Position: Board Director
Location: Volunteering virtually in the Salish Sea region
Time commitment: 3-5 hours/month on average
About the position
GSA is currently looking for individuals with a passion for the local marine and freshwater environment, and an awareness of historical context and inequities linked to it to join our volunteer Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors supports the passionate staff that carry out GSA’s important work. We take on projects, campaigns and initiatives that promote GSA’s mission to mobilize and engage in collective action to protect the Salish Sea region and help bring greater awareness to the work of GSA. In this role, you will support fundraising efforts, Executive Director reviews, strategic planning and budget approvals. You will be expected to act as an ambassador for GSA.
The values that guide our work
Collaboration
Caring
Interconnectedness
Courage
Accountability
The attributes we are looking for in new directors
- Creative & flexible approach to contributing to a volunteer board and acting as an ambassador for GSA
- Willingness to support GSA in its mission, vision and values & help achieve strategic priorities
- Passionate about protecting the Salish Sea and supporting healthy communities
- Interest in contributing to a non-traditional board structure and challenging colonial mindsets
Location
We are a remote board that meets virtually once per month. We are looking for directors that are able to occasionally attend board or staff events near our offices which are located on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) people (currently known as Vancouver) and one on the territories of the Snuneymuxw people (currently known as Nanaimo).
Are you interested?
Consider the following questions
- Can you tell us the Indigenous territory you live on and what that means to you?
- Can you tell us about what the Salish Sea means to you personally? How might you apply that to your role as a board member?
- Of GSA’s values, which one resonates with you; show or tell us why?
- Why do you want to join a board and what do you hope to share/ offer to the board?
To apply, we welcome you to show us your creative spirit! Share with us anything that answers the above questions and anything else you want to share with us about yourself. It could be an art project, poem, story, resume, video, picture, podcast, etc. We’re open to however you want to connect with us.
Please send your submission to jobs@georgiastrait.org & indicate if you are interested in board leadership responsibilities.
GSA strives to ensure that our online application system and recruitment process is accessible to everyone and accommodations are available if you need them. We can offer communications in large font & accessible colours, captions & questions provided ahead of time. We can also provide ways for candidates to apply other than email, such as video submissions. Please let us know if there are other accommodations that would support your application. If at any point during the application and/or recruitment process you require an accommodation, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at jobs@georgiastrait.org.
Should you move forward to the interview process, you can expect to;
- Have a conversation with a board member
- Join an upcoming board meeting, and
- Meet with the Executive Director
- Meet with a member of GSA staff
All interactions can be done virtually (video or phone) or in person.
We anticipate this process to take approximately 2 months to complete and require 2.5 hours total of your time.
About Georgia Strait Alliance (GSA)
GSA is the only organization focused solely on the health of the marine environment and communities of the Strait of Georgia (the northern arm of the Salish Sea). Grounded in environmental justice, Georgia Strait Alliance mobilizes and supports collective action to protect the Salish Sea region. We do this by:
- Building and activating community power through relationship development and capacity building
- Fostering systems transformation by advocating for community-led initiatives
- Connecting people and place through engagement and awareness building
- Strengthening organizational health and equity by creating a supportive and safe working environment
Our values of collaboration, caring, courage, accountability, and interconnectedness guide us as we work. We work towards our vision of a Salish Sea teeming with life, where thriving and just communities live in balance with the environment. We work grounded in the spirit of ‘alliances’ that our founders nurtured, and is still present within GSA and in the way we work to protect this region.
We are currently a primarily a white-led organization committed to change, recognizing our responsibility to challenge and address harmful patterns in our work, and create a more diverse and equitable organization. We are committed to ensuring that our mission is one that is inclusive of all communities and people, and we look forward to new board members joining us on this ongoing journey and bringing their unique perspective to our team.