SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to serve on a board of directors, the El Dorado Community Foundation is hosting an event to match those interested with nonprofits in need of board members.

From 6-8 p.m. Sept. 28, the foundation will host a event to help local nonprofits match with local community members based on their interests and passions. 

The foundation presented a 5-course-series entitled “Building a Better Nonprofit” in February. Five classes were hosted to help nonprofits focus on improvements within. Nonprofits were invited to attend one or more classes. In total 92 nonprofits responded and attended the educational event.   

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At the conclusion of the event The El Dorado Community Foundation asked attendees the question, “What can we do to help you?”

“The resounding answer was to help get more board members,” said Kathy Haven, program coordinator for the foundation. “To be in compliance nonprofits must have the number of board members as prescribed in bylaws.” 

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Board members meet at a specified interval, quarterly for example, to provide oversight to the operations of the nonprofit and help advance the public benefit of the organization.

“Our main goal is to help the nonprofits be in compliance so those involved have been vetted and they are all in compliance,” Haven said. “You just have to be 18 years or older to serve on a board.”

To help the nonprofits find their matches within the community the foundation will host a “Speed Matching” event, from 6-8 p.m. Sept. 28. Nonprofits such as the Boys and Girls Club of South Lake Tahoe will be in attendance and venue for the event. 

Community members and nonprofits interested in participating are encouraged to register for the event by Aug. 31. Nonprofits can register at https://south-shore-tahoe-nonprofit-registration.eventbrite.com, community members can register at https://south-shore-tahoe-community-member-registration.eventbrite.com.

“There’s no pressure, you don’t have to be on the board, it’s an opportunity to learn about different nonprofits in the area,” Haven said. “We will have 30 minutes with 6-minute-rounds to match a community member to a nonprofit.” 

According to the registration site, “Nonprofit boards provide the opportunity to become more deeply involved with an issue or program you care about while investing in your community and the people who live in it, collaborating with others who share your values and interests, broadening your leadership skills, and expanding your personal and professional networks.” 

The evening affair will offer a 30-minute matching session followed by a cocktail reception. The reception will then lead into an opportunity to mingle with potential matches and explore cultivating the relationship further.

Haven said, “South Lake Tahoe has a shocking number of nonprofits and we want to help them be successful.”