Part of what drew me to become a DONA International doula in the first place, was my attraction to the non-profit model of the organization. I appreciate that DONA is a member driven organization with a focus on making a social impact by doing good. Becoming a volunteer board member is something that I always looked forward to doing at DONA, especially because I want to help further the mission of this organization and help bring the voices of the membership to the board room. I specifically waited until I had more training in non-profit governance before I ran for a board position because I wanted to be able to come in knowing what I was supposed to do.
3 Primary Duties of Non-Profit Board Members
- “Duty of Care: Take care of the nonprofit by ensuring prudent use of all assets, including facility, people, and good will;
- Duty of Loyalty: Ensure that the nonprofit’s activities and transactions are, first and foremost, advancing its mission; Recognize and disclose conflicts of interest; Make decisions that are in the best interest of the nonprofit corporation; not in the best interest of the individual board member (or any other individual or for-profit entity).
- Duty of Obedience: Ensure that the nonprofit obeys applicable laws and regulations; follows its own bylaws; and that the nonprofit adheres to its stated corporate purposes/mission.” (source)
Our Mission
“The mission of DONA International is to promote high quality birth, postpartum, and community-based doula support by setting the standard for the doula profession through evidence-based training and certification for doulas of diverse backgrounds.” (source)
One of the biggest jobs of the board president is to make sure that the organization is staying mission focused, and I plan to take that part of my job very seriously. If elected, I really look forward to my time as president-elect so that I can get a better overall picture of the organization of DONA in order to develop an evidence-based plan of how to move forward beyond what I know from the outside.
Our Members
DONA members have to be a focus of all the board’s actions. Are we serving our members and helping this organization move forward? The board needs to remember that the members of this organization are the funders of it as well, and we need to make sure our members are getting what they need to help us all keep working together toward our mission. This means better utilizing the amazing talents we have at DONA, as I outlined here, and making sure our members are getting what they need to thrive. It means making sure that conflicts of interest are truly being disclosed and that our bylaws are fair. Our members need to know how to advocate with their clients during birth all the way up to our national government to further the entire doula community.
As a board member, I would make sure that DONA stays mission and member focused. If members don’t get what they need from our organization, they will leave. We have to make sure that the interests of the entire membership are represented, including those members outside of the United States, if we are going to continue to set the standard for doulas around the world. That starts by remembering and celebrating important dates for ALL the groups within DONA. We have the opportunity to rally the doulas around the world together around our mission, and that starts with making sure our members are excited about being here and want to be part of pushing things forward.
I believe that doulas lead with compassion, kindness, and education. We listen and lift each other up with our words. We invited others to join our mission, and make sure they know they are valued in this space. We have an amazing opportunity to listen to the brain trust of our long standing members and the ideas of our newest members to make a path for this organization. I look forward to being part of that!