2nd Annual Symposium of the Golub Capital Nonprofit Board Fellows Network
By Laura Gatland
Board Fellows, faculty and staff, and alumni from 20 of the top MBA programs in the nation gathered with nonprofit leaders on April 10-11 to discuss how they can make nonprofit boards more effective amid increasing financial and external pressures.
The convening, hosted by Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Illinois, was the second annual symposium of the Golub Capital Nonprofit Board Fellows Network. “We were delighted with the turnout – with all 20 programs in the Network taking part,” said David Finegold, the Executive Director of the Golub Capital Nonprofit Board Fellows Network. “And the very positive energy in the room, with a great spirit of sharing and building of community.”
Close to 200 attendees heard presentations on how organizations are adapting to a rapidly changing landscape, how to engage effectively in advocacy for their organizations, and how nonprofits can best approach the use of artificial intelligence. The Symposium also featured two project showcases where fellows had a chance to share the key features of their pro bono projects for the nonprofit partners, and an “Ideas We Can Steal” session highlighting a wide range of innovative practices from across programs.
Governance and Leadership Under Pressure
In the keynote address, Nonoko Sato, president and CEO of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, said nonprofits are facing increasing financial and external pressures, making effective board governance more critical. “We are being asked to do more with fewer resources,” she said.
Peter Grunert, director of Ownership Works and a former partner at Bridgespan, said board members from the for-profit world who see thin balance sheets should recognize that many organizations were already under financial strain before the current federal funding challenges. “To be a CEO of a nonprofit in today’s environment is incredibly stressful,” he observed. “It’s important for nonprofit boards to be aware of that, especially for the board chair to check in with their CEO about the uncertainty they’re managing.”
Carol Sharp, president and CEO of The Night Ministry, said when she joined the nonprofit, one challenge was aligning its finances with the board’s understanding of them. To address this, a Board Fellow created onboarding materials to help board members improve financial literacy. “We took a few steps back to ensure everyone had a shared understanding of how to use the materials that we were sending before board meetings,” she said. “It helped us to have more thoughtful conversations and more time for social engagement.”
From Governance to Advocacy
The focus on board responsibility extended beyond financial oversight and into how nonprofits can engage in public policy. “We’re here to talk about advocacy as an important governance issue for nonprofit boards,” said Esther Gyory, policy and corporate counsel of Independent Sector. The Independent Sector (IS) is in the process of revising its 33 “Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice” and was partnering with the Network to get feedback from the stakeholders on the new advocacy section.
Nonprofits are engaging less in advocacy at a time when it matters most, underscoring the need for stronger board leadership on the issue. Vanna Cure, IS’s director of advocacy, cited IS research showing that only 31% of nonprofits reported engaging in advocacy in 2022, a sharp decline from 74% in 2000.
Gyory noted that misconceptions about what nonprofits can legally do continue to limit their involvement. She said nonprofit boards should recognize that there are many ways to advocate beyond lobbying and treat advocacy as a core governance responsibility, not an optional activity.
Artificial Intelligence and Nonprofit Practice
The question of how boards should respond to change continued into a discussion of how nonprofits are navigating the rapid emergence of AI.
Carrie Spitler, executive director of Snow City Arts, said her organization began engaging with AI after connecting with peers at last year’s symposium. “I had been pretty passive about, should we do something, should we not,” she said. “I’m sitting here a year later with a policy in place and trying to grapple with what it looks like to implement.”
She said staff responses to AI have varied widely. “There are folks who don’t want anything to do with it and pretty much everything in between,” Spittler said. “We’ve been trying to ground it in our core values, build a common language and meet people where they are.”
On the governance side, she emphasized policy is only a starting point. “The policy is the critical starting place, but there is infrastructure and training that needs to be built as well, she said.
Brenda Kahler, nonprofit technology practice leader at Armanino Advisory, said effective AI policies should include clear guardrails on where the technology cannot be used to protect mission, data and trust.
