Does anyone do a NED/ Board member type role?

[Millybingbong]

I have been offered a position for a not for profit organisation and am tryibg to decide whwther to go for it or not. Trying to weigh up the value to my CV versus the efforts of learning and getting up to speed and finding childcare and leaving my 3yo for the meetings.

Does anyone have any insight to help me make a decision?

Hi Millybingbong. I don't know if this will help but my suggestion would be to look a bit deeper into your indecision at the moment. You're weighing up the value to your CV versus the efforts of learning and getting up to speed. You're also thinking about having to leave your 3yo for meetings. What is causing your hesitation? How much does the role excite you? What would life be like if you take the role? How much value would it add to your CV, and is that important to you when balanced against any adjustments you might have to make to your life. Are there other future benefits to the learning you would have to do, or is it just a lot of effort that only fits this role? How difficult are the practical issues like childcare? How confident would you feel about the position?

Asking yourself questions like this might give you some insight. I hope it helps.

LifeCoach's questions are good ones. You should also have a careful look at the health of the organisation and what you think of your other board members.

Since I retired I have taken on three of these roles and find them an interesting and fulfilling way of staying engaged with the world outside friends/family/fun. I have learned a lot about the not for profit sector and it is satisfying to do some good. The meetings are probably only a few times a year and the rest of the work you can do online/by Skype

I'm a NED with 2 charities. Many organisations will pay for costs like childcare, although I'm not sure if it was the cost you were thinking of so much as finding suitable childcare and wanting to leave the child. IN my case, over time the roles I have as a NED have enabled me to demonstrate additional skills on my CV. However I would say you should choose an organisation you feel a real interest in - one of my roles I was kind of forced to take and I can assure you the meetings seem to come around more often than I would like.

I have one, and am in the process of negotiating another. Both are in the NFP sector, while I work in the private sector in a different industry. I have a senior 'normal' job however I see these roles as a growth opportunity and something that will differentiate myself going forward - all of the skills are transferable and ideally I would like a portfolio of NED positions in 10 years time and I see this as a stepping stone towards that. I also find it really interesting in terms of understanding stuff outside my industry bubble - some of it was a learning curve but other bits were easy to transfer.

In terms of time commitment, it is a bit more than they said (probably an extra 4 days a year) but for me its worth it - so I would take whatever they have said to you with a pinch of salt!

Helpful responses thanks.

Re the child: I think I could cover childcare either by extra sessions at his preschool or by begging and borrowing but that is always a bit stressful. I just dont want to wish away the time that he is at home with me (although in reality the term time an drag a bit). We dont pay for childcare anyway, and I dont mind working in evenings etc

This role is about 4/5 meetings a year so is a good stepping stone to a bigger NED role such as an NHS one, that I might go for in the future. It would be a good CV builder, and my aim is to chair either this or the school governor board that I also sit on as I think that would give me again more experience. I do worry that I would get bored, it is a 4 year commitment - I have all the required skills to do it now.

The reality is that I applied for it before hols and now i am all bank holiday chilled out and wondering why I might want to do any work at all :) But I do know myself!!