The author characterizes himself as an experienced corporate executive, an experienced corporate board member, an active volunteer, and a pretty active donor to a number of causes that he thinks are important. But he is not a terribly experienced charitable-board member, so he sees things from the perspective of a new philanthropist and found that it's incredibly difficult to be a volunteer and it's very hard to be a donor. In this article, the author shares his experiences as the new chairman of a charitable board and gives insights on the process of creating a working foundation board. He contends that creating an effective foundation board requires members willing to commit time and effort, not just money and that the success of foundation boards should be viewed from a long-term perspective.