WATSONVILLE — The Central Coast may have an army of eager volunteers hoping to serve on a nonprofit board, and an abundance of nonprofits hoping to recruit them. The difficulty, however, comes in bringing the two together.
Potential volunteer board members are stymied by busy schedules, and may be unsure how to find a nonprofit.
The nonprofits, meanwhile, are busy with day-to-day operations and typically have too few staff members to actively recruit new board members. They are also challenged by seeking out new, younger volunteers who can bring in fresh ideas.
That is where BoardMatch comes in, a two-day event that brings potential volunteers and nonprofits together.
Since its 2008 creation, BoardMatch has placed more than 150 people into new or first-time board service, BoardMatch team member Luis Chabolla said.
“We think it’s been pretty successful,” he said.
Run by Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, BoardMatch leverages its knowledge of nonprofits and community ties to create a one-stop shop for both volunteers and nonprofit organizations.
“We want to help them find a nonprofit they are interested in and take out the anxiety of, ‘where do I go, where do I look and how do I do it?’” Chabolla said. “We make that connection and take away that anxiety.”
The two-day event includes a simulated board meeting and a “speed dating” portion, in which participants have 15 minutes to question each other before switching to another one.
Participants also learn about issues such as the legal responsibilities of sitting on a nonprofit board.
The event, held June 7 and 21, brought together 22 participants and 33 nonprofit organizations such as Watsonville Film Festival, Watsonville Wetlands Watch and CASA.
Amanda Rotella, who works as economic development coordinator for the City of Santa Cruz, said her interest in issues involving women and families inspired her to attend the two-day event.
“I’ve been looking for a way to get further involved in the community and to give back,” she said.
Rotella said she plans to follow up with Teen Kitchen Project, which trains young people to cook, and make ready-to-eat meals that are delivered to families facing medical issues.
“I was so impressed,” Rotella said of BoardMatch. “They really take the mystique out of joining a board, and make it accessible and understandable.”
This year, Driscoll’s berry company allowed the event to take place in their Watsonville headquarters. That relationship began in 2005 when the Community Foundation started to manage Driscoll’s donor-invested fund.
But the BoardMatch program meshed well with Driscoll’s companywide philanthropic philosophy, and the community offered the space during a recent meeting, said Emmett Linder, Driscoll’s Director of Grower and Community Engagement.
That brought the program directly to several Driscoll’s employees, Linder said.
“We wanted to participate, because at Driscoll’s we really want to have our employees invested in the charitable organizations they believe in and be able to participate in them,” he said.
Driscoll’s Senior Systems Engineer Nathan Bach said he was hoping to connect with an organization whose focus is art, education, agriculture, or another one that gave him a break from the technical aspects of his job.
Like Rotella, Bach found a connection with Teen Kitchen Project.
He said he was surprised to learn that about 1,400 nonprofit organizations are currently looking for board members.
“One thing I didn’t realize is how many board members are needed,” he said. “They are constantly looking for new membership.”
