April 4, 2011

Dear NCIL Members:

Nominate someone for one of the ten NCIL Board positions that will be elected during the 2011 NCIL Annual Council Meeting. 

NCIL members have an opportunity to nominate an individual to run for each of the following positions on the NCIL Board:

• President,
• Treasurer,
• Three (3) Member At-Large positions,
• and Representatives of Regions 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9.

If you or someone you know would be interested in running for the NCIL Board, please fill out the enclosed nomination form. Please carefully review the descriptions and memorandum, as it will help in considering potential nominees. Also, make sure to share these documents with the individual you are nominating so that s/he has a clear understanding of what will be expected should s/he be elected.

Nomination Deadline: April 29, 2011.

• Article III, Section F (2) of the NCIL SOPs, states that "In order for a person to be nominated for an office or position on NCIL’s Governing Board, he or she must be staff, board, or designated representative of a NCIL CIL/SILC member and shall reside within the state of the CIL/SILC member."

• All Board member terms are 2 years.  Each officer position (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) is limited to 2 terms by the same individual.  No other board positions are term-limited.

• Those elected to the NCIL Board are strongly encouraged to attend the NCIL Annual Council Meeting and conference.  The newly elected will meet with their fellow NCIL Board members on July 17, 2011, following the NCIL Annual Conference in Washington, DC.

If you have any questions regarding the nominating process, please feel free to contact me or Charlotte Stewart of the NCIL Membership and Nominating Committee at (V) 214/630-4796.

Sincerely,

Kelly Buckland, Executive Director
National Council on Independent Living

Memorandum: Running for the NCIL Board

To:       NCIL Members
From:  NCIL Board
Re:      Running for the NCIL Board
Date:   March 31, 2011

In anticipation of the NCIL Governing Board elections, we are once again strongly encouraging new people to consider running for officer, at-large, or regional representative positions, especially any emerging young leaders or individuals from minority populations.  Over the past few years, we have had many inquiries into the obligations of NCIL Board Members and their CIL or SILC sponsors.  Because many people have been surprised to learn of the extent of the cost and time requirements, we wanted to provide the following information on what is expected of every Board Member and their sponsoring organization.

There are at least four (4) in-person NCIL board meetings per year:  one in the winter, two at the time of the NCIL Conference (the day before and the day after conference,) and another in the fall.  Every other year or so, we may add a fifth in-person board meeting for strategic planning purposes or a similar agenda item.  All board members are expected to attend every board meeting.  The winter and fall board meetings are 2 full days (9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.), and the board member or her/his organization must cover all travel costs including airfare and hotel sleeping rooms.  NCIL staff will go to the greatest lengths possible to locate hotels with low sleeping room rates, and to provide the dates of the meetings well in advance so that Board members can purchase lower priced airfare.

Most Board Meetings are held in Washington DC; however, the fall meetings are usually held in other cities in order to allow members from around the country to attend meetings and to alleviate some of the high travel costs for Board members that do not live near D.C.   The costs associated with being on the NCIL board will depend on where the board member lives.

In addition, every NCIL board member is expected to actively participate on at least one NCIL committee or subcommittee, promote NCIL's mission and guiding principles, and actively recruit new members for NCIL.  All board members must be individual members of NCIL and must be sponsored by a current CIL/SILC member.  When urgent issues arise, we may hold a Board teleconference call and all members will be billed for their portion of the call.  The time obligation at a minimum is 3 - 4 hours per month, but will depend on how involved the individual is with NCIL.

We are not providing this information to deter people from running for the NCIL board, but to make sure no one is surprised by the commitment once he or she is elected.  Please feel free to contact Kelly Buckland, NCIL Executive Director, or anyone currently on the NCIL board with any questions or requests for further information.

Thank you!

NCIL Board of Directors Open Position Descriptions

Position: President

Reports to: NCIL Governing Board

Functions:

The function of the President is to serve as the Chairperson of the Governing Board and preside at all meetings of the Governing Board, Executive Committee and Annual Council. 

Responsibilities:

1. Presides over all meetings of the National Council on Independent Living Governing Board, Executive Committee and Annual Council Meeting. Develops agendas with the Executive Director.
   
   
2. Oversees the work and actions of the Board and Board members.
   
   
3. Reviews the organizational structure and develops recommendations for the composition of Board committees.
   
   
4. Appoints removes or replaces chairs for standing and ad hoc committees, subcommittees or tasks forces (unless otherwise indicated in the NCIL by-laws.)
   
   
5. Participates as an ex-officio member of all standing and ad hoc committees and subcommittees.
   
   
6. Directly supervises the Executive Director of NCIL, prepares review and recommends salary for consideration by the appropriate committee(s).
   
   
7. Understands and complies with the rules governing the organization.
   
   
8. Provides monthly written reports to the Executive Committee and quarterly written reports to the Governing Board and membership.
   
   
9. Identifies individuals who may fill future Board positions and make leadership development and mentoring activities available to them.
   
