Major financial services company launches board-matching program for executives

As part of our service to nonprofits and foundations, we occasionally team up with a for-profit client committed to community service, corporate social responsibility, and public policy initiatives supportive of the nonprofit sector.

We are pleased to report that Capital One, the large Virginia-based financial services firm, has asked BoardWalk Consulting to help devise and implement a board-matching project for its most senior executives. The project is part of a larger initiative being developed for Capital One in conjunction with BoardSource, the Washington- based nonprofit publishing and consulting organization, to promote community leadership through board service by Capital One's 17,000 managers and associates.

The project has just begun, but by next month we hope to cite several areas of potential interest for board service. As public corporations become more intentional in their support of nonprofits through personal service, we expect a number of interesting opportunities to develop for specific organizations receptive to board participation by senior corporate executives of firms as forward-looking in this regard as Capital One.

Senior corporate leadership is in great demand in the nonprofit boardroom. We are excited to have the opportunity to help match the skills and interests of a specific set of company executives with the needs and aspirations of compelling nonprofits. Watch future issues of smorgasBoard for further details of this ground-breaking project.

Model resource for special-needs kids seeks successor to founding E.D

Camp Twin Lakes is Georgia's only camp facility for children with serious illnesses and special needs and is highly regarded as a national model for camping organizations.

Founding director Larry Melnick is retiring, and BoardWalk is leading the search for a successor to build upon the extraordinary successes of the past 12 years while expanding the organization's ability to impact even more children.

National running group seeks diversity leaders for its board

The American Running Association is a nonprofit membership organization of some 15,000 running enthusiasts and sports medicine professionals dedicated to healthy, active lifestyles. Together with its professional division, the American Medical Athletic Association, ARA has been an influential resource for over 30 years.

The board of directors of this national organization is currently recruiting two new trustees. Assets being sought include

• a passion for running
• senior leadership experience in an organization of regional or national scope and scale
• the hunger of a sprinter, the persistence of a marathoner, the fundraising expertise of a race director and the marketing skills of a corporate sponsor!
• the willingness to make 2-3 board meetings per year in locations as disparate as Atlanta, Beaverton, Sacramento, Washington & Boston
• a respect for the power of grass roots organizations
• the ability to serve as both ambassador and advocate

Current board members include one Senator (the U.S. Majority Leader), two corporate CEOs, two cardiologists, three running professionals and four entrepreneurs. The board is particularly receptive to candidates who bring diverse perspectives, experiences and characteristics to the organization.

For further information or to suggest a board prospect, please click here.

"Business of Trust" is theme for 4th annual nonprofit marketing conference, July 2005

The annual nonprofit marketing conference hosted jointly by the American Marketing Association and the AMA Foundation is the premier marketing event for nonprofit EDs, CEOs and board members. Last year's conference was a sell-out, and this year's is shaping up as even stronger. The details:

• When: July 11-13, 2005
• Where: Mandarin Oriental, Washington, DC

If marketing integrity is important to your organization, you will want to join peers from around the country to examine the links between such factors as accountability, constituent relationships, competition and public trust. As one of last year's participants exclaimed, "This conference should be mandatory for every new board member of any nonprofit not content to rest on its reputation!"