Opening:  BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Does this sound like you?

Lifelong learner, good listener, creative idea-generator, practical, hands-on, cooperative, committed to environmental restoration, experienced in organizational processes, meditator.

If so, we would like to hear from you!

Green Sangha is a small non-profit based in the Bay Area with an annual budget of about $30,000.  In the face of the environmental, social, and spiritual challenges of this age, we have lots of room for growth.  The Board of Directors is a key way to initiate and support that growth.  

Professional background(s)/expertise and or experience needed:  Communications, Finance/Accounting, Fundraising/Development, Management, Marketing, Public Relations, Volunteer management

Ideal personal qualities:  Skills:  Strategic thinking, Fundraising experience, Inspired leadership, Project management.  Personal Traits: Awareness, Commitment, Good listener, Authentic voice, Collaborative style.

Prior board experience required?  No.

Is training provided?  Yes, new members attend Board 101 (at the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership in San Rafael), or a similar workshop, as soon as an offering is available after they join. 

Frequency, time and location of board meetings:  With Board members living in four counties and two states, we usually meet by conference call, one  or two evenings per month.  When sufficient members are in the Bay Area, we meet in person in the most central location, typically San Rafael or the East Bay.

Board committees:  Communications, Events, Finance, Fund-raising, Governance, Membership, Outreach.  (Not all are currently active.)

Are board members required to serve on a committee?  Yes, at least one.  

Approximate time commitment in addition to board meetings: 4-10 hrs/mo

Examples of activities:  Develop, guide, and monitor strategic plan.  Plan fund-raising events.  Host fund-raising parties.  Locate granting sources and assist in grant applications.  Coordinate and support chapters’ action programs.  Write articles for newsletter.  Partake of one or more of our programs (e.g., Inner & Outer Restoration, Mindful Leadership Training, Rethinking Plastics, Teen Environmental Leadership Academy, monthly retreats).

Does the agency have any unique requirements of its board members?  Yes:  commitment to mindful practice as a foundation for sustainable living and effective activism. 

What is the expected annual financial contribution of board members?  In addition to being a Sustaining Member of Green Sangha (min. $120/yr), board members are expected to give or get at least $500/yr through such activities as fund-raising events, membership drives, soliciting business donations (cash or in-kind contributions), grant-writing, and personal appeals to friends, associates, and past donors.

Sample projects and areas of focus in 2015:

• Increase staffing
• Promote Mindful Leadership program offerings
• Special fund-raising event
• Collate and publish past writings on actions and on non-dual activism

Current board members:  Linda Currie; Dan Labrador; Stuart Moody, MA; Juan-Carlos Solis; Jun Xiang, MA

More about Green Sangha:  We are a spiritually-based environmental action organization founded by Fairfax teacher and psychotherapist Jonathan Gustin in 2000 and incorporated in 2009.  Our mission is to restore our sense of oneness, healing our communities and the earth through mindful practice and awakened action.

Green Sangha provides practical, hands-on solutions to global issues through education, civic advocacy, and the promotion of sustainable lifestyle choices starting from within.  We are local, grassroots, and making a difference in our communities.  Our actions include habitat restoration and tree planting at Green Gulch Farm, the Low Carbon Diet, and the Rethinking Plastics campaign, which has saved tons of plastic from getting into the environment.

Our major emphasis now is on supporting citizens, activist leaders, and civic officials as they engage in awakened action to save the planet.  Mindful Leadership Training includes 1) principles and practices of sustainability from within, and 2) mindful communication.  The Teen Environmental Leadership Academy is a special aspect of our mindful leadership development, expressing our enthusiasm about the next generation of leaders and our hope for a sustainable world.

For more information or to apply, please contact Stuart Moody, Board President:  stuart@greensangha.org or (520) 396-3548.