Program Structure
The Mission
The goal of a Green Teen Micro-Grant Program is to challenge area youth to use their skills, creativity and energy to help make their community a greener, more sustainable community. Administered by teens, this nonprofit program empowers young people to take action by funding youth-driven projects that reduce pollution, conserve natural resources, and/or save energy.
The goal of a Green Teen Micro-Grant Program is to challenge area youth to use their skills, creativity and energy to help make their community a greener, more sustainable community. Administered by teens, this nonprofit program empowers young people to take action by funding youth-driven projects that reduce pollution, conserve natural resources, and/or save energy.
Elements for Success
Twelve items were identified as the key elements of our Green Teen program; without these elements, the program would not achieve the same high level of success. We see these items as necessary for our program and for other programs that might seek to replicate it, so we urge you to think long and hard before deciding not to implement any one of these elements:
1. A youth/adult partnership
The board is composed of both youth and adults who work together to ensure the success of the program. In order to keep the program truly youth-directed, there must always be a greater or equal number of youth board members in comparison to adult board members. Youth and adults bring different talents and skills to the mix, as well as diversity of perspective and experiences.
Adults:
2. Funding
Without funding, there is no way to fund projects. Adequate funding must be acquired before beginning to advertise the availability of youth environmental grants.
3. Enabling environmental action by empowering youth
This element is the core of the Green Teen mission. We see the program as both an environmental impact program and a youth development program, with personal growth occurring in the young project leaders as they make a real impact on the world around them. We feel that, in giving young people the tools and mentorship necessary to help them empower themselves, we are creating a generation of confident, service-minded, compassionate leaders.
4. Buy-in from the community, especially schools and youth organizations
Engaging and connecting with the community in which the grant program works is absolutely vital to the program’s success. The program relies on community support in the form of nonprofit fiscal sponsorship, donors, board members, grant applicants, nonprofit project sponsors, locations that consent to projects taking place on their grounds, schools that consent to presentations about the program, and more.
5. Focus on environment
Although we also recognize that this type of granting program could function with a different service focus (ie, focusing on addressing humanitarian issues or animal issues), such a program would be fundamentally different from a Green Teen program.
6. Motivated youth, both board members and applicants
As the program is run by youth and for youth, young people must have a high level of dedication to the program, their projects, and the environment to help the program achieve its goal and be successful.
7. Focus on education-- through the project application process, as well as requiring an internal educational component as part of each project
Every step involved in this grant program – both for the board members and for the grant applicants – concerns education. Our board members are constantly learning about nonprofit administration, marketing, accounting, interviewing, public speaking, and more. Our grant applications learn about their environmental issue of choice, how to address it, how to apply for a grant, how to go through an interview process, and more. Furthermore, each funded project is required to include some sort of educational component. Examples include posters, video promotions, plaques, announcements, and flyers. These help expand the project beyond the individuals carrying it out and thereby create a wider impact.
8. Diverse board (age, skills, race, income, etc.)
Because the board must complete a broad range of tasks and reaching a diverse audience in order to successfully achieve the program’s goals, the board itself should be diverse, with a variety of areas of expertise, schools represented, interests, socioeconomic levels, ethnicities, and more.
9. A task-oriented “manager”
Although the board performs the majority of administrative tasks, with youth taking the lead, a program manager is essential to help keep track of the tasks being completed, to organize the board into committees, to be the point person of the program when necessary, etc. This manager – usually an adult – could be a dedicated unpaid volunteer or could be, if necessary and if funds allow, a part-time employee compensated with a stipend.
10. An organizational home with tax-exempt status
As outlined in Financial Management, unless your Green Teen program legally obtains 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, a tax-exempt fiscal sponsor must be obtained to avoid complications when accepting money from donors and when giving money to funded projects.
11. Community outreach and marketing
Without community outreach, young people will not be aware that grants are available for their environmental projects. Reaching out to schools, scouting groups, community partners, and media is necessary for the program’s success.
