Priorities in the FY2024 board member selection process

The GiveMN Governance Committee is seeking board members who are passionate about Minnesota philanthropy and the vibrancy of our nonprofit sector. Priority will be given to nominees with a variety of strengths and perspectives that deepen our connection to our communities and reflect our organizational values.

First and foremost:

• We are seeking nominees who are committed to and passionate about the work of GiveMN.

We are prioritizing nominees who represent the following communities:

• Individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) 
• Leaders from the nonprofit and philanthropic communities
• Residents from outside the Twin Cities metro, including Greater Minnesota
• Individuals under 35 years of age and / or over 60 years of age

We also believe that nominees who represent the following communities may be good candidates for the board:

• Legal expertise*
• Entrepreneurs
• Political and/or governmental advocacy experience

GiveMN works to live out four core values in our programs and in our governance of the organization and is seeking nominees with whom these values also resonate positively.

• Operate from Abundance | GiveMN operates from a place of abundance, not scarcity. We believe that philanthropy is not a zero-sum game and that our resources are best invested in ideas that ‘grow the pie’ and bring more people to the philanthropic table.
• Connected to Community | GiveMN is accountable to and connected with the communities we serve. We believe that our ideas are improved by listening and responding to the needs of our stakeholders and that when making strategic decisions, we will be informed by the organizations and donors we serve and the funders who support our work.
• Equity in Action | GiveMN has a responsibility to actualize systems, practices, and services that create more equitable access to resources, acknowledging that structures of inequity exist in philanthropy. We apply multiple equity lenses to our decision-making and prioritize serving communities and individuals with less access to resources.
• Courage to Try | GiveMN strongly values informed action over prolonged analysis and believes that the substantial change we want to realize in our state requires courage, innovation, and calculated risk. Our team is reflective and persistent in pursuing results and strives to learn from both our successes and our failures.

 *The GiveMN Board of Directors is seeking and prioritizing community members whose perspectives and contributions as volunteer board members might be informed by their legal training, background, and experience. GiveMN retains separate outside counsel and is not seeking a board member to serve as the organization’s attorney.

Board member responsibilities

Members of the GiveMN Board of Directors are asked to engage with the organization’s mission and stakeholders in the following ways.

• Represent the vision, mission, and values of GiveMN as a representative of the organization.
• Serve a three-year term beginning on July 1, with the possibility of renewing for a second term.
• Participate in meetings of the board of directors approximately six times per year on a weekday afternoon.
• Participate in meetings of at least one board committee approximately four times per year. Committees currently include the executive committee, finance and audit committee, and governance and board engagement committee.
• Review board and committee meeting materials in advance and fully participate in meetings.
• Serve on ad hoc committees as needed.
• Be an active user of GiveMN.org to make contributions to your favorite causes.
• Make personally meaningful financial contributions to support GiveMN.
• Assist in fundraising efforts by connecting the executive director and staff with prospective donors.
• Connect with diverse and colonially under-resourced communities to help identify and cultivate relationships to broaden GiveMN’s impact for donors, organizations, volunteers, funders, and advocates.
• Participate in the annual performance and compensation review of the executive director.
• Assist in the recruitment and nomination of new board and committee members.
• Be available for consultation by staff at the discretion of the executive director.
• Be informed about issues impacting Minnesota organizations and the donors who support them.
• Serve without compensation or expense reimbursement.

Priorities in the FY2024 board member selection process

The GiveMN Governance Committee is seeking board members who are passionate about Minnesota philanthropy and the vibrancy of our nonprofit sector. Priority will be given to nominees with a variety of strengths and perspectives that deepen our connection to our communities and reflect our organizational values.

First and foremost:

• We are seeking nominees who are committed to and passionate about the work of GiveMN.

We are prioritizing nominees who represent the following communities:

• Individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) 
• Leaders from the nonprofit and philanthropic communities
• Residents from outside the Twin Cities metro, including Greater Minnesota
• Individuals under 35 years of age and / or over 60 years of age

We also believe that nominees who represent the following communities may be good candidates for the board:

• Legal expertise*
• Entrepreneurs
• Political and/or governmental advocacy experience

GiveMN works to live out four core values in our programs and in our governance of the organization and is seeking nominees with whom these values also resonate positively.

• Operate from Abundance | GiveMN operates from a place of abundance, not scarcity. We believe that philanthropy is not a zero-sum game and that our resources are best invested in ideas that ‘grow the pie’ and bring more people to the philanthropic table.
• Connected to Community | GiveMN is accountable to and connected with the communities we serve. We believe that our ideas are improved by listening and responding to the needs of our stakeholders and that when making strategic decisions, we will be informed by the organizations and donors we serve and the funders who support our work.
• Equity in Action | GiveMN has a responsibility to actualize systems, practices, and services that create more equitable access to resources, acknowledging that structures of inequity exist in philanthropy. We apply multiple equity lenses to our decision-making and prioritize serving communities and individuals with less access to resources.
• Courage to Try | GiveMN strongly values informed action over prolonged analysis and believes that the substantial change we want to realize in our state requires courage, innovation, and calculated risk. Our team is reflective and persistent in pursuing results and strives to learn from both our successes and our failures.

 *The GiveMN Board of Directors is seeking and prioritizing community members whose perspectives and contributions as volunteer board members might be informed by their legal training, background, and experience. GiveMN retains separate outside counsel and is not seeking a board member to serve as the organization’s attorney.

Board member responsibilities

Members of the GiveMN Board of Directors are asked to engage with the organization’s mission and stakeholders in the following ways.

• Represent the vision, mission, and values of GiveMN as a representative of the organization.
• Serve a three-year term beginning on July 1, with the possibility of renewing for a second term.
• Participate in meetings of the board of directors approximately six times per year on a weekday afternoon.
• Participate in meetings of at least one board committee approximately four times per year. Committees currently include the executive committee, finance and audit committee, and governance and board engagement committee.
• Review board and committee meeting materials in advance and fully participate in meetings.
• Serve on ad hoc committees as needed.
• Be an active user of GiveMN.org to make contributions to your favorite causes.
• Make personally meaningful financial contributions to support GiveMN.
• Assist in fundraising efforts by connecting the executive director and staff with prospective donors.
• Connect with diverse and colonially under-resourced communities to help identify and cultivate relationships to broaden GiveMN’s impact for donors, organizations, volunteers, funders, and advocates.
• Participate in the annual performance and compensation review of the executive director.
• Assist in the recruitment and nomination of new board and committee members.
• Be available for consultation by staff at the discretion of the executive director.
• Be informed about issues impacting Minnesota organizations and the donors who support them.
• Serve without compensation or expense reimbursement.