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Board Elections

Directors for the Board of the Arkansas Environmental Education Association are elected for two-year terms.  All members are encouraged to be involved in AEEA through serving on the Board or on a committee. 

 BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION TIMELINE FOR TERM 2010-2011

Call for nominations begins   June 15, 2009
Call for nominations ends   July 31, 2009
Ballots mailed August 7, 2009
Ballots due August 21, 2009
New board member notification September 1, 2009
New board member orientation October 24, 2009

 NOMINATION FORM IS POSTED BELOW - see attachment at bottom of page
 

 

Nominations forms must be received by July 31, 2009.  Please submit completed nomination via email to info@arkansasee.org – please put “Board Nomination” in the subject line or postal service to

 

Suzanne Hirrel

11580 Bainbridge Dr.

Little Rock, AR 72212

 

 Serve the Organization 

Actively participate in creating short and long term goals that further the organization's mission.
Keep dues current.
Support EE Expo and other events.
Enhance the organization's public image and inform others about the organization.
Be a driving force for action – provide enthusiasm and endurance.
Maintain the confidentiality of sensitive organization information as well as membership information.
Assist with the mundane as well as the vision – stuff envelopes, make phone calls, assist at the conference, etc.
Oversee, support, and review the work of the executive director.
Determine and monitor the organization's programs and services.

 Serve the Board

Attend all board and committee meetings and functions, such as special events.
Be informed about AEEA’s bylaws, policies, history, mission, programs, and services.
Build the organization through constructive feedback.
Be a mentor to new Board Members, committee chairs, and committee members.
Keep up-to-date on developments in the organization's field.
Excuse yourself from a vote whenever there is a conflict of interest.
Refrain from making special requests of the staff.
Suggest possible board nominees who can make significant contributions to the work of the board and the organization.
Assist the board in carrying out its fiduciary responsibilities, such as reviewing the organization's annual financial statements.
Assess the board’s performance. 

 Serve the Committees 

Serve on committees or task forces and offer to take on special assignments.
Actively contribute to committee work.
Communicate board vision to committees.

 Serve the Members 

 Support the AEEA vision and mission and communicate them to members.
Consider member needs in making decisions.
Be available to members. 

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE JOINING THE BOARD

Are you considering joining the AEEA board? Here are some questions to ask yourself:

 

Is This The Right Cause and Organization For Me? 

Approach this decision as if you were planning to make a major donation: you would probably begin by thinking of areas where you have strong feelings–perhaps the environment, care for the elderly, or civil rights. After settling on a subject area, you might then learn about several different organizations working in that field, and investigate ones that seem to have high impact and are well managed. Only after you were fully satisfied would you make the donation.

First ask yourself whether you truly feel strongly about the type of work that the organization does and the people it serves. Since, as a board member, you'll be investing not only money but time and energy, ask yourself whether the organization seems to be a pretty good risk as an investment.
 

 

 Can I Work With This Board At This Particular Stage In Its Life?

At one time in an organization's life, board service may be fairly smooth with a few bumps, while at another time board service may involve a hair-raising roller coaster ride (of course, an unexpected event can throw any board for a loop). What type of board seems right for you right now? You may want a board that really lets you roll up your sleeves and get to work with the other board members, or you may want a board that is stable and can let you learn about board work in a deliberate way.
 

 

 What Can I, and What Will I, Contribute To This Organization?

 
What skills, contacts, and perspectives do I have that will be useful to this organization? How, specifically, will the board use what I can bring? Often as board members we find that some of our talents and contacts never seem to get utilized by the boards we're on.
Consider first what you bring to the table, and then, whether you are willing to give that to the organization. Look, too, for vehicles for your skills: if you can't see a specific vehicle (work on an event, help with the web page, work with the Treasurer), your desire to contribute may well go unfulfilled. Some questions to consider:
  • Do I believe in this organization enough to introduce my colleagues to it?
  • Can I make a commitment to attending at least 75% of the meetings?
  • Can I volunteer with other board members on occasional Saturdays, if needed?
  • Can I attend meetings and events during the week? Does my current employment allow this?
  • Would I feel comfortable having my name on their letterhead or on their brochure?
The right time to ask these questions is before, not after, you have joined the board.
This final question is one that potential candidates should ask themselves and one that active board members should periodically re-examine during their board service.

 

 What Do I Want To Get Out Of Being On This Board?

An all-too-common experience for board members at the ends of their terms is a feeling that they didn't, after all, really get deeply involved and don't, as a result, feel that they either contributed as much or got as much as they had hoped when they first joined. Board members who plan and ask for what they want in the board will contribute more as well as gain more.

 

 Personal Characteristics To Consider

  • Ability to: listen, analyze, think clearly and creatively, work well with people individually and in a group.
  • Willingness to: prepare for and attend board and committee meetings, ask questions, take responsibility and follow through on a given assignment, contribute personal and financial resources in a generous way according to circumstances, open doors in the community, evaluate oneself.
  • Development of certain skills if you do not already possess them, such as to: cultivate and solicit funds, cultivate and recruit members, board members and other volunteers, read and understand financial statements, learn more about the substantive program area of the organization.
  • Possession of: honesty, sensitivity to and tolerance of differing views, a friendly, responsive, and patient approach, community-building skills, personal integrity, a developed sense of values, concern for your nonprofit's development, a sense of humor.

 

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS


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2009 BOD Nomination Form.doc42.5 KB
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