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Live United by Erin Haag

Tuesday evening, the United Way board of directors gathered around a table for the second time in the past year. We’d met virtually, but have not had on-site meetings since the month we moved in.

I suppose it was a little hard to top that one — when we had to suddenly evacuate to the intersection because of a broken gas main on the street outside. Mandatory evacuations aside, it lifted my spirits to see the board, to enjoy snacks and to show off the changes we’ve made. It’s my home, as much as my own home is — the place I spend my days. My office plants were fussed over, the new-to-us desks were celebrated, and Rosemary’s bulletin board was greatly admired. Add in yummy snacks and napkins that coordinated with our color theme and it had all the flair of a holiday gathering.

We welcomed three new board members to their first official meeting. Jennifer Walsh, joined as our board treasurer. With her current role as finance director for the school district, she’ll bring a wealth of experience. I’m looking forward to having her as a mentor to ensure compliance and best practices for us. Jennifer has been an advocate and involved in United Way in the past, and with her upcoming retirement, she was looking to deepen those connections.

Long-term, regular volunteer Deb Banicki joined our board. She’s been involved in multiple aspects of our programming, and is actively working to strengthen her community ties. I think it’s so important to have board members that have in-depth experience of what our day-to-day operations look like. She’s able to give perspective on what our programs look like from the volunteer experience. How do staff operate and interact? Are email communications each month for CFSP delivery clear and welcoming? Are volunteer emails from our platform doing a good job of showcasing opportunities without being annoying spam? Those things are helpful to hear, and she’s done a great job of offering perspective.

A new face to us is Mary Anne Brekke. I can picture her right now, reading these words and smiling. A dedicated reader of the Tribune, she answered the call to action. She and I spent an enjoyable time chatting about United Way, the successes, the challenges, and I answered logistical questions. We delved into our past nonprofit experience, which she has plenty of. When anyone can start talking about grants and outcomes and indicators, I know we’ve got a winner on our hands. I am always humbled when someone unknown to any of our board members or myself answers the call to action.

During introductions, Mary Anne was last. She showcased something that I hadn’t fully registered. Due to the changes in the board this year, our current board of directors is comprised fully of women. This wasn’t intentional, it wasn’t discussed, but it happened. With Mary Anne’s extensive nonprofit experience and her celebration of this fact, I wondered how unique this was. What my research showed surprised me. According to the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, 37% of Minnesota nonprofit leaders are women. Hey — that’s me! That’s April Jeppson at the Y, Patricia Schuster at the Life Center, Watsana Thiravong with Stars Mentoring, Stephanie Kibler at the Freeborn Historical Society. Those are just a few of our community leaders. As I read this research, their vison statement caught my eye: “valued as solution-builders and leaders within their communities.”

Why is this important? Sure, there’s lots of talk about when women were allowed to vote, and the women’s right movements. Here’s something that I think is powerful. By the time I was 23, I had extensive work experience in both for-profit and non-profit roles. I had moved away from home, and worked in a consultant role, doing parent education in small towns across the rural countryside.

When my mother was 23, she was married and expecting her first child. She worked in health care, managing the medical needs of a facility for those with cerebral palsy. She wasn’t allowed to have her own credit card. Thankfully, she wasn’t fired for having the audacity to have a child. Looking back, while I hadn’t met my future husband yet, and children weren’t on my radar yet, my life would be different without the right to a credit card. I wouldn’t have been able to rent a car. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable in traipsing across the county, sometimes driving up to 300 miles a week to do my job. What if my car broke down? Would I have enough cash for a tow? A rental car? Oh wait. You can’t rent a car without a credit card. Thankfully, I would at least have been allowed to dine in a restaurant or check into a hotel without the endorsement of a male. That changed around the 1960s.

The right for women to have their own credit card wasn’t available until 1974. Fifty years might seem forever and a day to my 12-year-old, but in the perspective of changing our society, it’s not that long. While more women leaders are present today, when you consider that half of Minnesotan adults are women, and that only 3 in 10 leaders are women … well, that’s a little skewed isn’t it?

That’s day-to-day leadership though. What about our board of directors, the jumpstart for this whole deep dive? I decided to look beyond Minnesota for this. According to BoardSource, a 2021 study showed that 53% of nonprofit boards are made up of women. This is up from 48% in 2018, so progress is being made. However, there is still work to be done in ensuring our boards of not only United Way but our other area nonprofits are diverse and inclusive. We need to consider those with lived experience, racial and ethnic diversity, socioeconomic status and more. If you’re going to have a board lead the way, you need to have the trust and representation of the people you’re serving. While I recognize we have more work to do, I’m proud of the strides we’ve made to having a more diverse board in the past five years, and I look forward to the value and perspective that diversity can bring.

If you’re interested in learning more about the board of directors, or a committee to dip your toe in, please give me a call at 507-373-8670. There are opportunities for short-term and longer-term commitments. We welcome those with experience, without experience and wanting to learn. Despite this article, we do welcome men to participate. Women want a seat at the table, but we’re not looking to be exclusive of other voices in the process of taking those seats.

Erin Haag is the executive director of the United Way of Freeborn County.