EVOLVE Family Services Board Member

 

Our Agency
At EVOLVE Family Services, we fight to build a world where everyone has nurturing, permanent, and supportive familial relationships. We accomplish this by connecting youth with adults, by giving adults the tools to succeed, and by giving youth a voice in a system that has been developed from a place of oppression. We serve youth and families across Minnesota and western Wisconsin, often within and alongside the child welfare system, by providing a full breadth of ethical programing in adoption, foster care, pregnancy services, youth services, cultural support and education. We serve all, regardless of race, religion, age, economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or marital status.

EVOLVE is an antiracist, anti-oppressive agency, and expects our workforce and Board to hold one another accountable for continued growth. Please our standards of antiracism and anti-oppression HERE. BIPOC and diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.

Board Member Role Summar

EVOLVE seeks diverse, collaborative, and engaged Board Members who can partner with the Executive Director, Board Chair and other Board Members to provide support and oversight in the delivery of our mission and vision. EVOLVE requests that its Board Members be able to offer approximately three to six hours of their time per month in service to EVOLVE to attend Board meetings, special events, occasional sub-committee meetings, and a commitment to carry out tasks for which they have volunteered.

All Board Members are expected to engage in stewardship and fundraising efforts of the organization, whether through donor acknowledgement and connection, engaging their networks and employers, assisting with campaigns, or directly contributing financially to the organization at a level meaningful to them.

Through your service, you will have the opportunity to learn about the child welfare system, participate in advocacy efforts for systems change, impact agency policy, and support our mission with your knowledge and expertise. Board Members also have opportunities to engage in our work through events, such as our UMOJA MN camps, community outreach, and holiday drive for foster youth and families.

Board Member Responsibilities Include:

  • Regular attendance with active participation in meetings and sub-committees
  • Review and contribute to the development of policies and strategic plans
  • Ensure the organization is in compliance with federal, state and licensing regulations
  • Evaluate/approve finances, including monthly financials, budgets and audit/990, and high-level agency decisions
  • Participate in meaningful conversations around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and be engaged in a continued DEI development plan
  • Support and oversight of the Executive Director
  • Ensure healthy governance

Commitment: This uncompensated volunteer position requires 3 to 6 hours per month. Board Members may serve three two-year terms, with a maximum of 6 consecutive years.

Location: Virtual meetings are generally held from 9:00-10:30 am on the fourth Friday of each month. There are in-person meetings approximately one to two times annually in the Twin Cities metro and Hudson, Wisconsin area.

We are seeking Board Members with expertise in a variety of areas, including:

  • Information Technology
  • Human Resources
  • Finance/Accounting
  • Legal Issues
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leadership
  • Public Policy and Advocacy
  • Fundraising
  • Lived Experience (child welfare, adoption, foster or kinship care)
  • Professional Experience in Human Services/Social Work/Child Welfare
  • Governance or Non-Profit Board experience

Becoming an EVOLVE Board Member will:

  • Increase your understanding of nonprofit operations
  • Increase your knowledge of the child welfare, adoption and foster care systems and the impact of public policy for our families
  • Gain experience in understanding governance documents and operational procedures (financial documentation, audits, funder site visits, Traction EOS, Robert's Rules)
  • Practice collaborative problem solving and networking with professionals passionate for EVOLVE's mission
  • Gain experience in Community Centric fundraising and direct service opportunities with children and families

TO APPLY

Thank you for your interest in EVOLVE board membership! Please submit a completed EVOLVE Board Member Application.

Meet our Dedicated Board

Elisabeth Zarnoti, Board Chair, Elected May 2023, 1st term

BA Business Communications, Annual Fund Coordinator – Dunwoody College of Technology; Adoptee; Former EVOLVE client

Cathy McComb, Board Treasurer, Elected October 2022, 1st term

Lindsey Niswanger, Board Secretary, Elected January 2021, 1st term

He is a first-generation high school student. He’s experienced obstacles of generational poverty, situational homelessness, and domestic abuse. He was fortunate to have had sacred and secular counsel to face and eventually overcome these struggles. 

Colleen Madison, Elected April 2023, 1st term

Colleen is looking forward to working with EVOLVE, an organization that shares her views and values and makes a difference in the local community by helping children and families in need.

Torrion Amie, Elected January 2022, 1st term

Lindsey is active in her community and serves as a Board Member at EVOLVE Family Services, Associate Board Member for the Women’s Health Leadership TRUST, and Faculty Advisor for the University of Minnesota MHA Problem Solving Course.

Betsy Williams, Elected October 2022, 1st term

Betsy’s passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion roots back to her college experience at the University of St. Thomas when through a learning through service course, she joined a local Minneapolis non-profit organization and worked as a development volunteer + marketing committee lead for four years before joining Evolve in fall of 2022.

Become a dedicated board member today!

Join Today!