Question: Should I serve on the board of a non-EA charity?
I have an opportunity through work to help guide a charity doing work on children’s education and entertainment in the UK and US. It has an endowment in the tens of millions of pounds.
Has anyone else had experience serving on the board or guiding committee of a non-EA charity? Did you feel like you were able to have a positive influence? Do you have any advice?
I would ask myself something like these questions to figure this out, I’m assuming by the picture you paint that you don’t think their current work is necessarily wildly impactful?
1. Do I have the time and headspace to take this on? Will it negatively affect other things I do
2. Do I like the other board members (at least in theory), and will I work well with them?
3. Will this be something energy giving and enjoyable for me? Some work (even if not that impactful) can almost paridoxically give us more energy for the more impactful stuff. I’ve noticed this more and more over the years.
4. Is there perhaps an opportunity for me to shape the charity’s work towards something more impactful? Influencing the thought world of children has potential. There’s a saying attributed to the Jesuits which goes something like “Give us a child till they are 7 and we’ll have them for life”, so those years are importantly formative.
Question: Should I serve on the board of a non-EA charity?
I have an opportunity through work to help guide a charity doing work on children’s education and entertainment in the UK and US. It has an endowment in the tens of millions of pounds.
Has anyone else had experience serving on the board or guiding committee of a non-EA charity? Did you feel like you were able to have a positive influence? Do you have any advice?
Am a charity Trustee. (of a much smaller charity)
I would say: go for it! Try to learn a lot from your experience. It’s a huge development opportunity for you.
I would ask myself something like these questions to figure this out, I’m assuming by the picture you paint that you don’t think their current work is necessarily wildly impactful?
1. Do I have the time and headspace to take this on? Will it negatively affect other things I do
2. Do I like the other board members (at least in theory), and will I work well with them?
3. Will this be something energy giving and enjoyable for me? Some work (even if not that impactful) can almost paridoxically give us more energy for the more impactful stuff. I’ve noticed this more and more over the years.
4. Is there perhaps an opportunity for me to shape the charity’s work towards something more impactful? Influencing the thought world of children has potential. There’s a saying attributed to the Jesuits which goes something like “Give us a child till they are 7 and we’ll have them for life”, so those years are importantly formative.