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It’s Time to Start the Board Nomination Process
The start of summer marks the start of the board nomination process for the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara.
How do we get started? Our board candidates are selected in many of the same ways as the board members of traditional nonprofits, with one major difference. Many nonprofit boards select candidates based on a matrix of skills needed such as business management, legal, accounting and finance, communications, technology. Although these skills are valuable, the main requirement of Women’s Fund board candidates is proven volunteerism.
 We are an unusual nonprofit model—we have no employees, although we do contract for financial and legal services. So, volunteers are very important, and we put a premium on volunteer service when selecting board candidates. An eligible candidate must be a Women’s Fund member and volunteer; she must demonstrate knowledge of and commitment to our organization and its mission.
The chair of the governance committee forms a nominating committee every year at the beginning of summer. Over the next several months, they work to complete a slate of candidates for board review in November. The approved slate is voted on by the board in December and new leaders begin their terms in the new year. Board terms run for two years with the opportunity to renew. A member may join the board at any time during the year which counts as the first year of their term.
How do women get on the list of potential candidates? The nominating committee takes recommendations from other board members and/or committee chairs. The committee also casts a wide net contacting committed volunteers with demonstrated leadership skills. Women who are interested in joining the board also can contact the governance committee directly.
The all-volunteer board sets policy for the organization, tracks that goals are met, and assures the financial stability of the organization. In addition to their governance responsibilities, the board oversees the Operations Management Team (OMT) which manages the day-to-day operations of the Women’s Fund. The OMT includes the chairs of our committees and serves as the organization’s staff. Click here to see our organization chart. You also can read a summary of our current Operating Plan here.
- Contributed by Nancy Harter, Governance Committee Chair
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If you make your philanthropic contributions through a donor advised fund (DAF), it pays to begin thinking about your grantmaking early. Many donors wait until December to make their gifts, but with a donor advised fund there is every reason to celebrate the season of giving in June!
We have been asking members to renew your Women’s Fund donations early this year if you can, and we are very thankful for our early birds! Contributions are coming in nicely, and it will help us give the Research Committee a better estimate in October of how large our grants pool will be for next year.
