5 Ways to Be a Good Board Fellow
What makes a good Board Fellow? Pam Martin, Institute for Social Innovation Senior Fellow in Social Innovation, shares advice from over two decades of experience in working with nonprofits.
Read ArticleBabson Board Fellows is an experiential learning program that places Babson MBA students and MBA alumni as nonvoting members on nonprofit Boards. Nonprofits benefit from our MBAs' fresh insights as well as their contributions to board committees and special projects. MBAs benefit from exposure to board-level decision-making, mentorship, and project experience.
Please note this program is open to Babson MBAs and MBA alumni who plan to live in the Greater Boston area for the 2023–2024 academic year. Applications must be submitted by June 16.
Since the program began in 2010, Babson Board Fellows have supported dozens of nonprofit organizations, such as The BASE, Special Olympics of Massachusetts, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Clear Path for Veterans NE, and more.
Prospective Babson Board Fellows are evaluated based upon their skills, work experience, passion, and commitment to meeting the expectations of the program. The Selection Committee screens each candidate for the best fit for the program, and matches accepted candidates to nonprofit boards who can best utilize their skills and strengths based on the organization’s current needs.
Nonprofit boards are asked to submit an application detailing how they could benefit from a Babson Board Fellow, and must commit a board member to mentor and support the fellow(s) for at least one academic year. Nonprofit partners are subject to change each year depending on the needs of the organization and strengths of the cohort of fellows. If you are a nonprofit interested in being considered for Babson Board Fellows, please email socialinnovation@babson.edu for more information.
Typically, two Babson Board Fellows are matched with each nonprofit board to further the shared learning aspect of the program. However, there are some instances where only one Babson Board Fellow will participate with a nonprofit board.
*Please note: while Babson Board Fellows runs during the academic year, some fellows and boards may mutually agree to continue their partnership after the formal program end date. Any fellows who choose to continue their work will still receive full support from the Institute for Social Innovation beyond April.
In addition to attending all board and committee meetings, Babson MBAs are expected to commit to four check-in conversations to share learnings with other cohort members. Nonprofit board mentors should expect to spend an average of 1–2 hours each month supporting fellows. As each nonprofit board is structured differently, time commitments may vary according to schedules and peak demand times. Babson Board Fellows should be in an open dialogue with their nonprofits to ensure that any demands on their schedules are well communicated and that a strategy or work-around is determined.
Babson’s Board Fellows program exposed me to the inner workings of a nonprofit board and the importance of private-public partnerships that enable social and economic change. My experience helped me better understand the critical role business leaders play in the nonprofit ecosystem, beyond donations.
What makes a good Board Fellow? Pam Martin, Institute for Social Innovation Senior Fellow in Social Innovation, shares advice from over two decades of experience in working with nonprofits.
Read Article