12. Positive program results, including outputs (such as numbers of volunteers) and outcomes (measurable impact on community)
Tracking the program’s success, both through measurable environmental impacts and through narratives of its impacts on young people, can give your program the legitimacy needed to earn attention and funding from donors and to encourage more young people to become involved in the program.
Twelve items were identified as the key elements of our Green Teen program; without these elements, the program would not achieve the same high level of success. We see these items as necessary for our program and for other programs that might seek to replicate it, so we urge you to think long and hard before deciding not to implement any one of these elements:
1. A youth/adult partnership
The board is composed of both youth and adults who work together to ensure the success of the program. In order to keep the program truly youth-directed, there must always be a greater or equal number of youth board members in comparison to adult board members. Youth and adults bring different talents and skills to the mix, as well as diversity of perspective and experiences.
Adults:
- Provide initial and ongoing organizational support
- Offer expertise regarding marketing, schools, accounting, community leaders, business, and fundraising
- Keep youth members on task
- Ask questions and offer choices, but make decisions with – not for – the youth. They don’t take over.
- Provide vision and advise how the program can best appeal to other youth
- Reach out to their peer groups and peer organizations (such as Scouts). Youth are more effective at presenting to other youth.
- Provide support on committees, including planning, policy, marketing and events. They bring energy, vitality, and humor.
- Provide technical expertise related to social media and web development
- Are effective when asking for donations. It’s hard to refuse them.
- Provide an example of community ownership of the program.
- Inspire adults with the purity of the mission
2. Funding
Without funding, there is no way to fund projects. Adequate funding must be acquired before beginning to advertise the availability of youth environmental grants.
3. Enabling environmental action by empowering youth
This element is the core of the Green Teen mission. We see the program as both an environmental impact program and a youth development program, with personal growth occurring in the young project leaders as they make a real impact on the world around them. We feel that, in giving young people the tools and mentorship necessary to help them empower themselves, we are creating a generation of confident, service-minded, compassionate leaders.
4. Buy-in from the community, especially schools and youth organizations
Engaging and connecting with the community in which the grant program works is absolutely vital to the program’s success. The program relies on community support in the form of nonprofit fiscal sponsorship, donors, board members, grant applicants, nonprofit project sponsors, locations that consent to projects taking place on their grounds, schools that consent to presentations about the program, and more.
5. Focus on environment
Although we also recognize that this type of granting program could function with a different service focus (ie, focusing on addressing humanitarian issues or animal issues), such a program would be fundamentally different from a Green Teen program.
6. Motivated youth, both board members and applicants
As the program is run by youth and for youth, young people must have a high level of dedication to the program, their projects, and the environment to help the program achieve its goal and be successful.
7. Focus on education-- through the project application process, as well as requiring an internal educational component as part of each project
Every step involved in this grant program – both for the board members and for the grant applicants – concerns education. Our board members are constantly learning about nonprofit administration, marketing, accounting, interviewing, public speaking, and more. Our grant applications learn about their environmental issue of choice, how to address it, how to apply for a grant, how to go through an interview process, and more. Furthermore, each funded project is required to include some sort of educational component. Examples include posters, video promotions, plaques, announcements, and flyers. These help expand the project beyond the individuals carrying it out and thereby create a wider impact.
8. Diverse board (age, skills, race, income, etc.)
Because the board must complete a broad range of tasks and reaching a diverse audience in order to successfully achieve the program’s goals, the board itself should be diverse, with a variety of areas of expertise, schools represented, interests, socioeconomic levels, ethnicities, and more.
9. A task-oriented “manager”
Although the board performs the majority of administrative tasks, with youth taking the lead, a program manager is essential to help keep track of the tasks being completed, to organize the board into committees, to be the point person of the program when necessary, etc. This manager – usually an adult – could be a dedicated unpaid volunteer or could be, if necessary and if funds allow, a part-time employee compensated with a stipend.
