For Staff and Volunteers Archives - Spokes

The Value of Nonprofit Board Service

April 16, 2025 by Jordan Jerkovich

Did you know there are more than 1,500 charitable nonprofit organizations in San Luis Obispo County? By law, each of them must be governed by a board of directors.

Serving as a director on a nonprofit board offers valuable benefits to both you and your community. You’ll develop leadership skills, expand your network, and make a meaningful impact on a cause you care about. Your volunteer service ensures the organization stays mission-focused and effective, supporting positive change and enhancing the quality of life in your community.

In the video below, Spokes CEO Michael Simkins addresses members of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, sharing deeper insights into the benefits of nonprofit board service—and why it’s a valuable opportunity for everyone. He emphasizes the importance of local employers supporting and encouraging employee involvement, highlighting the transferable skills employees gain and bring back to the workplace.

Interested in serving on a nonprofit board but unsure about the responsibilities and level of commitment involved? Spokes offers a free, live 45-minute online class—Board Service 101—quarterly.

Register for an upcoming live session:

June 10

September 9

December 9

Or, view the following recording of a past Board Service 101 class:

Nonprofit Storytelling

February 7, 2025 by Jordan Jerkovich

In our recent Board Academy session focused on Fundraising and Resource Development, we discussed the importance of storytelling. To create a lasting emotional connection with the general public, media and donors, your board of directors––and actually every member of your organization––should be prepared to tell their own impactful story as it relates to your organization’s mission.

Given recent executive actions affecting nonprofits, storytelling to donors, media and Congress is increasingly critical. You need to be able to effectively communicate why your organization is important, and what would happen if it wasn’t here?

Here are some components of effective nonprofit storytelling from ChatGPT:

1. A Relatable Protagonist

Focus on a real person, group, or community that has benefited from your work.
The protagonist should be someone your audience can empathize with.

2. A Compelling Challenge

Highlight the struggle or problem the protagonist faced before your nonprofit stepped in.
Make the challenge specific, urgent, and emotionally resonant.

3. A Clear Resolution (Impact of Your Work)

Show how your nonprofit’s intervention made a difference.
Use concrete details, data, and personal testimonials to illustrate success.

4. Emotional Connection

Use emotions like hope, joy, or perseverance to engage your audience.
Show, don’t just tell—use vivid descriptions, quotes, and imagery.

5. A Call to Action (CTA)

Inspire your audience to take action (donate, volunteer, share the story, etc.).
Make the CTA clear, direct, and easy to follow.

6. Authenticity and Transparency

Stay true to the story and avoid exaggeration or manipulation.
If using real individuals, obtain permission and respect their privacy.

7. Multi-Channel Delivery

Use visuals, videos, and testimonials to enhance engagement.
Adapt your story for different platforms (social media, website, email, video, etc.).

Check out this Forbes article for more storytelling tips and tools. If you’re looking to invest in your storytelling abilities, the annual Nonprofit Storytelling Conference is a great resource.

Board Service 101

October 7, 2024 by Michael Simkins

Topics in this short introduction include:

Your responsibilities as a director
The three “duties” of a nonprofit director
Finding the right board for you
Typical time and financial commitment

Replenishing Your Volunteer Pool

September 23, 2024 by Michael Simkins

“Lack of volunteers” is a common theme lately in our executive director/CEO roundtables at Spokes. Currently volunteers are “aging out” and it’s a struggle to replace them. I decided to ask our friend chatGPT about this issue. As usual, it had lots of ideas.

For openers, it provided the following trends that contribute to the situation:

Aging Population of Traditional Volunteers: Older generations, especially Baby Boomers, have historically been strong contributors to volunteerism. As they age, they are either reducing their involvement or are unable to continue due to health reasons.
Younger Generations Volunteering Less: While Millennials and Gen Z are often involved in social causes, their approach to volunteering is different. They tend to prefer short-term, project-based engagements or virtual volunteering, rather than long-term commitments. Their work-life balance, financial pressures, and busy schedules also play a role in their reduced engagement in traditional volunteering.
Shift in How Younger People Engage: Younger generations are often more attracted to causes that align with their personal values and might prioritize advocacy, digital activism, or donating money over volunteering time in a traditional sense. They also prefer organizations that offer flexible, meaningful, and tech-savvy volunteer opportunities.
Competition with Other Activities: Younger people have more competing interests, such as career development, social activities, and other forms of civic engagement. Nonprofits may struggle to attract them unless they adapt to these preferences.
Lack of Targeted Outreach: Some nonprofits may not have adjusted their volunteer recruitment and engagement strategies to appeal to younger generations, who often rely on social media and online platforms for such opportunities.

Next time, I’ll share some of the suggested approaches for countering this trend.

Unconscious Bias

June 2, 2024 by Michael Simkins

What is unconscious bias, and what can I do about it?

Unconscious bias refers to the automatic, unintentional, and often subtle prejudices and stereotypes that influence our attitudes, actions, and decisions without our conscious awareness. These biases stem from our brain’s natural tendency to categorize and make quick judgments based on past experiences, cultural norms, and societal influences. While unconscious biases are a normal part of human cognition, they can lead to discriminatory behavior and perpetuate inequalities in various areas of life, including the work of our nonprofit staff and boards of directors.

What can I do?

Identifying unconscious biases is a crucial step towards fostering a more inclusive and equitable environment. One effective method is through implicit association tests (IATs), which measure the strength of associations between concepts (e.g., race, gender) and evaluations (e.g., good, bad) or stereotypes (e.g., athletic, intellectual). These tests can reveal hidden biases that might not be evident through self-reflection alone. One resource for such tests is Project Implicit.

Another useful strategy is to seek feedback from diverse groups. Engaging in open, honest conversations with individuals from different backgrounds can provide insights into how your behavior and decisions might be influenced by unconscious biases. Additionally, mindfulness practices, such as self-reflection and journaling, can help increase awareness of your thought patterns and challenge implicit assumptions. By recognizing and addressing unconscious biases, nonprofit leaders and board members can contribute to creating more fair and inclusive communities.