JOIN OUR GLOBAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
VOLUNTEER - GLOBAL
Are you passionate about girls’ and women’s rights globally? Do you believe participation in sports like running can have a positive impact on personal empowerment and creating more equitable and healthy societies? Are you looking for a way to apply your expertise to contribute meaningfully to grassroots efforts in challenging environments? Free to Run is excited to be launching an open call for two important positions on our volunteer Board of Directors: Board Chair and Board Treasurer.
ABOUT FREE TO RUN
The mission of Free to Run is to advance gender equity globally through running. We are a registered nonprofit / nongovernmental organization that has been operating community-led programs for adolescent girls and young women since 2014. We are known for delivering long-term, youth-led, progressive running, leadership, rights and health programs directly to adolescent girls and young women living in conflict zones. However, the longer term impact of our work is building enduring social change - decreasing barriers to public participation, increasing women in leadership and making power structures more equitable and inclusive. Free to Run identifies as an organization working at the intersections of feminism, human rights, development and humanitarian interventions.
OPEN BOARD POSITIONS
BOARD CHAIR
We are seeking a new Board Chair to lead the Board of Directors. If you’re interested in this role, high potential alignment includes having served on an NGO/nonprofit Board previously and/or having served as an executive in either an organization staff role and/or governance capacity. Read the Position Profile for the Board Chair here.
TREASURER
The Board Treasurer is the principal financial officer of the Free to Run Board of Directors and serves as a key partner to the Board Chair and Executive Director in ensuring the financial health, sustainability, and accountability of the organization. The ideal candidate is passionate about Free to Run's mission of advancing gender equity globally through running and possesses the skills, competencies, and experience necessary to successfully fulfill the responsibilities of the role. Read the Position Profile for the Treasurer here.
Anyone is welcome to apply for these positions if you feel your experience aligns with the needs of the role. We’d like our Board to be diverse in all ways. We encourage applications from people who are typically underrepresented on Boards and in nonprofit leadership, based on race, ethnicity, geography, ability, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, etc. We do, however, require written and spoken English competency, based on our organizational capacities.
We’ve made a commitment to ensure that our Board of Directors is comprised of:
A majority women, non-binary, or transgender people (cisgendered men are open to apply as well).
At least 50% of Board seats are held by people who are either from the regions where Free to Run works (Middle East North Africa, Central Asia) and/or identify as people of color.
People with specific expertise that aligns with our work, including experience and influence at the local, regional and international level.
BOARD MEMBER COMMITMENTS
To be a Board member at Free to Run, you must be ready to commit to:
Our mission, which can be found on our website
Contributing 4-6 hours per month for the agreed term (renewals possible)
Attending 4 Board meetings annually (these are typically virtual)
Sharing your expertise and leveraging your networks and resources. (Note that Free to Run utilizes an “Advisory model” for our Board. We do not expect members to do day-to-day management work, but rather share their expertise to advise the organization on strategy, fundraising, policy and other macro-level issues.)
A USD $5,000 annual “Give/Get” - this means that you either have to help us raise $5,000, donate $5,000, or contribute the equivalent in your time in a year. We are creative about how we value Board contributions to ensure that membership is accessible to people from all income levels, classes and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Leading the organization and ensuring diligent governance
THE APPLICATION/SELECTION PROCESS
We are currently accepting applications! The online application can be found below and takes 15 minutes to complete. The call for applications is intended to be open until August 1, 2026. We will close it once we have a significant pool of candidates who have expressed interest. We will be contacting applicants on a rolling basis between submission and the close of the application process.
Members of the Free to Run board recruitment team and the Executive Director will conduct an initial review of applications. Top candidates will be contacted for a phone interview/discussion with a Board member. Finalists will likely have phone conversations with the Executive Director and potentially other Board members.
Thanks for considering this opportunity, and please share it with anyone else in your network who you think might be interested!