BOARD NOMINATION CAMPAIGN 2022

Experiment in public, experiment out loud.

 
 
 

We are expanding our nonprofit board in consultation with our community as an act of radical change! 

We are launching a community-sourced nomination campaign as a radical and experimental model for the expansion of our nonprofit board. This model is designed to facilitate participation, engagement, and buy-in from the Zebras Unite community in what has historically been a closed-door process in the nonprofit landscape. Through our iterative, open-door process, we aim to make board candidacy more transparent, accessible, and equitable for a better future.

We invite you to nominate prospective board candidates, or apply directly during our Open Nomination Period September 1-20, 2022. [EXTENDED through Sept 22!]

THE EXPERIMENT

Historically, the appointment of nonprofit board members has often been a biased process—built through close relationships with executive leadership in the early stages of organizational development, and leading to a lack of decision maker diversity. While nonprofits have certain requirements to make executive hiring and salaries public domain, the process of board nomination is rarely conducted in consultation with the communities they serve, with alarming outcomes on representation—in the US alone, 79% of board members are white. 

OUR HYPOTHESIS

We have an opportunity to build a radically different nonprofit board through decisive community action. As it stands, our current board does not model the expansive diversity of the community we serve. This networked campaign will support the expansion and diversification of the board through the activation of the Zebras Unite community and its extended networks. We are looking to our community as our primary resource for creating a more expansive applicant pool, and in turn, a more equitable process for board nomination, selection, and service.

OUR GOALS

  • Expand the ZU.org board of directors by 2-3 members by the end of 2022.

  • Center diverse leadership as a key tenet of the nonprofit's growth and a foundation for future equity in the organization– building with leaders from historically resilient communities.  

  • Diversify and embrace interdisciplinary experience and methodologies on the board. 

  • Build and deploy a rubric for equitable selection of board members to be used for current and future board expansion.

  • Publicly communicate our intention to build a nonprofit board differently– one that invites an open public method for participation in candidacy. 

KEY FINDINGS & COMMITMENTS 

At the conclusion of this campaign we will share key findings about our process in order to model the ways in which organizations can think differently about board candidacy, and to highlight any gaps in our hypothesis, or challenges faced. In pursuit of developing those findings we make the following commitments to our community:

  • We acknowledge that no process is free from bias, and commit to reviewing all candidates using a standardized rubric that we have developed for the purpose of this campaign as a step towards addressing the implicit bias embedded in selection processes.

  • We commit to holding our organization and this process accountable to our community through transparency– publicly sharing our data and findings, publishing our rubric, reporting on the impact, accomplishments, and challenges from this experiment.

 
 

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

NOMINATE & APPLY

 

  • The ZebrasUnite.org Board of Directors supports the work of the organization, providing governance, oversight, and financial integrity. 

    Board members steer the organization toward a sustainable future, ensuring that the nonprofit has sufficient resources and structure to advance its goals. They contribute to the organization’s culture, strategic focus, and financial well-being. This is a unique opportunity to steward a newly-formed hybrid organization. 

    Learn more about our unique hybrid structure here.

    • As part of our 2022 board expansion campaign, we are looking to fill 2-3 board seats.

    • This is an extraordinary opportunity for individuals who are passionate about ZebrasUnite.org’s mission and who have a strong track record of experience that will support the growth and development of the organization.

    • We are a US based 501(c)3 with a unique position in the global economic ecosystem. We welcome candidates from across the globe that will support the enrichment of our global perspective, while acknowledging that experience working within or directly with US based 501(c)3s is a key success factor for nonprofit board service.

    • We are particularly interested in candidates with experience with hybrid organizations, coops, or alternative governance structures, and/or with legal, financial, and nonprofit experience. 

    • We are committed to stewarding the development of this organization by building board leadership that is rooted in, and representative of the diverse communities we serve. Through this campaign we seek to significantly expand the racial diversity and global representation on our board, and specifically encourage people from historically resilient communities to apply.

    • Provide fiduciary responsibility, organizational leadership, governance, and oversight

    • Familiarize themselves with the organization’s mission, policies, programs and needs

    • Ensure strong financial oversight and financial management

    • Make material business decisions, meeting all legal and fiduciary responsibilities

    • Identify, hire, oversee, and evaluate the work of ZebrasUnite.org’s leader

    • Approve annual strategies and budgets

    • Approve and monitor the organization’s programs and services, including audit reports, ensuring that grant funds are expended and delivered as required by grant documents 

    • Commit to spending 5 to 8 hours per month on Board related activities, including active participation in monthly Board meetings and serving on special committees 

    • Serve as an ambassador for ZebrasUnite.org, enhancing the organization’s public image

    • Leverage connections, networks, and other resources that will help the organization achieve its mission and goals. 

    • Ensure the organization’s commitment to diversity, at both the board and staff levels, so the organization reflects the communities ZebrasUnite.org serves

    • Service on ZebrasUnite.org’s Board of Directors is without remuneration, except for travel expenses, if relevant. 

    • Passion for, and resonance with, ZebrasUnite.org’s mission, vision, values and goals

    • Professional experience with significant leadership accomplishments in business, government, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector that can enhance the Board’s capacity

    • Prior non-profit and/or for-profit Board experience, participation as Chair a plus

    • Ability to bring critical oversight to operations and non-profit management 

    • Capacity to devote 5 to 8 hours per month to Board activities, including commitment to fully participate in Board meetings and committees 

    • Personal qualities of integrity, humility, credibility, and capacity to be present as a full person

    • Savvy diplomatic skills and a natural affinity for cultivating relationships and persuading, convening, facilitating, and building consensus among diverse individuals

    • A passion for improving the lives of ZebrasUnite.org’s beneficiaries

    • Limited ties to Zebras Unite Coop, existing ZebrasUnite.org projects, or other connections that would create a conflict of interest

  • Members of our extended Zebra community can nominate prospective board candidates, or put forward their candidacy directly through self-nomination. 

    NOMINATE: We invite you and your extended networks to nominate prospective board candidates. Nominated candidates will then be invited to submit further materials for consideration.

    APPLY: Prospective board candidates may self-nominate and submit their application materials directly. 

    REVIEW: Applications will be reviewed by Zebras Unite’s General Manager and shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview with a panel of select Zebras Unite Board Members.

    ELECTIONS: Prospective Board Members will be elected by vote during the October 2022 board meeting, and will serve a two-year term beginning November 1, 2022. Board members can be re-elected without limitation.

    BOARD RETREAT: Those elected to the Zebras Unite.org board will attend a board retreat in the San Fransisco area November 4-6 as their first item of board business.

  • SEPT 1-20 OPEN NOMINATION PERIOD

    SEPT 20 APPS CLOSE (11:59PM ET)

    [DEADLINE EXTENDED: SEPT 22, 11:59PM ET]

    SEPT 21-23 REVIEW PERIOD

    SEPT 26 INVITES FOR INTERVIEW GO OUT

    OCT 3-12 INTERVIEW PERIOD 

    OCT 17 BOARD ELECTION

    NOV 1 NEW BOARD START DATE

    NOV 4-6 BOARD RETREAT (SF)

    JAN 2023 SHARE OUR FINDINGS

  • If you have any questions about the nomination process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us by emailing boardnomination@zebrasunite.com

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO NOMINATED & APPLIED!