JOIN OUR INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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? We might have an opportunity that you should read about….
Free to Run is excited to be launching an OPEN CALL for people to serve on our Board of Directors in a voluntary capacity. We know there are a number of highly-qualified, insightful people who care deeply about girls’ and young women’s rights globally who would love to be on our Board, but aren’t in our current networks. As a social justice organization, we are interested in challenging traditional power structures and this notion of ‘tapping’ the privileged few who get to lead us in this capacity - it’s inconsistent with our perspective of equity. Furthermore, we know that growing the size and diversity of our team of leadership will be a powerful step towards transformational growth of this innovative organization.
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.
ARE YOU A FIT FOR THIS POSITION?
We are looking for people with experience, skills, and resources that can contribute to our mission in many ways. We are very open (so if you feel like you might be a fit, please apply!). Some areas of expertise and lived experience that we have specifically identified as high-potential alignment are:
Girls’ and Women’s Rights and/or Gender Equity
Conflict and Humanitarian Response
Sport for Development and/or Peace
Mental and/or Physical Health
Philanthropy
Corporate Social Responsibility/Community Impact
Government (national or international, areas related to our work specifically - gender, diplomacy, development, sport)
Geographic work or lived experience, specifically in Afghanistan, Iraq, and/or Palestine.
We are also seeking a new Board Chair to lead the Board of Directors. If you’re interested in that 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. Nonprofit Board Leadership (specifically, having served as an officer on a Board.)
Read the Position Profile for the Board Chair here.
BOARD CHAIR VACANCY:
WHO CAN APPLY?
Anyone is welcome to apply. 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 transpeople. (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.
There are a lot of factors that qualify someone for Board membership, and prior Board experience is not a requisite. What is required is the following commitment….
To be a Board member at Free to Run, you have to be ready to commit to:
Our mission and vision, which can be found on our website
Contributing 4-6 hours per month for a 1 year 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 $5,000 annual “Give/Get” - this means that you either have to help us raise $5,000, donate $5,000 in cash 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 COMMITMENT:
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 December 15, 2024. 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 leadership team (Executive Director, Executive Committee) will do 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. A cohort of new Board members will be announced to our community in the beginning of 2025 (and on a rolling basis).
Thanks for considering this opportunity. Please share with anyone else in your network who you think might be interested!