05/04/2026
Happy National Self-Employed Day to all who celebrate!
(Special thanks go to Jeffrey Shaw, founder of the Self-Employed Business Institute who did the work of getting this day federally-recognized and developed the logo. His book The Self-Employed Life is a game changer! Link in comments.)
Today I want to shout out an aspect of self-employment that does not get enough attention: Self-employed people make great nonprofit board members.
Think about it:
💡 Self-Employed people are Visionary, motivated by a clear picture they hold in their mind of a specific future. They are experienced at choosing strategies, setting mid-term goals and short-term objectives, and making sure they have the resources in place to do what they want to do when they want to do it.
💡Self-Employed people are driven by an Entrepreneurial Spirit, willing and able to devote sufficient time and energy to achieve their goals. They are self-starters who hold themselves accountable for doing what they say they will.
💡Self-Employed people are Familiar with Using Financial Data, able to make sense of revenue and expense lines in a spreadsheet to identify savings as well as opportunities for investment. They will see before others whether the stated priorities of the organization are properly reflected in the budget.
💡 Self-Employed people Manage Their Own Time, able to schedule and attend a board or committee meeting without getting permission from a supervisor. Though they can have many demands on their time, in the end they own their calendar and can choose their priorities.
Of course, I don't want to imply that boards should consist entirely of the self-employed. Many people who work in organizations large and small also have these same governance-related attributes. They also often have support from their employer to be involved in community volunteer work.
But when we think specifically about the governance role of the board - strategic thinking, financial planning, being accountable - there is no question that most self-employed people would make excellent additions to any boardroom.
Let's keep building out this list. What other governance-related skills and experiences do self-employed people have?
