Katelyn Roney

Bachelor of Arts

Describe your board/organization, their objectives, and your responsibilities during the NPBI internship. 

The board I had the privilege of interning on was with the non-profit organization GeriActors. GeriActors is a theatre group whose mission is to include seniors in performance-related activities and produce theatre of meaning both for the performers themselves and the audience. GeriActors is an organization committed to creating an inclusive space that welcomes individuals of different ages and abilities and diverse ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. GeriActors creates true stories to communicate the unique issues of aging while also removing the stigma associated with it, combatting stereotypes, and encouraging skill development (memory strengthening) through performance.

As a non-profit board intern, my responsibilities were threefold. I attended several workshops that provided training and facilitated discussion on particular topics, including board governance. In that particular workshop, I learned about the roles and responsibilities of boards which involve promoting the broader organization’s purpose, developing and managing resources, and engaging in outreach with internal (staff and volunteers) and external stakeholders (government and donors). In other workshops I also learned about building strong teams, organizational purpose and planning, and a board’s financial responsibilities. My second role as an intern allowed me to observe and participate in GeriActors board meetings. Attending meetings allowed me to gain firsthand insight into the deliberation and decision-making process of non-profit boards. It also allowed me to present and discuss what I had learned from the workshops with my board and its members. My third and final responsibility corresponds to a final project meant to provide support to a unique issue or need of my particular board.

Can you describe your project and how you think it will benefit your board?

An important priority that the GeriActors board has focused on this past year has been developing their policies and procedures. Thus, the project I have been working on with the help of my board mentor Becca Barrington has been to develop GeriActors safety policies. Under the broad category of safety policies are many sections, including medical emergencies, fire evacuation, WHIMIS and workplace hazards, accessibility, and transportation. I believe that my project will benefit GeriActors because it will improve the board and wider organization’s functioning by providing a founding framework that can be relied upon during times of emergency or uncertainty. I ultimately hope that my project will help my board better execute their purpose of managing and reducing risk and creating a safe and secure environment for everyone.

What stands out for you as key learning moments as a result of volunteering on a Board?

I have always been interested in working and volunteering in the non-profit sector. Through my experiences as a volunteer, I had the opportunity to see the range of services different non-profits offered. However, I never understood the specific processes, decisions, time, and effort that went into making the provision of those services possible. Through my board placement with GeriActors and the workshops I attended, I gained practical experience and a firsthand look into the specific procedures and behind-the-scenes work that is needed to make non-profits function effectively. I learnt the importance of developing relevant policies that ground the organization’s activities and future strategic plans. I also saw the diligent efforts that go into crafting the budgets of non-profits and how vital the board is to managing resources. The workshops taught me the qualities and skills that make a good board member—integrity, courage, commitment to learning, assertiveness, willingness to listen, dependability, and the ability to think critically, creatively, and strategically. I had the pleasure of seeing these qualities and skills put into practice by the GeriActors board members and hope that I can carry these skills with me throughout my academic and professional career.

Would you recommend this program to U of A students and why? 

I would most definitely recommend the Non-Profit Board Internship program to other U of A students. It is a great way to take your degree out of the classroom and become engaged in your community. Through this internship, I got to see just how many organizations were out there dedicating their time and energy to helping people, standing up for them, and giving them a voice. This program is a great way to develop a variety of professional skills and gain experience in understanding how non-profits function, are governed, the unique challenges that face them, and how they are, by, in large, the bedrock of civil society.