Board Leadership Program

BOARD LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

Develop practical skills, knowledge, and networks to be an effective nonprofit board member and inspired leader in the community.

Enrollment form deadline is Friday, March 7th, 2025
We're excited to welcome our applicants for 2025! Start your leadership journey and enroll now!

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Informational Session on February 25th, 2025
Register for our informational session to learn more and get your questions answered.

About the Board Leadership Program

Pipeline

Be part of a pipeline of diverse and talented leaders and board members who are serving the needs of the nonprofit community.

Contribute

Contribute your knowledge, resources, and/or networks to the nonprofit, and challenge yourself to contribute in other ways.

Connections

Deepen your connections with nonprofit and community leaders, and with like-minded peers and board members.

The Board Leadership Program (BLP), in partnership with the Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF) and Kizuna, responds to the need for greater representation of Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and fellow communities of color in leadership positions on nonprofit boards. Through curated training sessions, participants will learn from community leaders who will provide strategic resources and expertise. In addition, participants will gain first-hand knowledge as an intern on a local Southern California nonprofit board with the possibility of extending their board member role in an official capacity post-program.

Benefits

Workshops
The BLP program consists of hybrid training sessions with community leaders.

Training sessions may include topics such as: Advocacy; Board Governance; Fundraising; Marketing & Communications; and Strategic Planning.
Training sessions will take place between April and September and will meet in-person or online.

Internship
In addition to the training sessions, we encourage all applicants to consider interning at a local, Southern California nonprofit board.

Interns should be prepared to dedicate at least 2-5 hours a month with the nonprofit, including but not limited to attending meetings, communication with Board Chair and/or Executive Director, committee work, events, etc.

Placement
After completing your internship, you have the option to choose if you would like to join the nonprofit as a board member. If there is a match, you will join the board as an official member. The following nonprofits have accepted BLP participants for board placements: AAPA (Asian American Professional Association), FACE (Faith Action for Community Equity), AYC (Asian Youth Center), PACS (Pacific Asian Counseling Services), ThaiCDC (Thai Community Development Center), and more!

BLP Training Session Schedule

For applicants, please mark the following dates, times, and modality for the 2025 program. All participants are required to attend to receive the fullest understanding of nonprofit board topics & lessons. Speakers and topics will be announced closer to the training session dates. In-person events will be held in Monterey Park and Los Angeles County and virtual events will be held on Zoom.

Please note that the internship component is separate and runs concurrently to the training sessions. The internship schedule is dependent on the nonprofit host's recurring board meeting cadence, in addition to other meetings and events that you may be asked to join.

Sessions #1-3 - Saturday, April 26th, 2025 from 9:00am-4:00pm PT @ SoCalGas Learning Center (in-person)
Session #4 - Wednesday, May 21st, 2025 from 5:30-7:30pm PT (virtual)
Session #5 - Wednesday, July 16th, 2025 from 5:30-7:30pm PT (virtual)
Sessions #6-8 - Saturday, August 23rd, 2025 from 9:00am-4:00pm PT @ SoCalGas Learning Center (in-person)

previous Speakers:

Who should join?

The Board Leadership Program is ideal for professionals with 5+ years of experience. You may already be serving on (or seek to join) a nonprofit board. You are a high-caliber and resourceful professional, and you seek to make an impact in the community.

Board Leadership Program FAQs

Who? What? When? Where?

Who: Open to professionals at junior, mid, and advanced career levels who seek to serve as a board member in a nonprofit organization, and/or learn how to be a more effective board member.
- Everyone is encouraged to enroll.
- AAPA will not discriminate due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin and veteran or disability status.

What: A 6-month leadership development program that provides diverse professionals with the skills, knowledge and networks to be an effective nonprofit board member.
When: The BLP training sessions and social events run from April to September each year on Saturdays and weekday evenings. The internship expectations are separate and in addition to these training sessions.
WHERE: In-person events will be located within Los Angeles, CA and San Gabriel Valley. Virtual events will be held on Zoom.

When is the enrollment form deadline and what is the program fee?

This year's enrollment form is due Friday, March 7th, 2025. Early submission is encouraged.
The individual program fee is $999. We encourage you to research if your employer may be able to sponsor your participation.

What is the relevance of the internship experience?

To be an effective and impactful board member, it requires strong foundational knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of a board member, experience, and a good understanding of the needs of the organization. If you are looking to join a board, the BLP internship will give you the right experience.

Participants may intern with a nonprofit board during the course of the 6-month program. At the first training day, you will have the opportunity to meet all the participating nonprofits to rank your choices. Based on mutual selection, you will be invited to join as an intern throughout the program and then you will be considered to join as an official board member after program completion.

Benefits of internship:

Apply what you learn in the training sessions to the board room to effective serve Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations and their missions.
Attend regular board meetings and build connections with likeminded individuals.
Use your expertise and passions to drive social change.
If there is mutual agreement after the internship, you may be invited to join as an official board member within the nonprofit.

Do you have any tips for enrolling?

Identify your goals: Understand what you want to get out of the program. Developing clear goals and objectives at the beginning will set you up for greater success.
Do your research: Conduct your research on the program, attend a few events, talk to Board Leadership Program participants, alumni, speakers, and mentors.
Enroll: Be as detailed and as honest as possible. AAPA & APCF want to know that you are committed to developing yourself, committed to serving the community, and if accepted, that you will be committed to making the most out of the program.

What topics will the BLP training sessions cover?

Possible training topics may include:

Advocacy: Understand the importance of advocacy to nonprofit success and how to effectively advocate.
Finance Management: Determine the financial health of organizations through financial statement analysis.
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community Landscapes: Take an in-depth look at our local Southern California AAPI communities, their needs and opportunities to serve them.
Fundraising: Identify key tools and frameworks to successfully fundraise and establish the role of every board member as a fundraiser.
Board Governance: Explore the various roles of the board of directors and why each role is essential to the function of the nonprofit.
Marketing & Public Relations: As the steward and representative of the nonprofit, learn how to present, position, and promote the nonprofit.
Challenge of Leadership: Discuss the tools and skills for navigating generational, age, and cultural diversity within a board of directors.
Meeting Management: This workshop will discuss the basics of Robert’s rules, including facilitation and effective meeting management.
Executive Director Evaluation/Care: Recognize the importance of the relationship between the Executive Director and the board, and how to evaluate the Executive Director.
Strategic Planning: Learn the importance of long-term strategic planning and how to build consensus among board members for a strategic vision.
Executive Session: Hear from business and nonprofit leaders who will share about their personal experiences about leading and serving on nonprofit boards.

What are the program/graduation requirements?

To graduate from the AAPA Board Leadership Program and receive your completion certificate, you will need to fulfill the following program requirements:

Event Attendance: Attend a minimum of seven (7) out of eight (8) BLP training sessions. There are 8 total sessions (6 Saturday sessions + 2 weekday evening sessions). We highly encourage attendance all the sessions; otherwise, please communicate your needs in advance.
Internship: Participate in an internship with a nonprofit (if you are not already a board member).
Volunteer & Lead: Apply your leadership skills as a volunteer for an upcoming AAPA event or organize a social gathering with your cohort and nonprofit connections!

BLP’s training program provided a unique perspective and helped me understand what it takes to serve on a non-profit board. I was very fortunate to be placed with AAPA as an intern, where I gained hands-on experience of how board meetings were conducted. Now, as an official board member, I am supported and mentored by seasoned members, and challenged to do more.

Rosalind Lu
MUFG Union Bank | Board Member & Treasurer, AAPA | BLP Alumnus