Nonprofit Governance is Passion

[Mike Burns]

This year is the 150th anniversary of what was once known as the Girls Club of America and is now called Girls Inc. The story of Girls Inc involved seven women, the founding board, who shared a passion and a commitment to get the job done. I pose that this is what governance is all about.

Here's the story from the Christian Science Monitor:

In 1864, with the Civil War in its fourth year and Union troops wearing Waterbury Button Company buttons on their uniforms, seven society women in Waterbury decided it was high time to help the young women in their midst. And so on Jan. 15 the founders inked their names in what is now a sepia-toned notebook.

The founders envisioned a school where young women would learn how to keep a home together with some basic education in writing, reading, and mathematics. Primarily it was akin to a finishing school for young working women, Maglio says.

That approach lasted into the 1950s. But as the sexual revolution and women’s rights movements arrived, and the organization realized it needed to shift its focus – and quickly. “We’re about having our girls feel confident with what success is – and it can be different things for different girls,” Maglio says.

Kudos to those who have keep the founders' dreams alive!