YMCA of the USA
Next summer, the YMCA celebrates its 180th anniversary. From its humble beginnings among trades workers in London, UK, ‘the Y’ has grown into an international NGO, with over 2,600 centers across the US alone. Throughout this time, the organization’s purpose has remained consistent: to empower young people and their communities through programs of youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.
It was this commitment to investing in young people that prompted YMCA of the USA to become involved in the Board Fellows program at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University — a rigorous, 20-month initiative where top MBA students serve as ex-officio board members for nonprofit organizations. Allison Henry, Director of the Board Fellows Program at the Golub Capital Social Impact Lab and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Impact at Kellogg, describes it as a perfect partnership. “The YMCA of the USA’s commitment to ‘contribute to a stronger, more cohesive community for all’ provides a beautiful parallel to the mission of the Board Fellows program. We are grateful to have the opportunity to not only support their mission but to also focus on building a stronger community through board service.”
The YMCA was one of the original nonprofit partners when the program was founded in 2003. The aim of Melissa Davis, YMCA Director of Governance at the time, was to help business school students gain hands-on experience with nonprofit governance, complementing the curricular component of the program. However, the reason that the organization has stayed with the program and hosted 18 Board Fellows to date, is that they quickly realized this was an opportunity for mutual benefit. “What’s surprising,” says Karyn Kirk, YMCA Chief Legal Officer, “is how engaged and dynamic students have been. We've had phenomenal Board Fellows for as long as I've been doing this. And if possible, every year they’re just better and better and better.”
One benefit is the project that Kellogg Board Fellows undertake during their time with their nonprofit partners. These projects range from internal initiatives like marketing strategies and onboarding plans, to broader thought leadership on topics such as ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) issues, along with pressing issues like responses to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Another benefit is the perspective that Fellows provide. Fellows do not come from the C-suite or long-term corporate backgrounds and, according to Pam Lebron, Director of Governance & Legal Administration, that means they represent a demographic that the Y had not historically sought out for its board. However, “having their voices at the table has proven to be very useful.” Throughout their tenure, Fellows become familiar with their nonprofit partners, but nonetheless maintain a unique perspective—driven by their age, background, and/or international experiences—which can unearth board blind-spots and solve problems more effectively. Sarah Brayton (class of 2016), a Board Fellow who became a full board member for the Y, reinforced this point: “We are missing out if we don't have cross-generational voices on our board, especially as a youth-serving organization.”
A third benefit is that the program has also provided a healthy pipeline of board members. Multiple Board Fellows have served on committees, and three (including Brayton) have been voted onto the YMCA national board. One of these, David Barahona (class of 2012), recently concluded a 10-year stint with the YMCA of the USA board, during which time he chaired the Y’s National Strategic Planning Committee, National Committee for Membership Standards, and the International Committee.
Barahona, now Senior Director of Sustainable Investing at PepsiCo, describes his experience as one of the richest community service opportunities of his life. “I joined the Board Fellows program because I wanted to understand how the leaders of large-scale organizations think about problems. Serving with the YMCA was a great opportunity for me to learn from some incredibly bright, accomplished, senior leaders that I otherwise would never have been exposed to, and to really have an impact both individually and at scale.”
Other than the caliber of the Fellows themselves, the success of this long-standing partnership rests on two pillars. The first is what Henry describes as the Y’s ‘willingness to show up’. “We often tell the Fellows that they will get out of the program what they put into it. The YMCA exemplifies this principle. They attend all Board Fellows events, rally their whole board's support for the Fellow, and borrow ideas from peers and the program to make each match the best it can be.”
The Y is especially good at bringing Fellows up to speed through a “rare and meaningful onboarding process.” Board leaders host a half-day training session in which the Fellow and new board members experience orientation together as a cohort. This allows the Fellow to share an experience with other new board members, thus enabling a strong sense of inclusion from the very beginning. Asked whether that process is difficult, Lebron answers that “the program takes time and investment, but no more effort than onboarding any other new board member.”
To maximize their experience, the Y had some lessons for other organizations taking part in the Fellows program: ask staff where there are opportunities for Fellows to do work which is meaningful to them and adds value to the organization; quickly connect staff and Fellows; and use board members who were Fellows themselves to act as mentors. These latter two can turn into lasting mentoring relationships.
The second pillar is the investment made by and in the program. Since 2003, the Kellogg Board Fellows program has prepared 744 Board Fellows for civic leadership and served 223 unique Chicago-area nonprofits in an effort the Y’s Ericka Rodriguez calls “inspiring”. Henry and her team have developed rigorous application and organization-matching processes, and support students through an extensive curriculum that helps them make the most of the board experience. “This is experiential learning at its finest,” reflects Barahona. “It’s fluid, dynamic, uncertain, and incredibly helpful when it comes to building confidence, developing professionally, and dealing with different people.”
Since 2021, the Board Fellows program has been sponsored by Golub Capital, a market-leading direct lender and credit asset manager with over $60 billion of capital under management. This has helped the program expand to include non-traditional and accelerated MBA students, and to begin to share lessons with other organizations promoting effective nonprofit leadership.
It is allowing more future leaders not only to gain experience in nonprofit board governance, but to transition into social impact work full-time. Brayton applied to the program in part to demystify the idea of board service. “I was looking for avenues to integrate my work life and my passion for social impact. When I was matched with the Y, I was excited about the chance to help this amazing organization further its impact.” She has since served on the board of the local YMCA branch in San Francisco as well as the national board and as the chair of an education nonprofit. At the Monitor Institute—Deloitte’s social sector consulting arm, she specializes in strategy for federated organizations like the YMCA.
When asked whether they would recommend the program, Kirk and Lebron were resoundingly in favor. And they believe strong demand exists, including from several other Ys who have asked if they can be part of the program. “Nonprofits need to do more to support each other in identifying and attracting diverse individuals that can come through these types of programs and be the future faces of these organizations. There is a strong desire for more Board Fellows programs,” says Kirk. The strength of the program is in its partnerships. “Board governance cannot be taught exclusively in a classroom environment,” says Henry.“In practice, governance is messy! Experiential learning, though, requires partners. We are so grateful for the YMCA’s continued partnership – and that of all our nonprofit partners - in training the next generation of exceptional board members.”