Things to Consider in Joining a Community League Board

By Aman Costigan

For five years, I volunteered as a director of the board for my local community league.  As an operational board, my responsibilities as director included balancing board functions like approving the budget and updating the bylaws and operational functions like organizing events. During those years, I met incredible people, who I’m still connected with today. I also learned so much, about myself and what a community league even does. In this post, I’m going to share some skills you might learn and develop as the director of a community league board; some opportunities that could find you as a result of your participation; and signs for when it might be time to leave a board.

That you just need to ask for help and the help will be provided.

  • As an operational board member, you are balancing a lot of functions.  You don’t have to do it all, you can ask for help.

  • We’re often hesitant to ask for help when we need it because, I think, asking for help is sometimes seen as a sign of weakness. But, this is not true, and especially not the case on a community league board, emphasis on community

  • Anytime someone else or I needed help, all we had to do was ask for help. If the current Board members were too stretched, they would offer to help anyway or volunteers would be contacted on the volunteer roster sheet. 

  • The key is to ask for help. No one can read your mind, so you have to be the one to say something. And, I think this skill crosses over into other areas of our lives.

  • Tip: As you begin to ask for help as a director, it’s important to ensure you have clearly defined what is being delegated (even better in written form!) and what, if any, outcomes are expected.  This enables accountability and helps you fulfill your responsibility as a director.

The opportunities to give back to your community are endless.

  • There could never be enough volunteers. Not because we didn’t have enough volunteers, but because there were always things to do and other volunteers who could use some help.

  • Community leagues offer endless opportunities. Anything from writing for the community newsletter, maintenance tasks at the hall facility, managing the hot dog stand at the outdoor movie night, volunteering at the casino event or even putting forth new ideas and implementing them. 

  • Tip: If you are contemplating volunteering with a community league, consider how you want to contribute and the time you have to offer.  In light of those considerations, contemplate if you are best aligned with a board or volunteer role. Remember, as director you hold extra responsibilities as a result of your fiduciary duty, so you want to make sure you are committing to the right role.

If you have an idea of something you want to create or start in your community, the community league board will welcome your ideas.

  • Did you know that a community league can even help with a little money to kick-start your idea?! 

  • Whether you are thinking about starting a meditation program, a holiday market or a community theatre group, the community league board members will be happy to hear your ideas and to help you get started and spread the word.

  • Tip:  Contemplate if your community league has a strategic direction it’s trying to move in.  If so, suggesting ideas or programs that support that direction will be particularly interesting for the board.

It really is about who you know, not what you know

Growing up, my dad would always say “It’s who you know, not what you know”, and I’d roll my eyes and tell my dad he didn’t know what he was talking about.  But, now I know that he couldn’t be more right.

When you volunteer with a community league, as a board member or otherwise,, you don’t get paid, but you get so much more: invaluable connections.

You get connected to people who are genuinely happy to help others and value community. The connections I developed while on the board for 5 years lead to the President of the board being the photographer for my wedding; the Hall Coordinator giving me the name of the best, yet most affordable, wedding venue in the city saving me hours of time; and the Treasurer sharing an investment opportunity with me, something I had been looking for to diversify my investments. I would have had none of these connections had I not joined the board.

The networking connections are priceless and you never know what connection could lead to or help you with.


Signs it’s time to leave the Board

Now that I’ve talked briefly about what it’s like to be on a community league board, I want to talk about the signs that you can look for that might signal that it’s time for you to leave the Board or to re-evaluate your role(s) with the Board. 

The biggest sign for me was when I stopped looking forward to going to the monthly meetings. The board meetings felt more like a chore than something I had wanted to do with my free time. I started resenting the meetings. At the meetings, I noticed that I started zoning out, not really listening to what other members were sharing and, at times, distracted myself with my phone or thinking about all the other things I could be doing instead of being at the meeting. 

When I had these feelings and noticed that I was doing this, I knew I had to give some thought to what I would do when my term with the board was over.

Here’s the questions I asked myself: 

I started by asking myself why I wasn’t looking forward to going to the monthly meetings anymore. I also asked myself why I had originally wanted to be on the board and what had changed that I no longer felt that motivation to serve and contribute to my community in the same way. I came back to my purpose for joining the community league in the first place.

What came up when I asked myself these questions was that: 

  • I didn’t join the community league so that I could attend meetings (I attend enough meetings as it is, that I never wanted to add more meetings to my free time too)

  • I joined because I wanted to work with kids again, like I had done when I was younger running summer camps and dance classes. I had always enjoyed working with kids and I wanted to bring that feeling of fun and creativity back into my life -- and I knew that for me, that came from working with and spending time with kids.

  • I loved helping out at the craft table for the Santa Breakfast and at the cookie decorating station for the Halloween Party. This often meant watching kids put more icing on cookies than they could actually eat but also teaching them that crafts weren’t only for girls (cause I had heard that).

  • I wanted to be helping at the events, and this is when I knew it was time for me to transition from my role as a board member to a volunteer with more flexibility. 

Once I figured out my passion was for operational service, I transitioned out of a board role and into a more operationally focused volunteer role. I started volunteering at events more, which made me (and I’m assuming those around me), so much happier because I was doing things that were in alignment with what I valued and was important to me. Remember, there is no “better” role in working with a community league - it’s about alignment to your passions and skills!



Final remarks

If you have any interest in giving back to your community or have an idea of something you want to start in the community you live, volunteering with your community league is a great way to make that happen. The opportunities with a community league are endless and there seems to never be enough volunteers.










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