10. An organizational home with tax-exempt status
As outlined in Financial Management, unless your Green Teen program legally obtains 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, a tax-exempt fiscal sponsor must be obtained to avoid complications when accepting money from donors and when giving money to funded projects.
11. Community outreach and marketing
Without community outreach, young people will not be aware that grants are available for their environmental projects. Reaching out to schools, scouting groups, community partners, and media is necessary for the program’s success.
12. Positive program results, including outputs (such as numbers of volunteers) and outcomes (measurable impact on community)
Tracking the program’s success, both through measurable environmental impacts and through narratives of its impacts on young people, can give your program the legitimacy needed to earn attention and funding from donors and to encourage more young people to become involved in the program.
The Board
The board of directors, composed of both youth and adults, aims to advertise, administer, and oversee the grants, working mainly in outreach, event planning, recruiting, website design, and program sustainability. To learn more about the board, please see the “Board Charter” document.
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Structure
Summary: The board is comprised of approximately 10-16 volunteer youth and adult board members, with youth always equaling or outnumbering the adults in order to keep the program youth-led and youth-focused. Each board member typically volunteers less than two hours monthly from May to December and three to eight hours monthly January through April during the time of grant promotion, selection, and awarding. These board members should display a diversity of age, experience, expertise, race, socioeconomic status, interest, schools represented, etc. to maximize potential program outreach and to have a diversity of perspectives when reviewing and mentoring grantees.
Conflicts of Interest: Because the board will hopefully contain a wide range of people who have worked to help young people and the environment, there is a high likelihood that these board members might be associated with other groups that might apply for grant funds. In order to remove potential biases towards or against applicant groups associated with board members, upon acceptance onto the board, all members must read and fill out the “Board Conflict of Interest Policy,” which asks each to name the groups of which they are a part and to pledge to abstain from voting for or against these projects if they apply for a grant.
Terms: Board terms last for two years and can be extended if desired. The two-year term allows second-year board members to mentor new board members as they transition into administering the program, keeping a steady level of knowledge and experience on the board.
Committees: The board is divided into six committees: school and youth group outreach, media outreach, sponsorship and funding, award ceremony and grant review session, website, and new board member recruitment. Each board member must sit on at least one and no more than two committees, focusing their efforts on committee tasks in their service on the board. However, all board members are expected to reach out to their connections (ie, their school, scouting group, clubs, etc.) to advertise the grants, offering presentations about the grants to interested groups or working with the School and Youth Group Outreach Committee to find a different committee member to present.
Program Manager: In addition to these responsibilities, one board member, usually the most committed adult, will act as the program manager as outlined in “Job Description – Program Manager.” They are mainly in charge of overall program organization, managing program emails, heading the board, delegation of committees, following up with committees, and ensuring that all tasks are completed in a timely manner in order that the grants can be reviewed and rewarded on time each year. They are also the point person for talking about ongoing program funding and the link between the program and the program’s fiscal sponsor.
Meetings: Board members organize and attend board meetings based on the outline of the “Master Timeline” and personal board needs. They also organize and attend committee meetings, as needed, to delegate and complete all necessary committee tasks.
Communications: In our program, the majority of board communication was done via email. This can change to phone communications or in-person communication if access to computers and/or Internet is a concern. However, regardless as to the form of communication, the board members must be willing and able to communicate frequently, responding to board concerns in a timely manner and keeping their committees up-to-date on the status of their tasks.
Summary: The board is comprised of approximately 10-16 volunteer youth and adult board members, with youth always equaling or outnumbering the adults in order to keep the program youth-led and youth-focused. Each board member typically volunteers less than two hours monthly from May to December and three to eight hours monthly January through April during the time of grant promotion, selection, and awarding. These board members should display a diversity of age, experience, expertise, race, socioeconomic status, interest, schools represented, etc. to maximize potential program outreach and to have a diversity of perspectives when reviewing and mentoring grantees.
