The Tribune

By LANE GLAZER

“So, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

In the United States, and I am sure in The Bahamas as well, many children are asked this question early in their academic careers. When I was growing up, the answers were always more similar than not: a teacher, a doctor, or a firefighter mixed in with the occasional astronaut, movie star, or professional athlete.

Several years ago, I was shocked to read that a survey showed that 54 percent of American youth and adults aged 13-38 would choose a very different career path from those my friends and I would have selected years earlier: influencer. Yes, that’s right. Not a doctor, not a lawyer, not a professional athlete, but a YouTuber.

For several years now, I have served as a Professor of Practice in Non-profit Leadership at Clemson University in addition to my work with One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF). I typically teach 100 students each semester the basics of establishing and managing a non-profit in the US. Students represent all different majors, and I am sure that many of these highly intelligent and driven students will be launching their own non-profits down the road.

I agreed to serve in this teaching capacity because I know the important role that non-profits fill in my country. Since the late 18th century, nonprofits in the US have led the way in addressing societal challenges that the for-profit and governmental sectors are not well suited to tackle. Today, thousands of non-profits provide many essential services and support to our communities. From an economic impact, the US non-profit sector accounts for 5.6 percent of US GDP while contributing $1.4 trillion to the overall economy. Nearly 13 million Americans are employed by a non-profit.

At the beginning of each semester, I tell students that I am teaching Non-profit Leadership because I believe in the power of non-profits in our communities and world. At the end of each semester, I challenge my students to consider how they can support the sector as a part of their life as they move into the workforce. Using the image of concentric circles, I talk about the different levels of participation in the nonprofit sector that they might pursue in the years to come. I offer this same advice to students and people of all ages in The Bahamas looking to contribute to the positive growth and well-being of their communities and country.

My first recommendation is to volunteer. If you have never dabbled in the non-profit world, start out by volunteering for a few hours per week somewhere. Choose a passion that you have – feeding, mentoring, or housing people, for example - and contact a local non-profit doing work in this area. These organisations will be thrilled that you reached out, and you will be blessed more than you can imagine as you serve several days a week or even a few hours. Don’t underestimate the impact your time and talent can bring to an organisation where understaffing and financial constraints are a very real challenge.

Consider becoming a donor. As you grow in your service to the non-profit sector, the next step is to become a regular donor to one or more non-profits to aid their work. The monthly donation does not need to be great. The non-profit of your choosing will be grateful, and your ongoing, reliable financial support will fuel their respective missions.

The next step in your service may come if you agree to serve on the Board of Directors for a non-profit. Non-profits are always looking for gifted and talented people willing to serve as board members. Board members typically serve in an oversight role while also assisting the executive director in fundraising for the non-profit. This support is crucial to the stability and longevity of the organisation.

If you follow in my footsteps, you may choose to become an officer or employee and work for a non-profit one day. While I loved my 13 years in the for-profit world, where I worked as a CPA and private banker, these last nearly 25 years working in the non-profit sector have been the most fulfilling. They have contributed significantly to my personal and professional growth, exposure, and network.

Because we are constantly growing and evolving in our pursuit of purpose, meaning, and happiness, you can ask yourself the same question I started this article with at any phase of life. Over the last four decades, I have answered that question in many different ways: business executive, pastor, chaplain, nonprofit executive, and professor. While my path has seemed more circuitous than not, there has been a thread that ties all of my experiences together: giving back to my community and serving a higher purpose through my non-profit work.

While the US non-profit sector is much larger and more developed than in The Bahamas, this sector continues to grow exponentially each year in The Commonwealth. An integral part of this growth is the willingness of gifted and talented Bahamians like you to give their time, talents, and treasure to support local nonprofits of their choosing.

I encourage you to get involved. Our world needs fewer people interested in being influencers and more people interested in influencing their neighborhoods and communities through service. I have no doubt that you will be blessed as you seek to uplift and serve your community and nation!

• A former CPA and private banker, Lane is a native of Charleston but now makes his home in Clemson, South Carolina with his wife Anne. An ordained United Methodist minister, Lane has served as president for OEF-US since its inception in 2016. He is also Professor of Practice at Clemson University, teaching in the area of non-profit leadership. Established in 2012, the One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF) is a non-profit organisation located in Rock Sound, Eleuthera. For more information, visit www.oneeleuthera.org or email info@oneeleuthera.org. The Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI) is the first and only postsecondary, non-profit education and training institution and social enterprise on Eleuthera. CTI operates a student training campus in Rock Sound, Eleuthera, with a 16-room training hotel, restaurant and farm. For more information about CTI’s programmes, email info@oneeleuthera.org.