Board Nominations
2023-2025
The nomination period is now closed.
LWV continues to bring diverse voices to the tables of power. Add your skills and talents to the LWVMN Board of Directors. Join us in our 2nd Century of empowering voters and defending democracy. All are welcome to apply!
Why Join the Board?
Use your knowledge and experience to create change
Provide insight and inspiration, and receive insight and inspiration from others
Meet LWV Minnesota leaders from around the state
Attend monthly meetings virtually, from anywhere in the state
Applications are closed.
Quick Stats
FY20 Revenue: $414,263
FY20 Net Assets: $1,641,584
FY20 Members: 2,330
Local LWVs: 35, including 4 state units
Employees: 3 full-time, 1 part-time, 1 part-time volunteer, plus interns as funding allows
More info can be found in our Governance section
Functions
The LWVMN Board of Directors has two sides: governance and volunteer.
Governance
LWVMN’s Board of Directors 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 within budget.
Volunteer
Leading or working on a portfolio or set of goals and objectives with staff and other members. Many of our board members also act as volunteers on important projects to fulfill our mission to empower voters and defend democracy.
Responsibilities
Organization
Ensure that LWVMN is run in an ethical and legal manner and implement good governance practices that establish accountability.
Ensure that LWVMN operationalizes the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Support and provide direction to the Executive Director and work to support the strategic plan.
Approve compensation and benefits policies and practices.
Annually evaluate the performance of the Executive Director.
Annually review and evaluate the performance of the Board of Directors and take steps to improve its performance.
Community Outreach
Elevate the mission and work of LWVMN within your community.
Fund Development
Promote and support charitable giving to LWVMN.
Financial Oversight
Review and understand financial statements that are submitted to the board.
Stay familiar with the LWVMN bylaws and operation policies and procedures.
Sign a conflict of interest statement and disclose all potential conflicts in advance to the board of directors.
Other
Additional information and rules for board participation can be found in the bylaws (Article V).
Committees
Named in Bylaws
Executive Committee: President, Vice President(s), Secretary, Treasurer
Nominations Committee: 3 members confirmed at Convention, 2 current members of the board
Finance Committee: At least four members, at least two of whom are members of the board, Treasurer
Established by the Board of Directors
Human Resources
Advocacy and Program for Action
Membership
Voter Service
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Development
Time Commitment
Each director is asked to commit to a two-year term. There are no term limits.
The full board meets monthly. Meetings are generally the fourth Monday of the month, 1:00-3:30 PM, and will be held virtually through the next biennium.
Each director is expected to serve on a committee or lead a portfolio or specific plan of action.
On average, each board member spends 6-12 hours a month supporting LWVMN.
Selection Process
Interested candidates should complete the application by April 1, 2023.
Any voting member of LWVMN may be elected or appointed to serve as an officer or director of LWVMN; except that no staff member is eligible to serve as an officer or director.
Candidates will be interviewed by a member of the Nominations Committee.
Slate of Nominations will be presented to the membership for election at Convention on June 2, 2023.
Description of Roles
The following roles are available for Board service. While we say "board nominations," we expect that people will fill out an application for themselves. If you'd like to nominate someone for the Board, please discuss it with them first and ask that they complete the application themselves.
Below are the roles that will be voted on by members at our State Convention on June 2, 2023. Some of the roles already have a person committed to accepting that role. However, others can still run for those positions. We have listed COMMITTED by those in which someone has already indicated their interest to serve, and OPEN by those in which we have no one yet expressing an interest. This helps candidates to see where our leadership gaps most need to be filled. But again, interested candidates can feel free to apply for any of these positions
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE POSITIONS
President – Previous State Board experience preferred.
Secretary – No experience necessary; we'll train.
Treasurer – Previous treasurer or accrual accounting experience preferred.
First Vice President – Supports the President and serves on the Executive Committee, but also holds another Chair position as described below.
Second Vice President – Supports the President and serves on the Executive Committee, but also holds another Chair position as described below.
BOARD CHAIR POSITIONS
Finance Chair – Previous Finance Committee or nonprofit finance experience preferred.
Voter Service Co-Chair – Previous experience with local League Voter Service preferred, to help especially with Voter Registration. Will serve alongside another Co-Chair who will manage Candidate Forums and other initiatives.
Voter Service Co-Chair – Previous experience with local League Voter Service preferred, to help especially with Candidate Forums. Will serve alongside another Co-Chair who will manage Voter Registration initiatives.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Chair – Provides oversight of our DEI policy and related activities.
Advocacy and Program Chair – Provides leadership for our Advocacy and Program for Action activities.
Member Services Chair – To help serve our members and local League leaders; oversee annual training and orientations.
Membership & Development Chair – To help grow our members and funds to ensure sustainability of LWVMN.
BOARD MEMBER AT-LARGE POSITIONS
Member At-Large – We can also accept up to 5 "at-large" positions. These positions don't have a specific scope of work, but instead provide governance oversight and support one of the following areas: Human Resources, Media Resources, Marketing & Development.
OFF-BOARD POSITIONS
Nominations Committee – Three members are needed to serve on the Board Nominations Committee for 2025-2027. These positions do NOT meet with the regular Board, rather they are off-board positions that lead the nominations process for a new board every 2 years.
Board Committee – You may also choose to serve only on a Board Committee, if preferred. These positions are not voted on by the members, but are critical to the success of our Board work. Committees meet outside of the full Board meetings.
