scholarships, and BEST is actually offering a special rate of $10.00
to anyone who registers because of reading this article. You will need to register online with an
account- it’s pretty self-explanatory if you read through everything carefully.
If you have any
questions about anything, BEST is very individual-oriented. Call 810.232.8000 and ask for Diane
Woodruff. She will help you sign up for
the workshop and get you started with a one-on-one conversation about how to
start, follow through, and sustain your community involvement.
It’s also good for us to mention that if you’re curious about how
to get involved at all, you can attend any of the beginner workshops offered
regularly through BEST. The next big speed networking event, Fall
Into Service, will be held at U of M Flint in the Michigan rooms on October
23rd from 5-7:30pm. The
Inspire conference at U of M –Flint is on October 12th and is FREE!
Check out this video about 2011's Fall
Into Service.
Once you attend
the board workshop, you will have all of the materials you will need to go
forward. BEST will go so far as to
fine-tailor the nonprofit you could serve on.
There are so many you may not even be aware of, like African
Drum and Dance- a nonprofit that could use a few more board members, and
Motherly Intercession (which works with the families of mothers who are
incarcerated) which is doing great things and may need the help as well. There is a whole world of people out there
who are working every day to make our community better. As an individual, you can help make a greater
and more effective impact while reaping the benefit of networking with people
of like minds and hearts.
If you’re
interested in finding out more about BEST, check out their website. It is incredibly thorough and user-friendly
and has regular updates about what classes and events are being offered.
---Jessica Back AKA Nada Teezovich
Support local everything.
Support local everything.
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