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UNT Health Science Center and the University of North Texas have joined together to introduce a new program that matches people who want to serve on nonprofit boards with nonprofit organizations that need board members.

The program, Boardography, began recently when Program Director Kimberly Mills, PhD, approached the Office of Professional and Continuing Education at UNT Health Science Center and the Department of Public Affairs and Community Service at UNT Denton to give her program a home.

â??I helped start a program similar to this at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Penn.,â? Dr. Mills said. â??It was wildly successful. When my husband and I relocated back here for his work, I saw that DFW didnâ??t have anything like this, so I started knocking on doors. The response has been tremendous.â?

Boardography is designed to match professionals throughout the metroplex with nonprofit organizations who need volunteers to serve on their governing boards.

â??Our community is filled with nonprofits,â? Dr. Mills said. â??They all have boards, and they all need board members. At the same time, there are lots of professionals who really want a chance to develop personally and professionally through leadership experiences.â?

Dr. Mills facilitates the process by meeting personally with people who sign up for Boardography to determine a candidateâ??s interests and skills. She also meets with nonprofit organizations throughout the metroplex to determine what their specific needs are for board members. After finding candidates and nonprofits that match, she sends the nonprofit organizations information about the candidates.

â??At that point, itâ??s up to the candidates and the nonprofits to make a mutual decision to see if the nonprofit wants to invite the candidate to join the board and the candidate wants to accept,â? Dr. Mills said. â??So I donâ??t actually make matches. I make introductions.â?

The new program is free to both nonprofit organizations and candidates, so it exists based on donations from individuals and groups. RadioShack is the founding funder.

â??Everyone in the community benefits from this program,â? Dr. Mills said. â??Nonprofits get stronger board members; people in need get stronger nonprofit organizations; professionals get to join boards that they are interested in, and corporations get employees who are more engaged in the community.â?

For more information on Boardography, contact Dr. Mills at 817-735-0177, e-mail her at kmills@hsc.unt.edu, or visit the website at www.boardography.com.

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Contact: Kay Colley 817-735-2553, cell 817-980-5090, e-mail kacolley@hsc.unt.edu.

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