Call for nominations for SeedChange Board of Directors
July 7, 2020
SeedChange is recruiting for our amazing Board of Directors!
UPDATE: Deadline for nominations is now Friday, August 7!
Dear community,
We are seeking nominations for SeedChange Board of Directors! We are currently looking for three people to join our board at our Annual General Meeting in October 2020.
Good governance is the backbone of any organization. Our board stewards our mission, oversees strategic processes, ensures we remain financially healthy, oversees our executive directors, and contributes their knowledge and perspective to support our work to advance food sovereignty.
We have an extraordinary team, currently headed up by our Chair Leticia Ama Deawuo, and Vice-Chair Karim Salabi.
Our board is composed of people with very diverse perspectives, skills, experiences and backgrounds, and we believe this makes us stronger. We also believe our work is stronger when it benefits from the experience, knowledge and wisdom of people who have faced systemic barriers. We encourage nominations from people with disabilities, BIPOC people, 2SLGBTQQIAP+ people, women and youth.
The board’s recruitment committee identified the following priorities for this year’s recruitment:
- A director based in Latin America
- Priority regions in Canada: British Columbia, Alberta, Atlantic Canada
- Fundraising expertise: supporting our team on strategy, reviewing plans and results, and if possible, help expand our network of donors and supporters
- Finance experience: reviewing quarterly financial reports and supporting long-term financial planning
- Legal expertise: with specific experience in human resources and/or nonprofit law
- Knowledge of food, farming, and seed keeping
- Knowledge and experience with nonprofit governance
We do not expect any candidate to fulfill all of these areas. We will be recruiting three people this year, one based in Latin America and two based in Canada.
Terms on the SeedChange Board of Directors are two years, and directors serve a maximum of three terms (for a total of six years). The base time commitment is participation in three two-hour meetings and one in-person meeting in Ottawa (currently all meetings are remote). Board members also have the option to sit on committees, including:
- Executive Committee: taking a deeper look into SeedChange’s operations and finances, and serving as a sounding board for the leadership team
- Finance Committee: providing oversight for financial reporting and the audit process
- Recruitment Committee: stewarding board succession planning and recruitment
- Governance Committee: supporting the evolution of SeedChange’s board processes in support of good governance
- Executive Director Review Committee: stewarding the annual review of the executive directors, which involves gathering and sharing feedback from staff and board
Ad hoc working groups are struck on an as-needed basis. Board committees meet periodically over the course of the year. The time requirements for our board are not onerous. We strive for meaningful engagement of board members in a way that meets their skills, interests, and availability.
If you are interested in nominating yourself or another person, please complete this Board Nominee form and send it back to Marie Dulude at mdulude@weseedchange.org by 12AM ET Friday, August 7. If you would like to speak with someone before filling out a form, please write to Marie at mdulude@weseedchange.org and we will be sure to be in touch.
Thank you!