One of the questions that Cause Strategy Partners consistently hears from our nonprofit partners and candidates is: “What makes a young professionals board different from a Board of Directors?” Since 2024, BoardLead has helped scores of professionals who are in the first few years of their careers find roles with these boards, providing opportunities to network with like-minded individuals, build skills, and connect to a common cause they care about. But how exactly is this different from serving on a governing board?

What is a Young Professionals Board?

A young professionals board (or “YPB”) is a group of emerging leaders who support a nonprofit or organization through advocacy, fundraising, networking, and volunteer efforts. These groups can also be referred to as junior boards, auxiliary boards, or associate boards, and they help engage professionals in leadership and philanthropy while preparing them for future roles on full boards of directors.

Who serves on a Young Professionals Board?

These boards are composed of individuals who are typically in their 20s and 30s (but occasionally younger or older), who are passionate about the mission of the organization. These individuals bring a wide set of skills and insights from their work, volunteering, and academic experience, but also gain the benefit of networking with a wide range of similarly positioned young professionals board volunteers. Often, joining a Young Professionals Board can be a powerful addition to an early career professional’s resume, demonstrating both a commitment to service and a desire to go above and beyond to learn new skills and cultivate leadership potential outside of their “9 to 5.”

What do Young Professionals Boards do?

YPBs come in a variety of flavors, but most often, these groups are focused on the following activities:

• Fundraising and Event Planning: These groups often play a role in supporting events, like galas or socials, and fundraising campaigns. This can be anything from selling gala tickets, planning a silent auction, or identifying entertainment for events.

• Ambassadorship & Awareness: Reaching out to friends, family, and professional connections to spread the word about the mission of their organization is a core responsibility, and often one that helps build confidence for fundraising down the line.

• Volunteering: Young Professionals Board members typically step up for hands-on volunteering opportunities, lending support to the organization for a variety of projects.

How is it different from a Board of Directors?

Each nonprofit organization is required to have a Board of Directors or a “governing board”; YPBs are often formed as the nonprofit grows and looks to develop a group of volunteer leaders who are excited to support a variety of efforts for the organization. While a Board of Directors, which is often composed of professionals who are in their mid-to-late career stage, holds a fiduciary responsibility for the organization and is typically concerned with driving strategy, ensuring strong practices, and securing resources, a Young Professionals Board more often provides support on a project basis and can also be used as a pipeline for future candidates for the Board of Directors.

Why would someone join a Young Professionals Board?

The reasons for joining a YPB are diverse, but based on what we’ve heard from our candidates, here are some top reasons to join:

• Build leadership and governance experience. As these groups usually cater to earlier career professionals, they offer powerful opportunities to gain leadership experience outside of the workplace. Members of YPBs also get an early look at what serving a Board of Directors looks like, priming them for greater service opportunities down the line.

• Expand your professional network. Where else would you find a group of similarly passionate individuals who are excited to step up and work with you on a cause you care about? YPBs are a great way to expand one’s personal and professional network in creative ways.

• Give back to a cause you care about. It’s deeply satisfying to commit yourself to advancing a mission that resonates with your passions. Young Professionals Board service may be a significant investment of your time, but one where you can see the tangible results of your work through giving back.

Ultimately, each individual makes the choice for the volunteering opportunity that makes the most sense for them, but we hope that this information can help anyone pursue a deeply meaningful board role that provides both personal and professional growth.

If you’re a nonprofit leader looking for Young Professionals Board members, check out BoardLead Young Professionals! Learn more about this program here.