Description

Serving on a nonprofit board is a rewarding way to make a meaningful impact in our community, and it comes with responsibilities and expectations that are essential to understand before stepping into the role. "Ready to Serve: Preparing for Nonprofit Board Leadership" is an interactive session designed for individuals considering or new to board service. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of the fundamental duties of board members, including governance, fiduciary oversight, fundraising, and strategic leadership. The session will also cover the structure and dynamics of nonprofit boards, key questions to ask before joining, and how to align board service with personal and professional goals. By the end of this session, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions about board opportunities and contribute effectively from day one.

About our Facilitators:
 
With over sixty years of combined nonprofit and business experience, the GoodWork Leadership Team is the foundation for serving the Greater Seacoast nonprofit community.  GoodWork Co-Founders, Molly Hodgson and Maria Sillari are certified Professional Coaches with concentrations in Negotiation Skills, Gender Dynamics in Coaching, Multicultural Coaching, Training Design & Delivery, and Assessment Through Evaluation. They develop innovative strategies and solutions for the nonprofits they serve and have vast social capital and knowledge of the area’s nonprofit community, critical to forging collaborative partnerships, generating resources, and leveraging support for the nonprofits they support.
 
Molly Hodgson, CEO
Molly is a seasoned executive with an extensive track record of successful leadership in nonprofit business operations. She has an extraordinary depth of experience in organizational strategy, program design and development, event management and fund procurement.  Molly is a results-oriented leader with the highest level of professionalism and integrity.  Molly served as the President of the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director of New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility, and was the first Executive Director of New Hampshire Made Inc.  Molly has served as a Hoffman Haas Fellowship Mentor, participated in the Institute for Advanced Nonprofit Leadership, served on the Advisory Board of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Piscataqua Region and Chaired the Leadership Seacoast Board.  She has served as a Lead Judge for the New Hampshire Best Companies to Work for Competition, is an honorary inductee in the Golden Key International Honor Society and was selected to the inaugural 40 Under Forty Young Leaders Making New Hampshire Better.  Molly serves on the board of the Portsmouth Chamber Collaborative and the Kittery Dance Hall.
 
Maria Sillari, COO
Maria is a successful and knowledgeable professional with a passion for the nonprofit sector. She is a creative, highly effective problem solver, experienced facilitator, and project manager with a thirty-year track record of success in a wide variety of projects.  Maria has helped a broad range of nonprofits as an independent consultant delivering project management, program research and planning, coalition building, organizational development, meeting facilitation, grant review and analysis, fund development, grant writing, bookkeeping, and financial management and strategy.  Maria was the Program Consultant for New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Artist Advancement Grant, the first director of the Greater Seacoast Coalition to End Homelessness (now Home for All), and served as both the Campaign Director and Director of Fund Distribution for United Way of the Greater Seacoast where she was a co-founder and liaison to the Partnership for Effective Nonprofits.  Maria is a founding board member of Womenaid of Greater Portsmouth, has served as President of the Board of both Portsmouth Music and Arts Center and the Futures Program, served on the board of Leadership Seacoast, is a Study Circle Facilitator for Portsmouth Listens, and a NH Listens Fellow.

About our Sponsor:

Exeter Hospital, part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, is a 100-bed tax exempt, community-based hospital and one of  three affiliates of Exeter Health Resources. At each of the affiliated companies, we are committed to providing health care services that are innovative, progressive, and focused on quality and the well-being of patients.