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Testimonials

We pride ourselves on helping people find the right board fit. But, don’t take our word for it. Read about the positive experiences real board members have had using BoardStrong.

”The American Folk Art Museum has been emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic as a stronger organization thanks to the professional coaching offered to our Board of Trustees through Barbara Paxton and the BoardStrong program. Indeed, Barbara has exceeded expectations in her accessibility and foresight, as well as her sharing of experience and network to advise on best practices for New York nonprofit Boards, from bylaws to trustee cultivation. Through an initial survey of our Board of Trustees to subsequent large and small group meetings, we have advanced our Museum’s initiatives on Board orientation, mentorship, and succession planning. We look forward to using training and tools provided by BoardStrong to go further in our development.”
Jason T. Busch

Director and CEO, American Folk Art Museum

“Road Less Traveled was looking for a new Board member in 2019 and another Board member suggested we try BoardStrong. It was easy to create an account and start searching for candidates using specific criteria like candidate interest areas, geographic location and professional skills. We found Michael Berchou pretty quickly, reached out to set up an interview and eventually brought him on board.”

Scott Behrend (right)
Artistic & Executive Director, Road Less Traveled Productions

 

“It was a great experience for me too–the BoardStrong system worked just as it should. I was introduced to a number of a different groups and Road Less Traveled Productions turned out to be a great match!”

Michael Berchou
Road Less Traveled Productions Board Member

“BoardStrong has been a critical resource for me to fulfill my aspiration to work for non profits as well as gain relevant board experience.

Serving on ABA’s board is deeply enriching. ABA teaches life skills, focusing on the youth while also serving students of all ages, through the medium of Capoeira, a beautiful art form with a rich history. As I am highly passionate about dance / creative pursuits and am a strong believer in the power of cultural pursuits to impact and transform people’s lives at any stage, I’m honored to be a part of the ABA team to help fulfill its lifelong mission and lend my expertise in whichever way possible to take it to the next level. “

Rini Aich

Afro Brazil Arts Board Member

“As someone who has been deeply involved in dance for 20+ years, I found ABA’s mission of inspiring wellness, leadership, and community through capoeira extremely compelling. Boardnet allowed me to connect with a like-minded organization such as ABA. Serving on ABA’s board has been fulfilling, as I’ve seen firsthand its ability to use capoeira to educate, empower, and bring people together, even amidst a global pandemic and the political/racial divisions pervasive in today’s society.”

Crystal H. Yao

Afro Brazil Arts Board Member

“Thanks to BoardStrong, our nonprofit organization, Afro Brazil Arts, now has two new board members, both a perfect fit for stewardship, and a possible third candidate. Both new board members are young women who grew up as traditional dancers, one Indian, one Chinese, and who now work in finances. Their backgrounds in dance and finances brings to our board a deep commitment to dance education for youth and our organizations’ needs for financial integrity. Thank you BoardStrong for making this possible!”
Michael Goldstein

Executive Director, Afro Brazil Arts

“When I joined the Neglia Ballet board several years ago, I did not have any experience serving on corporate boards. Nor did I have a good idea of how I could provide value to the organization beyond donations. The resources at BoardStrong were exactly what I needed—and what our board needed—to “get our house in order,” and develop best practices for good governance. There is no question that the good governance program through BoardStrong allowed us to transform our board’s culture and better serve Neglia Ballet. Ensuring each board member’s completion of the program put us all on the same page when it comes to our responsibilities as board members. We hold ourselves accountable for participation at board meetings, adherence to bylaws, monitoring financial matters, and continuing attention to the strategic initiatives of the organization.

I can personally attest to the value of BoardStrong’s other resources. When we needed to review our conflict of interest policies, and develop other policies to ensure compliance with ever-changing laws and regulations, my first stop was BoardStrong. I was able to find overviews of required content, and sample policies I could use as a blueprint. It saved me time. But more importantly, it gave me confidence to know that I could shape our policies to fit the organization’s unique needs while also maintaining compliance.

Beyond educational resources, BoardStrong also allowed us to recruit from our community and improve the composition of our board. Coty Brawdy brings invaluable expertise to the organization, and we would not have connected with him if it were not for BoardStrong. So we are not only better informed because of BoardStrong, we were able to add the immeasurable additional value that comes from our people.”

Patrick J. Hines

Chair of Board of Directors, Neglia Ballet Artists

“The Erie County Youth Board has added three new board members, thanks to BoardStrong’s innovative and valuable board matching tool. We are extremely pleased to have benefited from their unique matching service to find these quality individuals”

John Kordrupel

Youth Services Planning Coordinator, Erie County

As a result of BoardStrong, we have been able to improve our board training. In the past, one third of our training was on basic nonprofit governance. Now we can focus on our organization and programs. I also really like the fact that the course provides everyone with the same core understanding of the fundamentals of board service.

Kathleen Granchelli

CEO, YMCA of the Niagara Frontier

“Many great organizations have reached out to me since joining BoardStrong… As a result, I am now a member of the Community Services Support Foundation Board of Directors… It has been very rewarding thus far, and it is likely I would not have been granted this opportunity were it not for BoardStrong.”

Justin Johnston

Board Member, Community Services Support Foundation

“Before BoardStrong, I had no idea how to get onto a board or what the expectations were. After taking their core course and completing the Board Leadership Training Program through United Way, I feel like I’m ready to look for an opportunity.”

Molly Sievenpiper

Americorps Vista Leader, Service Collaborative of WNY, Inc.

“I’m super excited to embark on this journey. Thanks for the help in helping me find a board that worked for me.”

Pashmeena Hilal

Board Member, Magic Box

“All our board members found Good Practices for Good Boards helpful. The course provided a solid foundation that everyone could work from, regardless of how long they had been on the board.”

Jessica Pirro

CEO, Crisis Services

“I’m deeply grateful to BoardStrong for providing this wonderful resource to professionals. I have had a desire to get involved with a nonprofit board for some time, but was not sure about what that process entailed. BoardStrong provided the foundational knowledge necessary for me to understand the responsibilities of a board member, as well as a fairly extensive database of organizations with which I could potentially partner. I am proud to report that I recently joined the Junior Board of ExpandED Schools, as well as the executive board of DebutanteZ. None of that would have been possible without BoardStrong!”

Rashid Duroseau

Board Member, ExpandED & DebutanteZ

“William Woods, a board member who has been with Toomey for over 2 years now, was found through BoardStrong.  Bill’s firsthand knowledge of the human services field, including his managerial expertise, helps him to give important and valuable contributions to Toomey Residential and Community Services.  He is able to strike the perfect balance in meeting the needs of the people we serve and the staff we employ.”

Tiffany Teeter

Executive Director, Toomey Residential and Community Services