Board of Trustees Opportunity

The Foundation’s Board of Trustees is responsible for defining and upholding the organization’s mission, vision, and values, and for providing overall leadership and strategic direction to the organization. In addition to setting policies and maintaining the nonprofit’s overall direction, the Board establishes priorities, crafts strategies, and ensures that plans and programs are implemented. Trustees are also involved in our fundraising efforts, spreading the word about our good work and using their connections to gain access to potential donors, actively participating in fundraising campaigns and making their own personal donations.

• Organization
  • Ensure that the Foundation is run in an ethical and legal manner, implementing good
    governance practices that establish accountability
  • Support, provide direction to, and work with the Executive Director to create a
    strategic direction for the Foundation to set short- and long-term goals and policies
  • Ensure that management continuity is properly provided
  • Approve appropriate compensation and benefit policies and practices
  • Annually evaluate the performance of the Executive Director
  • Annually review and evaluate the performance of the Board of Trustees and take
    steps to improve its performance
• Board Participation
  • Our goal is 100% attendance at each Board meeting. However, we understand that
    professional and personal commitments might arise that prevent your attendance
  • Actively participate on at least one committee
• Community Outreach
  • When with an appropriate audience (e.g., potential donors or colleagues), the
    Foundation should be at the top of your list when talking about your community
    involvement at a cocktail party, networking event, etc.
  • We will encourage you to spread awareness about the Foundation, its mission
    the challenges students face with financial literacy via social media.
• Fund Development
  • Make a personally significant annual financial contribution to the Foundation
  • Identify potential funding sources and serve as an ambassador in securing organizational funding
• Financial Oversight
  • Set and approve the annual budget
  • Review and understand financial statements as they are submitted to the Board
  • Stay familiar with the organization’s bylaws and operation procedures
  • Sign a conflict-of-interest statement and disclose all potential conflicts in advance to
    the Board of Trustees
  • Serve as a Trustee in a manner that promotes the best interests of the
    Foundation

Committees help maximize the Board’s productivity by matching members’ expertise to appropriate areas. They allow members to engage with issues more deeply and consistently than the full Board could. Committees can research and break down complex issues and present their findings to the Board, which can then move forward to making decisions.

• Executive Committee: Comprised of Board officers, the committee oversees operations of the Board; acts on behalf of the Board during on-demand activities that occur between meetings; and performs evaluation of the Executive Director.
• Governance and Leadership Committee: Ensures effective Board processes, structures and roles, including recruitment, retreat planning, Board training, committee development, and Board evaluation; prepares priorities for Board composition; meets with prospective Board members and recommends candidates to the Board; recommends a slate of officers to the Board; and conducts orientation sessions for new Board members.
• Finance Committee: Oversees development of the budget; ensures accurate tracking/ monitoring/accountability for funds; ensures adequate financial controls; recommends financial guidelines to the Board; and oversees short- and long-term investments.
• Development and Marketing Committee: Oversees development and implementation of the organization’s fundraising plan; identifies and solicits funds from external sources of support; and is responsible for involvement of all Board members in fundraising.
• Audit Committee: Oversees the financial reporting process, the system of internal controls, the audit process and the Foundation’s process for monitoring compliance with laws and regulations.
• Program Committee: Oversees and makes recommendations to the Board to sustain the quality of Foundation programming at a superior level; evaluates new program opportunities and makes recommendations to the Board; establishes program goals aligned with the mission of the Foundation; monitors and evaluates program performance against stated goals; evaluates significant changes to existing programs and makes recommendations to the Board; identifies and oversees opportunities for mutual support among programs.
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee: Regularly evaluates Foundation programs to ensure they are intentionally built and executed with a goal of promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Risk Management Committee: Provides ongoing identification and assessment of risks associated with existing Foundation program and activities.

• Each Trustee is asked to commit to one three-year term. Trustees may serve up to two consecutive terms. Most Trustees serve two, three-year terms.
• The Board holds three, two-day Board meetings per year. Our fiscal year is June 1– May 31 and Board meetings are generally in September, February, and May.
• Each Trustee is expected to serve on at least one committee, which will work in between board meetings.
• On average, each Trustee spends 2–3 hours per month supporting the Foundation

• Interested candidates should submit a current resume and/or CV and a Letter of Support from a current Foundation Trustee to Valerie Thompson, Executive Director.
• Top candidates will be interviewed by the Executive Director and Governance and Leadership Committee members.
• Nominations will be made to the Board of Trustees for election at any one of their three annual meetings. Candidates will be notified of the result immediately following this process. Trustees usually begin their term on June 1.