Conflicts of Interest: Because the board will hopefully contain a wide range of people who have worked to help young people and the environment, there is a high likelihood that these board members might be associated with other groups that might apply for grant funds. In order to remove potential biases towards or against applicant groups associated with board members, upon acceptance onto the board, all members must read and fill out the “Board Conflict of Interest Policy,” which asks each to name the groups of which they are a part and to pledge to abstain from voting for or against these projects if they apply for a grant.
Terms: Board terms last for two years and can be extended if desired. The two-year term allows second-year board members to mentor new board members as they transition into administering the program, keeping a steady level of knowledge and experience on the board.
Committees: The board is divided into six committees: school and youth group outreach, media outreach, sponsorship and funding, award ceremony and grant review session, website, and new board member recruitment. Each board member must sit on at least one and no more than two committees, focusing their efforts on committee tasks in their service on the board. However, all board members are expected to reach out to their connections (ie, their school, scouting group, clubs, etc.) to advertise the grants, offering presentations about the grants to interested groups or working with the School and Youth Group Outreach Committee to find a different committee member to present.
Program Manager: In addition to these responsibilities, one board member, usually the most committed adult, will act as the program manager as outlined in “Job Description – Program Manager.” They are mainly in charge of overall program organization, managing program emails, heading the board, delegation of committees, following up with committees, and ensuring that all tasks are completed in a timely manner in order that the grants can be reviewed and rewarded on time each year. They are also the point person for talking about ongoing program funding and the link between the program and the program’s fiscal sponsor.
Meetings: Board members organize and attend board meetings based on the outline of the “Master Timeline” and personal board needs. They also organize and attend committee meetings, as needed, to delegate and complete all necessary committee tasks.
Communications: In our program, the majority of board communication was done via email. This can change to phone communications or in-person communication if access to computers and/or Internet is a concern. However, regardless as to the form of communication, the board members must be willing and able to communicate frequently, responding to board concerns in a timely manner and keeping their committees up-to-date on the status of their tasks.
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Tasks
Recommended steps to completing these tasks will be gone over throughout the remainder of this handbook. You can visit the chapters about committees for most of this information.
- Obtain funding for the program
- Create and continue to update the program website
- Decide upon the selection criteria, the online application form, and other supporting documents, periodically evaluating and improving the process
- Budget project administration costs to less than 10% of yearly expenses and learn how to solicit community donations and assistance
- Implement a promotional plan to advertise the availability of the grants and give press information and assistance to grant awardees seeking to promote their projects
- Review each cycle of grants, mentoring the awardees of all funded youth environmental projects
- Organize, present speeches at, and award big checks to grant winners at the grant award ceremony at the end of each grant cycle; encourage important community figures to attend and potentially speak at the ceremony
- Provide follow-up and analyze the detailed project evaluation forms for all completed projects, helping the funded project groups to calculate their environmental impact according to the “Impact Assessment”
- Continue to seek ongoing local funding for the program
- Encourage other communities to begin their own Green Teen Micro-Grant Programs, offering them the links to the process, website, and related materials cost-free
Recommended steps to completing these tasks will be gone over throughout the remainder of this handbook. You can visit the chapters about committees for most of this information.
Impact Assessment | |
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Selection Process
To increase the chances of having a dedicated, talented board that genuinely cares about the mission of the grant program more than simply padding a resume, we ask trusted school faculty, current board members, group leaders, nonprofits, and other reliable sources to recommend potential board members to us rather than making the board application publicly available. We suspect that this results in more board members who serve on the board for the full two-year term, communicate regularly with the board, and carry out their committee tasks on time.
To solicit potential new board members, the Board Member Recruitment Committee sends out the “Email – New Board Member Solicitation” to trusted groups and teachers. You have the option of requiring recipients of this email to fill out an official “Board New Member Nomination Form” if they wish to recommend a potential board member. Otherwise, they can simply recommend a person by name and, with the consent of the recommended person, put the board in contact with that person. The board can then send them an invitation email to apply to the board along with the “Board New Member Application” form, the “Board Charter,” and the board meeting schedule for the next year.
