Duties of the Board of Directors

  • Plan Ahead: Decide what The Depot wants to do. Check if things are on-track.
    • Set the strategic direction and oversee its implementation.
  • Watch the Money: Make sure The Depot’s money is managed properly. 
    • Fiduciary Duty: including approving budgets, monitoring expenses and accurate financial reporting.
  • Follow the Rules: Learn the rules and make sure The Depot follows them.
    • Legal Compliance: Stay informed of, and ensure The Depot abides by, federal, provincial, and local laws.
  • Protect The Depot: Know what problems might come and find ways to keep The Depot safe.
    • Risk Management:  Identify potential risks and ensure there are systems in place to manage and mitigate these risks.
  • Choose & Check on the Leader: Pick a good leader. See if they are doing a good job.
    • Oversee the Executive Director: Hire, support, evaluate, and, if necessary, replace the Executive Director.
  • Learn & Improve: See how the board is doing. Change things to make them better.
    • Governance: Regularly review the board’s performance, update bylaws and policies, and provide training opportunities for board members.
  • Find Resources: Make sure The Depot has what it needs, like money and workers.
    • Resource Development: Ensure The Depot has adequate resources (financial and human) to fulfill its mission. This involves participating in fundraising.
  • Speak Up: Let people know what The Depot is doing and how things are going.
    • Act as ambassadors, representing The Depot to stakeholders, partners, and the general public; foster transparency by ensuring regular communication of board decisions and organizational outcomes to stakeholders and the public.
  • Make Good Choices: Decide what’s best for The Depot. Don’t mix in personal stuff.
    • Make decisions in the best interest of the organization, avoiding conflicts of interest and maintaining confidentiality.

 

 

FAQ: What can you expect?

How much time do I need to commit?

  • The amount of time you’ll need to spend on Board activities can vary, but you should expect about five (5) to ten (10) hours per month on average.  This includes going to meetings, reading things ahead of time, and special events.  Some months are busier than others, but the value of having a whole group of people on the Board is that not everyone needs to do everything all the time
  • You’re elected for a 3-year term, and you can run again after that if you want.  You can serve a maximum of 2 terms (or 6 years) in a row, so that we make room for other people to be on the Board.

 

How many meetings are there, and what are they like?

  • There are 6-8 meetings of the full Board of Directors per year, and each of these meetings is about 2-3 hours long.
  • They are currently a mix of in-person and online (usually alternating between the two)
  • About a week before the meeting, the agenda and other background materials are sent out.  Everyone must read the materials before coming to the meeting.
  • Each Board Member is also expected to join one committee.  Different committees have different time obligations, but meet about 6 times per year, usually virtually.

 

I’m interested, but I have other commitments in my life – how can The Depot accommodate these?

  • We know that everyone starts from a different place – for instance, some people have commitments that make it hard to come into a physical meeting, while others have kids at home that need to be looked after, and others might need support getting online.  If you are interested in joining the board, we can discuss how we can meet your specific needs to make it possible for you.
  • Some things we can explore: offer STM tickets to get you to/from meetings, offer support for childcare, offer technical assistance to log online, etc…