Community connection is something many people strive to achieve, especially in today’s fast-paced society.
Devon Krainer is one of those people and for nearly two years has served on the board at House of Friendship in Kitchener since moving to this region from Toronto three years ago.
“Something that’s really important to me is connecting with the local community,” she said. “Volunteering for House of Friendship not only connected me with the community but connected me with vulnerable populations and individuals I wouldn’t get to know in my social circles.”
Founded in 1939 by a women’s prayer group and supported by local churches, House of Friendship grew from a storefront mission into an important part of a social network providing food, housing, community resources and addiction treatment to those in need in Waterloo Region.
For Krainer, volunteering for House of Friendship appealed to her sense of community and commitment to helping others. “They (House of Friendship) offer a helping hand during some of the most difficult times in people’s lives and help them transition to a place where they can belong and thrive in our community.”
As well, serving on the board has provided her with some valuable professional development.
“I work in the non-profit sector, but I also wanted to exercise different skills and leadership capabilities through joining a board,” says Krainer.
However, she knows serving on a non-profit board comes with challenges. Among these, Krainer says, include finding the right balance between making prudent decisions that ensure your resources are managed well, while at the same time embracing innovation and taking risks to advance the mission and impact of an organization.
“Another issue with the non-profit sector is burnout,” says Krainer. “People who come to the non-profit sector have big hearts and want to make a difference, but that sometimes can come at a personal cost.”
Striking a balance between work and life is imperative, she says, in order to be an effective member of a board.
“How are you able to balance your passion for the mission you’re serving with your own personal needs?”
In an effort to learn more, Krainer participated in Capacity Canada’s most recent Manulife Board Governance BootCamp. Held from Nov. 16-18 at the Holiday Inn Kitchener-Waterloo Conference Center, the BootCamp offered top administrators and board officials from a variety of charitable non-profits in-depth board governance training.
It was the first time she has participated in the successful program which is led by a group of expert Capacity Canada facilitators.
“I left the workshop full of new ideas and a long to-do list of ways to improve our board governance procedures and policies,” she says.
The training included how to set up a system to evaluate boards and a look at how to manage risk, two topics that resonated with Krainer.
“I appreciated the workshop’s unique design that brought together board members and senior staff to learn together,” she says. “I also valued the opportunity to network with fellow community leaders, which helps foster collaboration among agencies to better tackle the complex problems were are seeking to solve.”
Participants of the BootCamp were asked back for a one-day follow-up session on March 8, 2018, to see what changes they were able to make thanks to their new-found board governance knowledge.
We continue to improve and expand not only our Manulife Board Governance BootCamps but all our teaching tools in an effort to assist in the important community work of these organizations.
Thank you for your continued support.
