Capacity introduces MatchBoard to new candidates

MatchBoard, the program that connects Manulife employees with roles on the boards of local charitable non-profits, is recruiting again in Waterloo Region. About 70 matches involving area non-profits have been made since the program began in 2012.

Capacity Canada runs MatchBoard in Toronto and Waterloo Region under a partnership with Manulife. It outlined the program to a new group of selected employees at an information session on October 16 a Manulife’s office on Water Street, Kitchener.

“I think (Capacity Canada) is making it easy to match volunteers with the appropriate board,” said Greg English, one of the employees, after the event. “I like the idea. They take it seriously and they make it personal for the people trying to get in.”

That’s the plan, Capacity representatives told the group.

Where to turn?

People who want to get involved in community work by serving on boards and committees often don’t know where to start, or where to find opportunities.  Capacity interviews Manulife employees to learn more about their interests. At the same time, it asks non-profit organizations about the areas of board and committee work they want to strengthen.

Then the matching begins.

“It isn’t a mishmash of hopes and prayers,” said Bob King, a Capacity executive-in-residence and former Manulife employee. “It is a very personalized process.”

People who take on governance roles learn about strategic thinking, succession planning, fundraising and the importance of measuring progress, said Steve Farlow, Capacity’s board chair. Boards and administrations, he added, have different responsibilities in achieving a common goal: closing the “mission gap” between what organizations want to do, and what they actually do.

Help when it’s needed

In Waterloo Region, Moira Taylor and Jo-Anne Gibson — two Capacity executives-in-residence — co-ordinate recruitment of MatchBoard candidates. The support doesn’t stop there: Capacity and Manulife provide supplementary training in board governance at boot camps and in-house sessions.

“We believe that critical to board success is ongoing training,” said Cathy Brothers, Capacity’s CEO.

Board work requires no small commitment of time, the executives were told. Some organizations meet quarterly, some monthly. They churn out homework — agendas and reports that need to be read for informed decision-making. And they hold profile-raising events that board members are often asked to attend.

None of that discouraged Sherry Morrow.

“I’m excited about what the opportunities are going to be,” she said. “There’s a great connection now, to know that we have a platform to match the needs. I’m very excited about the skills I can learn from it, as well.”

One benefit, added colleague Alyssa Burton, is that MatchBoard creates a growing peer group of Manulife volunteers involved in board governance. They could share ideas, she said.

Organizations perk up when they hear about the MatchBoard program, King said: “There is a lot of need in this community for people like you to serve on boards.”