OCTOBER 30, 2022 – My wife and I have long been associated with World Press Institute (“WPI”), a local non-profit with a global reach. Each year WPI invites 10 foreign journalists to participate in an eight-week fellowship program. The fellows spend two weeks in Minnesota, then embark on a tour of U.S. media centers before returning to the Twin Cities to debrief. At the conclusion of the program, each journalist is asked to give a short talk about their experience and impressions of America. Over the years, most of the journalists express amazement over Americans’ participation in non-profit organizations.
Until I heard this outsider view, I took “community volunteer work” for granted. When I was growing up, my parents, especially my mother, was actively engaged in many civic organizations; so were the parents of most of my friends. Community involvement was a normal part of life.
I never thought much about it when I myself became a “grown up.” Non-profit involvement “just happened.” It was as natural as going to work or school. I’d be asked to join this group, then that group, and over time, at various times, I’d wind up heavily involved.
I also helped launch a few non-profits, primarily conservation groups. One was the Grindstone Lake Association. Back in the Stone Age (pun fully intended), a couple of friends of ours and my wife and I thought we should form an association to advance our concern for the lake environment. A few other lake associations already existed in Wisconsin, but they weren’t as common as they’ve since become.
If Norman Rockwell had attended our initial, informational meeting, he would’ve captured a reality that contrasted markedly with the ideal that had motivated “us with the lofty views.” As the sizable crowd responded to my invitation to voice goals and concerns, I realized that ambitious conservation objectives would have to wait. To get the association off the ground, we’d have to step down to the lowest common denominator—a stark lesson in American democracy.
We managed to launch the organization, and by default, I was elected president and re-elected repeatedly until it felt as if I’d been conscripted for life. I was the youngster. Most board members were retired folks, and I soon learned that without a disciplined approach to discussion, meetings would never end. From my corporate experience and participation on other, better established non-profit boards, I observed good—and bad—meeting leadership skills; how to build an effective agenda, how to delegate; the difference between strategic thinking and tactical; and lots of other organizational skills.
Fast forward over 30 years. My involvement in the lake association is now ancient history. Current leaders—supremely dedicated and contributing extraordinary expertise—have delivered major achievements. I’m awed by all that’s been accomplished.
But I worry. Who will succeed these people? What’s being done to recruit and mentor young people for board membership and active involvement? In my corporate days, my favorite task was recruiting people—really good people. If I was hopeless at a lot of things, hiring great people was my strong suit. Without actually having to wear a suit, today I’d like the job of recruiting smart-as-tacks, conscientious young people, eager to make a difference, for conservation leadership in our neck of the woods.
As the discerning reader knows, lately I’ve been spending a lot of time in those woods.
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© 2022 by Eric Nilsson
