One of the great rewards of your business or public service life may be your service on the board of a nonprofit organization.

At its best, serving on a nonprofit board can be satisfying and enriching, where the work you do has a measurable outcome, where the board’s support of management is positive and productive, where goals are set and met, everyone working as a team, sharing a common vision.

When you are engaged at that level, you leave board meetings with a sense of real satisfaction, of having contributed and made a difference; you leave talking-up the board and the organization, spreading the word, infectious in your enthusiasm and proselytizing at every opportunity. read more »

For the past few years, Rocky Basile has been working his way up at his job as one of the supervisors at Coffee Oasis in Bremerton. In addition to serving customers who and being the coffee roaster, Basile is a mentor to troubled youth who come in the door for the various programs and ministries offered by the Coffee Oasis’ parent organization, Hope in Christ Ministries.

For the 28-year-old father of a 7-year-old son, many of the kids coming in are a familiar picture: Just seven years ago, Basile was in their shoes. When he first stumbled into The Coffee Oasis (www.thecoffeeoasis.com), he was drunk and was looking to pick a fight. “I was at the worst point in my life,” he said. read more »

Wally and Margie Harrison still recall their visit to Jamaica nearly 30 years ago as part of their volunteer involvement with the Peace Corps. The couple, who were in their 50s, stayed with a family with two young boys. One day, Marge found two rubber bands and when she gave one of them to the kids, the youngsters were ecstatic.

“They were delighted; it was a toy for them. They played with rocks and sticks,” Wally Harrison said.

That incident stayed with them, and after moving to the Pacific Northwest read more »

If you serve on a nonprofit board, work for or direct one, you probably don’t need to be reminded that funding is tight, stakeholder loyalty under attack, technology changing everything and now those of us in Washington State must face the demands for assistance from tens of thousands about to lose services formerly provided by the state, Basic Health Plan, community clinics, disability providers.

Add to this the cries that every nonprofit should have active involvement in social marketing, Tweet hourly and now, the new buzz, have an ‘affiliate’ program. And, of course you need an active ‘donate here’ button to click on your website home page. Grantors are looking for measurable results — they want to invest, not just donate. read more »

Belfair-based nonprofit North Mason County Resource is under a year old, but the grass-roots organization has already helped hundreds of people. Operated and staffed with volunteers, the organization has been playing the role of a clearinghouse of sorts, connecting North Mason residents with resources available to them for just about any situation. NMCR also acts as an in-take point for people who need services, providing case management.

The nonprofit was founded in a short time early last year after Executive Director Tom Armstrong, one of the founders, was told during a conversation with Sen. Patty Murray’s staff that what Belfair really needed was a central hub. read more »