ChildFund’s Board of Directors’ quarterly meeting is next week, and I’m busy getting ready for it. We have 19 committed volunteers who serve on our Board, and they come from a variety of backgrounds from around the U.S., as well as one member from Mexico, one of the countries where ChildFund works.

We have business professionals, college professors and nonprofit leaders on our Board – some retired grandparents and some in their 40s with young children. They are also diverse when it comes to gender, race, economic status and religious and political affiliations (I only know those last few points from getting to know individuals after they joined the Board.)

Key things our Board members do: Appoint and evaluate the President (that’s me!), safeguard our mission of helping children living in poverty, approve our strategies for getting there, ensure we manage our money well and keep an eye on our overall organization. They’re also great advisors to me and other staff as we discuss challenges and opportunities that come our way.

Board members are fantastic advocates for ChildFund and our mission. They all contribute financially to support our work and use their “sphere of influence” to spread the word of ChildFund and the work we do globally for children living in poverty.

Our Board meetings are never boring, though I do admit they are a lot of work to get ready for. I also have to admit sometimes it feels that we just finished one meeting and already have to start planning for the next! But we have a great group of dedicated Board members with whom to work, good stewards who freely commit their time, talent and treasure to ChildFund. For this, I am very, very grateful.