Job Description

Empowering the Next Generation to End Factory Farming: What would it mean to you if you could dedicate your time, talent, and energy to creating a more just and sustainable food system?

Serving on the Board of Directors at New Roots Institute isn’t just a role; it's a commitment to a cause. We are a growing nonprofit dedicated to ending factory farming, and we are seeking passionate, strategic leaders to help guide our organization toward long-term impact and sustainability.

Is New Roots Institute the Right Place for You? 

We are looking for board members who:

• Are motivated to make a difference and are willing to work hard to achieve it.

• Continuously question assumptions and adapt when necessary, putting the shared mission above ego.

• Strive for excellence and can meet deadlines consistently.

• Embrace giving and receiving honest, constructive feedback to foster personal and organizational growth.

• Communicate proactively and respond quickly, building trust and effectiveness in a remote work environment.

• Enjoy working collaboratively, while finding ways to bring humor and lightness to the serious work of ending factory farming. Check out our Rotten Truth series on YouTube to see how we use humor to grapple with the grim reality of factory farming.

What the Board Does:

Our board’s primary functions are:

• Providing long-term financial oversight including:

• Reviewing and approving the annual budget

• Reviewing annual audits of financial statements and financial controls

• Overseeing investment strategy and review compliance with Investment Policy

• Serving as contacts for staff on an ad hoc basis

• Providing oversight for the Executive Director, including:

• Conducting annual performance evaluations and salary guidelines

• Providing legal oversight for the organization, such as:

• Helping assess risky and complicated situations and providing feedback on plans to navigate them

• Ensuring that New Roots Institute is compliant with its charitable purposes

• Serving as ambassadors for New Roots Institute including:

• Using networks and influence to enhance the organization’s public profile

• Building key partnerships

• Supporting fundraising efforts

• Advising on long-term strategy and direction including:

• Providing guidance to ensure the organization remains mission-aligned and positioned for sustainable impact.

High-Priority Board Needs:

While all board members play a vital role in guiding New Roots Institute, we currently have several areas of high-priority expertise where we would especially value additional leadership:

1. Development

• Extensive experience in fundraising.

• Collaborate closely with the Development Department to provide tailored support and leverage your strengths for organizational success.

• Contribute to fundraising strategy, networking, and visibility, particularly in environmental and youth development spaces.

• Help drive increased revenue and organizational growth.

2. Board Governance

• Experience serving on nonprofit boards.

• Review board meetings, structure, and overall health to ensure alignment with organizational culture.

• Advise on board communication, planning, and best practices.

• Hold an officer position and support board succession planning.

• Help the board operate at the highest standard, serving as an exemplar in the movement to end factory farming.

3. Accounting/Finance

• Extensive experience in nonprofit accounting or finance.

• Support the audit committee and collaborate with the operations department.

• Ensure compliance and provide high-level financial and investment oversight.

Additional Information:

All board members, regardless of expertise, are expected to:

• Be deeply committed to animal advocacy and share our vegan and anti-speciesist values.

• Work collaboratively with other board members, dedicating a minimum of four hours per month to board work, with additional time required for the annual in-person retreat.

• Support the organization’s development efforts by making a personally meaningful donation and serving as ambassadors, helping grow our network and partnerships.

This is a voluntary, non-compensated role. Board members are expected to attend regular board meetings over Zoom—approximately four quarterly meetings and four mid-quarter meetings per year—as well as an annual in-person retreat, which typically takes place in September but may shift to June. The initial term is three years, with two optional one-year extensions.

We value diversity, equity, and inclusion and are committed to creating a board where everyone feels welcome and respected. We strongly encourage applicants from underrepresented groups, including Black, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and people from the global majority. Applicants must be based in the United States.

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To Apply:

Please click the “Apply for this position” link to tell us why you are interested in serving on New Roots Institute’s Board of Directors. Interested candidates should apply by Nov. 15th, for priority consideration.

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