As we continue to grow our programs and team, we feel that it is time for a step change. And one of the ways we want to get there is by leveraging the network and knowledge of people around us.
Why Right Now is the Time for a Board
The last time we had a Board of Directors was several years ago. At the time, we felt it was the right next step. We learned a lot from that experience, and as we restructured our program and teams over the last few years, we felt that a Board was unnecessary. The rationale was simple: we wanted to be as lean as possible and spend time experimenting to find how we could maximize our impact. And to a large extent that approach has been successful. It has limited our time spent reporting and maximized our time spent on driving impact.
However, that approach also has its limits. As our organization has grown, we have come to realize that it's time to bring in outside, objective advisors and mentors. We are forming a Board because we want people to challenge us, to tell us that we're wrong, to push us to improve, and to help us get to the next level.
How We Approach Board-Making
Meet Adithya (pictured above). He is exactly the type of person we are looking to help form this new Board. He brings a wealth of experience working in education in India and around the world. He is passonate specifically about women's education. And he's an entrepreneur, someone who understands the highs and lows with forming and running your own organization.
Adithya will join Priyanka as the initial members of our Board. We are also interviewing several other candidates, with our target being 3-5 members in this first year. We have signed agreements with these individuals regarding their role, and the challenge that we have given them and ourselves is simple: let's grow together.