Personal Finance
By Craig Styles, Philanthropic Advisor, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
What is a junior board?
A junior board is a body of young people (typically <35 years old) that provides support to an organization’s leadership in order to carry the organization’s mission forward. Other names often used to describe junior boards include advisory council, associate board, youth board, youth council, and youth leadership committee.
24% of millennials prioritize "volunteering" as their preferred way of making an impact.1
What type of support is a junior board expected to provide?
Junior boards are used for a variety of different purposes. Each junior board has its own unique mandate which may include one or more of the following:
What are the differences among a board of directors, an executive director, and a junior board?
The board of directors
| Executive director
| Junior board
|
What are the benefits of being a junior board member?
Being a junior board member offers many benefits from both professional and personal development standpoints:
“Joining the Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY) Advisory Council gave me an opportunity to network with talented people and connect with leadership at Fortune 500 companies whom I would have never otherwise crossed paths with. It gave me a chance to develop skills in fundraising, team building, and strategizing, while learning the different aspects that are involved in setting goals for the organization.”
- Tess M.
“Serving on the Americas Society Young Professionals of the Americas Steering Committee is both a personally rewarding and professionally enriching experience. I have the opportunity to work alongside Latin America’s most promising millennial leaders for a cause I deeply care about while learning from the organization’s board leaders and other prominent industry advisors.”
-Ashley R.
How do I get the most out of being on a junior board?
“Being on the Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY) Advisory Council gives me the opportunity to work for a cause that is important to my family and to me. I am meeting other passionate, young people and learning how to fundraise, mentor and use social media to further something I believe in. Not to mention, we are having fun!”
-Alex CS.
How to evaluate what type of junior board opportunity is right for you:
Melanie Schnoll Begun, Head of Morgan Stanley Philanthropy Management, recommends asking yourself the following questions when searching for the right opportunity:
There is nothing ‘junior’ about the responsibility of sitting on a junior board.
- Melanie Schnoll Begun
Head of Morgan Stanley Philanthropy Management
Contact your FA to learn more about how you can get involved in philanthropy and explore junior boards.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC ("Morgan Stanley"), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning, charitable giving, philanthropic planning and other legal matters.
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1 The Next Generation of American Giving. Blackbaud Institute. (2018)