Why Women Should Join Nonprofit Boards

Gone are the days when women are treated as inferior to men. Several protests around the world – including the recently conducted “Day without a Woman” and “Women’s March” that happened in January – have ignited the fire of hope in women to continue in advocating for legislations and reforms on gender equality.

Most of these advocacies include gender rights and other issues such as equality, healthcare reform, immigration rights, environmental awareness, racial equality, and labor rights. While major advancements have been made over the past decades, the fight still goes on for women. Especially in the business world, the inclusivity of women is still needed from organization boards to the employee workplace.

Women in Companies

Women’s labor rights in particular have long been an issue ever since the beginning and have only started to get equal opportunities during the 60s and 70s. Women engagement in the labor force has improved from a 38.1% share in the 70s, up to a 46.8% share in 2015. This 8.7% improvement is still significantly low considering that more than 40 years have passed since women began entering the labor force.

But with the likes of Xerox’s Chair-CEO Ursula Burns, Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg, and other women CEOs and business leaders, we can all agree that women are as good as men when it comes to leading organizations. Numerous women in leadership positions have already shown that gender is not a issue when it comes to performance. They have broken the old misguided beliefs that women are simply not as good as men.

Because of the Day without a Woman and Women’s March protests, it is only fitting and timely that women should consider joining nonprofit boards in order to further promote advocacies and put a louder voice for them in these organizations.

After all, women are perfect for the nonprofit board position due to the following reasons:

Better At Communicating

Women are widely known to be better communicators than men in an external setting. Maybe this is because they are more compassionate as human beings. They have more sensitivity and goodwill towards other people, which is why they tend to actually listen to personal concerns of peers and subordinates. Women are also more likely listen to complaints and keep them as a note for improvements in the future.

Women working in nonprofit boards can perfectly exercise their gentle attributes and be more open towards the unique advocacy and challenges the nonprofit organization faces. They can help champion the nonprofit organization’s cause and inspire other women to be a part of its advocacy.

A nonprofit organization will also have a better image when its members are composed of important members that have diverse gender, age, and color. This shows that the nonprofit is inclusive and that everyone is united behind the organization’s advocacies.

Less Egotistic

Laura Otten, the executive director of The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University’s School of Business in Philadelphia said in a York Daily Record article that, “Some men are less likely to join a nonprofit’s board because they see the position as less prestigious than serving on a corporate board.” She also said that women are more concerned and passionate about the cause of an organization rather than the compensation or the contacts they will get from joining the board.

She states that this may be because men have always had the privilege of being in the workforce. Years of conditioning in a patriarchal and conservative society led most men to believe that nonprofit boards are of less significance, so they would much rather join for-profit boards.

This can then be a chance for women to take up leadership positions, especially for an organization that have good causes. Inevitability, serving on a nonprofit board can be a proving ground and stepping stone for higher positions in bigger corporations.

Women in nonprofit boards can even help change the board’s dynamics to become more socially aware and conscious of its stakeholders.

More Motivated and Ambitious

As we pointed out, women have always been deprived of leadership positions due to the long-standing patriarchal rules in society. This is why women are now becoming more motivated than men in order to prove themselves that they are worthy of the position and are less likely to take it for granted. Recent studies including Pew Research Center and McKinsey have showed that there is a huge impact on positive business outcomes when there is an association of higher representation of women in the boardroom.

To serve on a board requires a lot of attention and motivation, especially since nonprofit board members can face very challenging problems. A person who is truly motivated and ambitious enough, will always be the one that drives the organization’s performances for the better. Essentially, women in nonprofit boards can give that edge needed.

To Create Diversity

Women in particular have different experiences and point of views from men. This is why having diversity in a board provides an opportunity for a richer set of ideas that will help provide wisdom and insight at a level that can greatly benefit the organization in the future.

Studies also suggest that gender diversity in boards can be connected with less unethical behavior, better corporate governance and board oversight. It is undeniable that a every organizational board should be composed of different people that have expertise in their respective fields. Denying a person a position in the board, just because of their gender is misguided and can be considered a foregone opportunity.

Women in nonprofit boards can help strengthen the power of an organization and achieve good governance. If they have the necessary qualifications and are proven to be in line with the goals of the board, they should be given the opportunity. Not only that, there are a number of examples of female leaders who’ve achieved great things and help organizations perform better when given the opportunity.

Empower Women in Nonprofit Boards

To further help these women in their task and responsibilities, use a digital tool such as a board management software to make the nonprofit organization more efficient and productive. If empowered and motivated, these women may be the best thing that happen and can drive the growth of your organization.