The full board and the Board Member Recruitment Committee are also encouraged to think back to especially impressive youth project leaders or adult advisors from funded projects, inviting those individuals to apply for the board as well. If individuals who have not been recommended and have not led a funded projects ask how they can apply for the board, they, too, can be sent the application since they have demonstrated a form of leadership by taking initiative to ask you how to become a part of the program.
Once individuals have applied to the board and the application due date has passed, all applications are sent out to all board members for review. If the current board members feel that more information is needed about one or more applicants before voting occurs, each applicant is invited via the “To Board Applicants – Informal Meeting” email to meet up individually with a few current board members in a public meeting place. At this informal question-and-answer session, board members may ask questions of the applicant and the applicant may ask questions about the board.
At the board meeting following the last informal meeting, the board has the opportunity to discuss the applicants, and a blind vote is taken for each applicant individually. If the majority of the current board is in favor of accepting the applicant onto the board, they are sent the “To Board Applicants – Welcome to the Board” email and are invited to the next board meeting.
If the majority of the board does not vote in favor of the applicant, they can be voted into a liaison position – a position of less responsibility but still allowing the applicant to become involved with spreading the word about the grant program. This position can be fit to the individual applicant and their abilities. For example, if an elementary school student applies for the board but the board is worried about their ability to succeed in carrying out necessary tasks, that student can be given a liaison position, which could involve hanging up posters at their school and reading a short summary of the grant program to their class. If an older applicant is invited to be a liaison, they can be given more responsibilities, as you see fit. The email template “To Board Applicants – Liaison Position Offering” is available for your use.
If the board does not vote in favor of the applicant being either a full board member or a liaison, the board may send them the “To Board Applicants – Application Rejected” email to kindly let them know that the board is unable to offer them a position this year.
Once all applicants have been voted on and sent information about their application decision, each new board member is matched with a more experienced board member of their same age group (youth paired with youth, adults paired with adults) who will serve as their mentor. The mentor will be a resource and general support system, answering any questions the new board member may have and checking in on them periodically to make sure that they feel included.
To increase the chances of having a dedicated, talented board that genuinely cares about the mission of the grant program more than simply padding a resume, we ask trusted school faculty, current board members, group leaders, nonprofits, and other reliable sources to recommend potential board members to us rather than making the board application publicly available. We suspect that this results in more board members who serve on the board for the full two-year term, communicate regularly with the board, and carry out their committee tasks on time.
To solicit potential new board members, the Board Member Recruitment Committee sends out the “Email – New Board Member Solicitation” to trusted groups and teachers. You have the option of requiring recipients of this email to fill out an official “Board New Member Nomination Form” if they wish to recommend a potential board member. Otherwise, they can simply recommend a person by name and, with the consent of the recommended person, put the board in contact with that person. The board can then send them an invitation email to apply to the board along with the “Board New Member Application” form, the “Board Charter,” and the board meeting schedule for the next year.
The full board and the Board Member Recruitment Committee are also encouraged to think back to especially impressive youth project leaders or adult advisors from funded projects, inviting those individuals to apply for the board as well. If individuals who have not been recommended and have not led a funded projects ask how they can apply for the board, they, too, can be sent the application since they have demonstrated a form of leadership by taking initiative to ask you how to become a part of the program.
Once individuals have applied to the board and the application due date has passed, all applications are sent out to all board members for review. If the current board members feel that more information is needed about one or more applicants before voting occurs, each applicant is invited via the “To Board Applicants – Informal Meeting” email to meet up individually with a few current board members in a public meeting place. At this informal question-and-answer session, board members may ask questions of the applicant and the applicant may ask questions about the board.
