Seeking individuals to join the Board of Directors for the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition

The Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition is seeking applicants for its Board of Directors (see below for more information on what it means to be a Board member and the types of people and skills we are seeking). Joining the Board is a great way to connect to other civic-minded bikers and make a real difference in the city.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying, please send up to one page that addresses the following questions and include a resume if you have one available to [email protected]:

1. Why are you interested in serving on the Board? How have you been involved in promoting or advancing biking and/or walking in Minneapolis?

2. What areas of expertise and experiences would you bring to the Board?

3. What contributions do you feel that you can make on the Board?

4. Please express which of the following Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition committees or work groups interest you the most:

   1. Committees: Fundraising, Finance, Nominations, Personnel, Executive (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer)

   2. Work Groups: Open Streets, Bikeways for Everyone, Fun, Diversity and Equity, Communications, Minneapolis Bike Week, Pedestrian Advocacy.

Application Deadline: Friday, October 7th.

Process

A Nominations Committee of the Board will review applications, interview candidates as needed, and make a recommendation to the full Board to consider at the November Board meeting. All candidates will receive final word in mid-November.

What it means to be a Coalition Board member

The Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition Board of Directors is responsible for governance, oversight, strategic direction, and for hiring, managing, and evaluating the Executive Director.

Board members are expected to be meaningfully engaged in the Coalition and spend a personally significant amount of time supporting the work of the Coalition. Board members make governance decisions and perform tasks in the best interest of the Coalition in fitting with the mission, vision, and core values. Additionally, the Coalition is strongly committed to forwarding equity within the organization’s practices and work. Board members are expected to actively and consistently work to uphold the organization’s equity statement, as well as comply with all organizational policies involving equity including, but not limited to, safer spaces policies.

Directors perform at least the following tasks:

1. Regularly attend a Board meeting once every other month (likely to continue to be on the first Tuesday from 6-8pm) and review related materials;

2. Actively participate in at least one committee or work group beyond the standard Board meetings;

3. Make a financial contribution that is personally significant and support Coalition fundraising in some way;

4. Work to help implement the Coalition’s strategic plan and the Coalition's work to expand to include pedestrians as part of our mission;

5. Support key Coalition initiatives as needed (those include our internal and external priorities); and

6. Offer personal outreach as appropriate to stakeholders and generally further the reputation of the organization.

The current Board has up to 21 members and so we will consider adding up to 6 new members this year. Board members serve two-year terms, with an option for a one-year term upon request. Terms will begin in January 2017. The first Board meeting of the year will be Tuesday, January 3.

Specific Demographics and Skills the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition is Seeking

The Coalition is looking for people who have a positive passion for bicycling and walking in Minneapolis and are ready and willing to get to work. We are actively working to diversify our entire organization--including the Board--to better reflect the diversity of Minneapolis with a focus on adding people of color, women and transgender people, and residents from Northeast and North. As we are expanding to include pedestrians as part of our work, we are also looking for pedestrian perspectives as well. We try to maintain a diversity of skills, experiences, and perspectives. Some perspectives, skills, and connections we are especially looking for at this time include:

1. people of color;

2. women and transgender people;

3. residents from Northeast and North Minneapolis;

4. experience advocating for pedestrian issues;

5. people living with disabilities;

6. nonprofit and board experience;

7. human resources/personnel experience;

8. experience with finance and accounting (does not have to be a CPA);

9. fundraising experience;

10. connections to immigrant communities;

11. connections to low-income communities;

12. interest in serving in a leadership role on the Board at some point in the future (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer)

If you have any questions, please contact Maria Wardoku, Board Vice President, at [email protected] or Ethan Fawley, executive director, at [email protected]. Thank you for your interest!