“It should involve a real human looking at things, creating things and fact checking things to make sure it’s real and maintains who you want to be as an organization,” she said. She added that implementation is often where organizations fall short. “The biggest mistake people make is they roll out an AI tool and expect people to just change how they work,” Kahler said. “There’s no change management plan, no training, no super users to tap for support.”
Ideas to Steal Across Programs
The symposium featured an “Ideas We Can Steal” session, where attendees shared tools and program ideas that can be adapted by all Network members.
Among them:
- A board self-assessment survey, developed at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, helps boards evaluate their effectiveness across leadership, governance, compliance and impact. Krutika Menon, director of programs at Haas’ Center for Social Sector Leadership, noted that Board Fellows have administered the survey as part of pro bono projects.
- Nonprofit Board Training for Alumni: Yale School of Management launched a virtual series covering nonprofit strategy, finance and governance, combining faculty teaching, practitioner panels and a case study of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Interdisciplinary Board Fellows model: Board Fellows at the University of Michigan include Ross MBA students along with graduate students in public policy, social work, education, public health and sustainability.
- A philanthropy course that teaches MBA students about charitable giving and provides funds to donate to nonprofits. At the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, students choose the nonprofit recipients, said Randi Shade, who teaches the course. Support comes from an alum and the nonprofit Philanthropy Lab. Jackie Barrett described a similar course offered at Cornell University’s Johnson School of Management.
- A board fiduciary responsibilities manual, developed through a University of Washington Board Fellow project for Harborstone Credit Union, is now available for free to all Network members via the Compass Pro Bono portal. Jimese Harkley, the credit union’s chief community engagement officer, described the resource as a practical guide to board duties.
- The Olin Business School/United Way Board Fellows partnership places students from Washington University in St. Louis as voting members on the boards of local nonprofits supported by United Way of Greater St. Louis. More than half of Board Fellows continue serving as full board members after graduation.
- Certification and badge endorsement for Board Fellows are being piloted at McCombs and Ross.
- A New A.I-Enabled database on nonprofit boards developed by Ross Business School Prof. Jerry Davis that enables users to identify every member of nonprofit boards in the U.S. that file a 990.
- Connecting fellows working for affiliates of the same national nonprofit – a new initiative to be piloted by the Network in the ’26-7 academic year.
Alumni in Social Impact Work
A panel of Board Fellows alumni described the paths they have taken in nonprofit work, from founding organizations to serving in board and executive roles.
Richa Jatia, Kellogg ’26, discussed her work as founder and CEO of the Atmasantosh Foundation in India, which supports students through education, mentorship and first-aid safety programs.
Sarah Martin, Haas ‘26, described her Board Fellows experience with 1951 Coffee Company, where she administered Haas’ board self-assessment tool to strengthen governance. Her work led to an invitation to join the organization’s board of directors as a full member.
Lauren Feldman, Kellogg ’14, traced her path to chief operating officer of Cara Collective, drawing on earlier roles in consulting, education and public-sector strategy.
Maire Daly, Booth ’13, discussed her move into social impact consulting as the founder of Mindful Direction, after holding leadership roles at several national nonprofits.
Taken together, the panelists’ experiences reflected the variety of ways Board Fellows alumni are working across the nonprofit sector.
New Network Opportunities
Current Board Fellows and alumni, as well as faculty and staff from network and affiliate schools, were invited to join the Golub Capital Nonprofit Board Fellows Alumni Network that is being supported through a collaboration with Compass Pro Bono.
The Network is designed to help alumni continue the social impact they began during their respective Fellows programs. Members are provided with a structured pathway for continued service and leadership development within the nonprofit sector. This partnership ensures that alumni have the necessary support to continue bringing their expertise to nonprofits, providing both the tools for success and a community of like-minded peers.
“We are pleased to welcome current Board Fellows and alumni to the Network to continue the social impact work they began during their Fellows programs, “said Anne-Michele Harrington, Director Golub Capital Nonprofit Board Fellows Alumni Network at Compass Pro Bono. “These include board service opportunities, pro bono strategic projects, and access to best practices and resources developed across the network.”