At the board meeting following the last informal meeting, the board has the opportunity to discuss the applicants, and a blind vote is taken for each applicant individually. If the majority of the current board is in favor of accepting the applicant onto the board, they are sent the “To Board Applicants – Welcome to the Board” email and are invited to the next board meeting.
If the majority of the board does not vote in favor of the applicant, they can be voted into a liaison position – a position of less responsibility but still allowing the applicant to become involved with spreading the word about the grant program. This position can be fit to the individual applicant and their abilities. For example, if an elementary school student applies for the board but the board is worried about their ability to succeed in carrying out necessary tasks, that student can be given a liaison position, which could involve hanging up posters at their school and reading a short summary of the grant program to their class. If an older applicant is invited to be a liaison, they can be given more responsibilities, as you see fit. The email template “To Board Applicants – Liaison Position Offering” is available for your use.
If the board does not vote in favor of the applicant being either a full board member or a liaison, the board may send them the “To Board Applicants – Application Rejected” email to kindly let them know that the board is unable to offer them a position this year.
Once all applicants have been voted on and sent information about their application decision, each new board member is matched with a more experienced board member of their same age group (youth paired with youth, adults paired with adults) who will serve as their mentor. The mentor will be a resource and general support system, answering any questions the new board member may have and checking in on them periodically to make sure that they feel included.
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Troubleshooting
Although the board is generally a group of wonderful and capable individuals, problems with commitments, communication, and meeting attendance can still arise. The main advice that we have for tackling these problems is to take steps to avoid the problems in the first place.
While you are looking into potential board members, talk to them about their other commitments and the time that they would be willing to spend on the grant program. If they definitely will not have time to commit to the program, no matter how qualified they are, it is unfair to your board and to the applicant to accept them. Being involved in clubs and groups outside of your grant program is great. Being involved in every club and group that the school or community has to offer indicates over-commitment.
Try your best to work for youth ownership of the grant program. If the youth board members feel like they own and are in charge of the success of the program, they will feel more of an inclination to carry out commitments, communications, and meetings. A sense of ownership can be fostered through always asking to hear youth voices first (for example, when making a vote on board applicants, when voting on projects to fund, and even when asking when board members would be free to meet next) and through inviting the youth board members to places or tasks of honor (like leading meetings, speaking with potential donors about funding, and accepting awards on behalf of the program).
Specifically asking to hear youth voices first is hugely important. Adult members usually have a wonderful confidence in themselves and in the value of their opinions, which is great and should not be discouraged. However, younger board members can often be in a stage of life during which their confidence is not yet as solid. Because of this, hearing an adult board member confidently state an opinion in opposition to that which was on the mind of the younger board member can be incredibly intimidating, causing the younger board member to doubt their opinion and perhaps choose not to share it. Talk with adult board members privately about the importance of a youth-voices-first policy, making sure that they know that adult voices are still valued but that they can often unintentionally suppress youth voices if spoken first.
In grant review sessions in the past, before we implemented the youth-voices-first policy, we found that the spoken conversation about the proposed projects was not in line with the board’s written comments. When adults spoke strongly in favor or strongly against funding a proposed project, even when young board members had valid comments written down in opposition to that opinion, those comments were not voiced during discussion, potentially leading to a different funding decision. After implementing the youth-voices-first policy, we found that young board members grew more comfortable stating and defending their positions and that a higher percentage of board applicants, both youth and adult, was participating in discussions.
These small actions send the clear and important message that this grant program is truly about young people, both on the administrative side and on the recipient side.
In addition to showing the power and importance of youth through the actions of your board, the other important idea to keep in mind when working to avoid board problems is that of balance. You want to require enough of your board members that they feel an ownership and real connection to your program and its success, but requiring too much of your board members can cause them to feel overwhelmed and like they cannot complete what is asked of them. There is a fine line between the two. This second feeling discourages board members from communicating with the board, as they might be ashamed of not having tasks completed, and can lead a board member not to complete any tasks because they feel that they do not know where to start.
