Our Streets Minneapolis is looking for community members who are interested in joining our Board of Directors! Joining the Board is a great way to connect to other civic-minded people who care about making Minneapolis a more comfortable place to bike, walk, and roll.
To express interest, please respond to the following questions by sending up to one page or a video or voice message (up to 3 min long) to Maria at [email protected]:
- Why are you interested in serving on the Board?
- Why is our mission of advancing biking, walking, and rolling in Minneapolis important to you?
- What would you like to learn or gain from the experience of being on the Board?
- What areas of expertise and experiences would you bring to the Board?
Deadline to express interest: Friday, October 2nd.
Process: A Nominations Committee of the Board will review responses, interview candidates as needed, and make a recommendation to the full Board to consider at the November Our Streets Minneapolis Board meeting. All candidates will receive final word in mid-November.
What it means to be an Our Streets Minneapolis Board member:
The Our Streets Minneapolis Board of Directors makes sure that the actions of the organization further our mission, and works to maintain public trust and accountability. That can look like developing a strategic plan, evaluating a new program or public position, or keeping an eye on the organization’s finances, for example. The Board is also responsible for hiring, managing, and evaluating the Executive Director. This short video provides an overview of what it means to be a board member for a non-profit.
Board members are volunteers who are expected to be meaningfully engaged in the organization and spend a personally significant amount of time supporting its work. Board members make decisions and perform tasks in the best interest of the organization and in alignment with our mission, vision, and core values. The following are expectations for how board members support the organization:
- Regularly attend Board meetings and review related materials prior to the meeting. All meetings are being held remotely via video/phone calls during COVID19 pandemic, and are likely to continue to be the first Tuesday of every other month from 6 to 8 p.m.;
- Actively participate in at least one committee or work group beyond the Board meetings;
- Make a financial contribution that is personally significant and support Our Streets Minneapolis fundraising in some way;
- Work to help update the strategic plan;
- Support key initiatives as needed, such as our County Streets for People campaign or Open Streets Minneapolis events; and
- Offer personal outreach as appropriate to stakeholders and generally further the reputation of the organization. This could include things like sharing our social media posts, talking with a funder or an elected official, representing the organization at an event, helping the organization connect with someone in your network, etc.)
Board members serve two-year terms, with an option for a one-year term if requested while applying. Terms begin on January 1, 2021 and end December 31, 2022, with the option for renewal.
How do I know if I’m a good fit?
Our board members are people who have a positive passion for bicycling, walking, and rolling in Minneapolis and are ready and willing to get to work! Enthusiasm for our mission is the most important part of being a board member!
Our Streets actively works to maintain a diversity of skills, experiences, and perspectives, and to create spaces where people who experience race-based, gender-based, ability-based, or class-based oppression can participate fully. Our Streets board and staff follow a safer spaces policy. We are willing to provide support to people who have financial, transportation, technology, and other barriers to participating on the board.
Our Streets reserves half of its maximum board seats for BIPOC (people who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color). We also recognize that people’s identities shape the way they experience walking, rolling, and biking, and prioritize space for trans and non-binary people; people with disabilities; immigrants; and people without access to wealth.
Any and all people with passion for our work are encouraged to apply! We also seek people who bring the following skills:
- Connection with their neighborhood, especially residents of Northeast and North Minneapolis
- Nonprofit and board experience
- Human resources/personnel experience
- Experience in finance, accounting, or fundraising
- Interest in serving in a leadership role on the Board, as an Officer or helping lead short-term subcommittees. Officer positions include President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary.
If you have any questions, please contact Olivia St. Martin, Board President, at [email protected] or Ashwat Narayanan, Executive Director, at [email protected]. Thank you for your interest!
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