Member Seeks Opportunity for Non-Profit Board Service
Contributors: Emily Dammeyer, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce
Sarah Tadesse, Mercy Health, Radiation Oncology Practice Manager
Sarah Tadesse, Mercy Health, Radiation Oncology Practice Manager
When Sarah Tadesse moved to Toledo last summer for the administrative fellowship at Mercy Health, she may not have expected to be looking for leadership on a non-profit board in a few short months. A recent participant in the EPIC Toledo Board Member Accelerator Series taught by Aly Sterling Philanthropy, Sarah has found herself seeking out opportunities to impact the Toledo community for good through board service.
Sarah shared with us that she wanted to join this course as a new member of the community based on the influence Jason Theadore, VP of Ambulatory Services & Business Development, who also happens to sit on the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce Board. In total, Mercy had three employees complete the Board Member Accelerator Series.
As a direct result of participating in the course, Sarah has approached a local organization to discuss board opportunities. With the help of Heather Gallant, and Aly Sterling Philanthropy, Sarah identified the non-profit she was interested in because they are very unique, completely local, and their programming hasn’t been mimicked elsewhere. Additionally, Sarah says, “My personal mission compliments their mission.”
This would be Sarah’s first non-profit board opportunity. She has served on executive committees and volunteered in the past, but never been involved at the highest level. Based on her training in the Board Member Accelerator series, Sarah requested a meeting with the Executive Director and a tour of the organization’s space. Very impressed with what she saw, the initial meeting led to further conversations and advanced opportunities to engage with the organization to make an impact in the community. While everything must remain confidential for now, we are very excited for Sarah as an EPIC Toledo member going out into the community to inspire change and can’t wait to follow-up with her to see how things are going in her philanthropic journey.
As a direct result of participating in the course, Sarah has approached a local organization to discuss board opportunities. With the help of Heather Gallant, and Aly Sterling Philanthropy, Sarah identified the non-profit she was interested in because they are very unique, completely local, and their programming hasn’t been mimicked elsewhere. Additionally, Sarah says, “My personal mission compliments their mission.”
This would be Sarah’s first non-profit board opportunity. She has served on executive committees and volunteered in the past, but never been involved at the highest level. Based on her training in the Board Member Accelerator series, Sarah requested a meeting with the Executive Director and a tour of the organization’s space. Very impressed with what she saw, the initial meeting led to further conversations and advanced opportunities to engage with the organization to make an impact in the community. While everything must remain confidential for now, we are very excited for Sarah as an EPIC Toledo member going out into the community to inspire change and can’t wait to follow-up with her to see how things are going in her philanthropic journey.
“The most impactful thing that that I took away from this course was to not just fill a seat. I need to make a huge difference, make an impact.” - Sarah T.
Sarah explored many things about herself throughout the course, and was able to take some of what she learned back to her workplace, including information about succession planning. Replacing key individuals isn’t only an issue when looking to the future of an organization’s board, as discussed in Heather Gallant’s previous post, it is also a problem that employers can face when looking to fill their workforce. The Board Member Accelerator series had a section that focused on equipping participants to handle succession planning, from creating structure and processes to evaluation of current, former, and future members.
Many participants have expressed the sense that this course could significantly impact the non-profit operation within the Toledo community and Sarah agrees.
Many participants have expressed the sense that this course could significantly impact the non-profit operation within the Toledo community and Sarah agrees.
“Getting millennials and young professionals involved is so important because we are a different culture. Meshing the two [generations] and finding common ground benefits everyone.” - Sarah T.
For Sarah, any future board service will always go back to the “why.” Why are we here and why are we doing this? She found the course to be very influential, from the education on how boards operate to how she can make a difference in her new community.
Thank you Sarah for taking the time to share your experience with us and for your dedication to impacting the Toledo community!
 | Emily Dammeyer is the Communications Manager at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce. She has a background in Social Media Management and received a degree in Organizational Communication from Miami University. |
Please contact Emily Dammeyer, Communications Manager, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce to submit a story for our blog.
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