The Gill Foundation bring all on board with new nonprofit project

Like a dating website for potential board members and nonprofits, OnBoard functions as an intermediary between the two, having interested volunteers fill out a questionnaire, then matching them with organizations based on their interests, experience and former relationship with nonprofits.

The mission of the Gill Foundation is very simple – to provide equality to everyone, regardless of his or her sexual orientation or gender expression. Working with LGBT nonprofits and local organizations that help improve the quality of life for every Coloradan, the Gill Foundation has invested more than $106 million in beneficial nonprofits since its creation 17 years ago.

Now, with its new start-up project OnBoard, the Gill Foundation is looking to expand the type of charitable contributions it provides to nonprofits. Hoping to increase the presence of local LGBT persons and allies on boards for local organizations, the OnBoard project is an active development of the Gill Foundation to encourage local Coloradans to engage with their community.

“We had conversations about the topic, about what influences the lives of Denver’s LGBT population. It’s laws and policies, but it’s also organizations that affect everyday life – homeless shelters, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Girl Scouts, the Children’s Museum,” said Karla Rikansrud, director of allies and institutions at Gill Foundation and project lead for OnBoard.

Recognizing the fact that the LGBT community interacts with hundreds of different nonprofits every year, the Gill Foundation has created a way for interested LGBT and allies that live in the Denver/Metro area to connect with all kinds of organizations, potentially obtaining a board position if they are a good fit. Through an intensive questionnaire process and dedication from their volunteers, OnBoard has matched 15 people to various nonprofits’ boards since its inauguration.

“We work hard to get to know participants and match their passions with needs of specific boards,” Rikansrud said. The 30 boards that OnBoard is in contact with contain a vast amount of diversity, with organizations such as American Red Cross, Denver Public Schools Foundation, and Rocky Mountain PBS represented.

OnBoard hopes that their help, this process of obtaining a board position on a local nonprofit will encourage the LGBT population of Denver to become more active in their communities. Rikansrud also thinks that the project is important because it demonstrates the multiplicity of need everyone – gay, straight, bi or transgender, need in everyday life. “We are like everyone else – if I go to a homeless shelter, I am a homeless person first, and a lesbian second,” Rikansrud said.

With 15 volunteers already on various boards, the success of the OnBoard project is ever-rising. Local nonprofits are also beneficiaries of this project; they receive the opportunity to, as Rikansrud puts it, further broaden their idea of diversity. It truly is a win-win anyway you look at it, helping the Gill Foundation continue its mission of equality and hope for the Denver community.