To avoid this problem, talk to your board members, particularly the young members, about how much they can handle before delegating tasks. One-on-one talks can be helpful as not all members can handle the same amount of work. Group talks can occasionally be harmful, as the board members who feel comfortable with the amount of work they are given are more inclined to speak up first, saying that they do not feel overwhelmed at all by their assigned tasks, and this can make those who are overwhelmed feel ashamed of being overwhelmed.
All boards and programs find a different balance to maintain a board feeling of program ownership and success without overwhelming the board members. Know that it will take time to determine where this balance is and how to maintain it. Be patient with yourself and with your board as the process takes place.
Although the board is generally a group of wonderful and capable individuals, problems with commitments, communication, and meeting attendance can still arise. The main advice that we have for tackling these problems is to take steps to avoid the problems in the first place.
While you are looking into potential board members, talk to them about their other commitments and the time that they would be willing to spend on the grant program. If they definitely will not have time to commit to the program, no matter how qualified they are, it is unfair to your board and to the applicant to accept them. Being involved in clubs and groups outside of your grant program is great. Being involved in every club and group that the school or community has to offer indicates over-commitment.
Try your best to work for youth ownership of the grant program. If the youth board members feel like they own and are in charge of the success of the program, they will feel more of an inclination to carry out commitments, communications, and meetings. A sense of ownership can be fostered through always asking to hear youth voices first (for example, when making a vote on board applicants, when voting on projects to fund, and even when asking when board members would be free to meet next) and through inviting the youth board members to places or tasks of honor (like leading meetings, speaking with potential donors about funding, and accepting awards on behalf of the program).
Specifically asking to hear youth voices first is hugely important. Adult members usually have a wonderful confidence in themselves and in the value of their opinions, which is great and should not be discouraged. However, younger board members can often be in a stage of life during which their confidence is not yet as solid. Because of this, hearing an adult board member confidently state an opinion in opposition to that which was on the mind of the younger board member can be incredibly intimidating, causing the younger board member to doubt their opinion and perhaps choose not to share it. Talk with adult board members privately about the importance of a youth-voices-first policy, making sure that they know that adult voices are still valued but that they can often unintentionally suppress youth voices if spoken first.
In grant review sessions in the past, before we implemented the youth-voices-first policy, we found that the spoken conversation about the proposed projects was not in line with the board’s written comments. When adults spoke strongly in favor or strongly against funding a proposed project, even when young board members had valid comments written down in opposition to that opinion, those comments were not voiced during discussion, potentially leading to a different funding decision. After implementing the youth-voices-first policy, we found that young board members grew more comfortable stating and defending their positions and that a higher percentage of board applicants, both youth and adult, was participating in discussions.
These small actions send the clear and important message that this grant program is truly about young people, both on the administrative side and on the recipient side.
In addition to showing the power and importance of youth through the actions of your board, the other important idea to keep in mind when working to avoid board problems is that of balance. You want to require enough of your board members that they feel an ownership and real connection to your program and its success, but requiring too much of your board members can cause them to feel overwhelmed and like they cannot complete what is asked of them. There is a fine line between the two. This second feeling discourages board members from communicating with the board, as they might be ashamed of not having tasks completed, and can lead a board member not to complete any tasks because they feel that they do not know where to start.
To avoid this problem, talk to your board members, particularly the young members, about how much they can handle before delegating tasks. One-on-one talks can be helpful as not all members can handle the same amount of work. Group talks can occasionally be harmful, as the board members who feel comfortable with the amount of work they are given are more inclined to speak up first, saying that they do not feel overwhelmed at all by their assigned tasks, and this can make those who are overwhelmed feel ashamed of being overwhelmed.
All boards and programs find a different balance to maintain a board feeling of program ownership and success without overwhelming the board members. Know that it will take time to determine where this balance is and how to maintain it. Be patient with yourself and with your board as the process takes place.