Free to Run
We’re delighted to announce an OPEN CALL for people to serve on our Board of Directors in a voluntary capacity. As a social-justice organization, we want to ensure that we continuously open our recruitment to people outside of our current network. We know that growing the size and diversity of our leadership team will lead to transformational growth for our organization. If you care deeply about the rights of girls and young women and have the expertise we’re looking for, we would love to hear from you.
About Free to Run:
The mission of Free to Run is to drive change in community gender norms in conflict areas by supporting adolescent girls and young women to advance their leadership and wellness through running. We do this through providing intense, progressive leadership and wellbeing programs in conjunction with running experiences – typically to refugees, internally displaced people and girls’ and women who identify as ethnic minorities. Since our beginning in 2014, we’ve worked intensively with over 5,000 girls and young women in Afghanistan (where we were founded and had our greatest impact), Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Hong Kong. While we work closely with communities and individuals, the change we seek is a systematic shift in gender equality with a specific focus on the expansion of access to public space and leadership opportunities for girls and women. You can read our “Power Building Theory of Change” here.
Are You a Fit for this Position?
Our Board of Directors has made a sincere commitment to better represent the work that we do in our governance composition and to address the intersectionality and diversity of our leadership. We are looking for people with experience, skills and resources who can contribute to our mission and we’re very open so if you feel like you might be a fit, please apply! Some areas of expertise that we have specifically identified as high-potential alignment include:
- Nonprofit Board Leadership – specifically having served as an officer on a Board. This is only a criteria for Board officer roles. No prior board experience is necessary if you’re applying to be a (non-officer) Director
- Girls’ and Women’s Rights
- Conflict and Humanitarian Response
- International Development
- Sport for Development and/or Peace
- Mental and/or Physical Health
- Philanthropy
- Corporate Social Responsibility/Community Impact
- Government – all levels, areas related to our work such as gender, diplomacy, development, sport
- Running or Sport Industry
- Geographic expertise – Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia regions
We encourage applications from people who are typically underrepresented on Boards and in nonprofit leadership based on race, ethnicity, geography, ability, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, etc. We do, however, require written and spoken English competency, based on our organizational capacities.
We have made a commitment to ensure that our Board of Directors is comprised of:
- A majority women, non-binary or transpeople. Cisgendered men are welcome to apply as well.
- At least 50% of Board seats are held by people who are either from the regions where Free to Run works (Middle East North Africa, Central Asia) and/or identify as people of color.
- People with specific expertise that aligns with our work, including experience and influence at the local, regional and international level.
The Commitment
To be a Board member at Free to Run, you have to be ready to commit to:
- Our mission and vision, which can be found on our website
- Contributing 4-8 hours per month for a one-year term (renewals possible)
- Attending a minimum of four Board meetings annually (these are typically online)
- Sharing your expertise and leveraging your networks and resources. Please note that Free to Run utilizes an “Advisory model” for our Board. We do not expect members to do operational work, but rather share their expertise to advise the organization on strategy, fundraising, policy and other macro-level issues.
- A $5,000 annual “Give/Get” – this means that you either help to raise $5K, directly donate $5K or contribute the equivalent in your professional time. We are creative about how we value Board contributions to ensure that membership is accessible to people from all income levels, classes and socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Leading the organization and ensuring diligent governance.
- Serving either as an officer, or on one of the Board Committees.
How to apply
The online application can be found here and takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. The call for applications is intended to be open until the end of the year. We will close it once we have a significant pool of candidates who have expressed interest. We will be contacting applicants on a rolling basis between submission and the close of the application process.
Members of the Free to Run leadership team including the Executive Director and Executive Committee will do an initial review of applications. Top candidates will be contacted for a phone interview/discussion with a Board member. Finalists will likely have phone conversations with the Executive Director and potentially other Board members. A cohort of new Board members will be announced to our community in the beginning of 2023 (and on a rolling basis).
Our sincere thanks for considering this opportunity. Please share with anyone else in your network who you think might be interested!