   
10. Serves as grassroots spokesperson for the organization.
    
    
11. Performs other duties as assigned by the Governing Board.

Qualifications:

Eligibility to serve as the President of the NCIL Governing Board shall be limited to staff, board or designated representative of a CIL/SILC Member. The NCIL President must maintain an Individual Membership within NCIL and have the ability and willingness to meet all assigned responsibilities.  The term of the President is two (2) years.

• At this time NCIL is unable to assist with travel costs associated with the Governing Board meetings.

Position: Treasurer

Reports to: President

Functions:

The function of the Treasurer is to assure the proper receipt and disbursement of all NCIL funds, shall make reports on the financial condition of NCIL to the Governing Board and the membership.  The Treasurer shall chair NCIL Finance Committee. The Treasurer or his or her designee shall serve on the NCIL Resource Development subcommittee.

Responsibilities:

1. Chairs the Finance Committee and conducts regular conference calls/meetings of the committee.
   
   
2. Reviews the organization's income and expense statements regularly with the Executive Director.
   
   
3. With the Executive Director presents the quarterly financial statements to the Governing Board/Executive Committee.
   
   
4. Provides the Executive Director with input of ways to develop financial reports.
   
   
5. With the Executive Director develops an annual organizational budget and presents it to the Governing Board.
   
   
6. With the Executive Director reviews annual independent organizational audit and presents the audit to the Governing Board and NCIL membership.
   
   
7. Understands and complies with the rules governing the organization.
   
   
8. Provides input to NCIL President on Executive Director's job evaluation.
   
   
9. Identifies individuals who may fill future Board positions and make leadership development and mentoring activities available to them.
   
   
10. Attends and participates on all Executive Committee conference calls and Governing Board meetings. *
    
    
11. Actively participates in NCIL’s fund raising and resource development activities.
    
    
12. Performs other duties as assigned by NCIL President or Governing Board.

Qualifications:

Eligibility to serve as the NCIL Treasurer shall be limited to staff, board or designated representative of a CIL Member.  The Treasurer must maintain an Individual Membership within NCIL and have the ability and willingness to meet all assigned responsibilities.  The term of the Treasurer is for two (2) years.

• At this time NCIL is unable to assist with travel costs associated with attendance at the Governing Board meetings.

Position: Member-at-Large

Reports to: President

Functions:

The function of a Member- at-Large is to assist recruiting new NCIL members and in building a coordinated grassroots coalition to assist in advancing NCIL’s advocacy activities.

Responsibilities:

• Recruits NCIL members by disseminating NCIL membership information in local, state and regional meetings, trainings and conferences.
  
  
• Works with the NCIL Vice President to identify current or pending advocacy issues on which NCIL will need to develop a position and provide input to the administration and/or congress as requested.
  
  
• Works with the Regional Representatives in identifying NCIL members who are experts in those national disability laws and/or policies for which NCIL does not have a committee or position.
  
  
• As requested, assist in identifying NCIL members who can provide testimony for NCIL at local federal hearings.
  
  
• In conjunction with the Regional Representatives act as local grassroots coordinators to assist in expanding NCIL ability to respond to advocacy alerts and calls to action.
  
  
• Works with the Regional Representatives, Legislative and Advocacy Subcommittees and NCIL office to identify individuals to act as local coordinators in areas/states where there is no NCIL representation.
  
  
• Attends and participate in all NCIL Governing Board meetings. *
  
  
• Understands and complies with the rules governing the organization.
  
  
• Reviews agenda and supporting materials prior to board and committee meetings.
  
  
• Informs others about the organization.
  
  
• Identifies individuals who may fill future Board positions and make leadership development and mentoring activities available to them.
  
  
• Keeps up-to-date on developments in the organization's field.
  
  
• Assists the board in carrying out its fiduciary responsibilities, such as reviewing the organization’s financial statements, organizational budget and audit report.
  
  
• Performs other duties as assigned by the President or Governing Board.

Qualifications:

Eligibility to serve as an At-Large member shall be limited to staff, board or designated representative of a CIL Member.  All At-Large members must be individual NCIL members and maintain Individual Membership within NCIL as well as ensure that all Committee members maintain membership.  The term of an At-Large member is two (2) year.

• At this time NCIL is unable to assist with travel costs associated with attendance at the Governing Board meetings.

Position: Regional Representative

Reports to: Regional Representative Chair

Functions:

The Regional Representative is the pivotal position in NCIL's communication system with its membership.  The Regional Representative is responsible for communicating at least quarterly with NCIL members regarding IL issues and working with any other group interested in pursuing NCIL's goals within his or her respective region.  The Regional Reps will assist the NCIL board and committees in building and coordinating grassroots coalition to advance NCIL’s advocacy activities. The NCIL Regional Representatives will also assist in the recruitment and retention of NCIL members. The regional representatives will disseminate information related to regional or state advocacy efforts to their regional members.

Responsibilities:

• Communicates regularly with NCIL members within the region regarding NCIL Board and NCIL Legislative and Advocacy Activities.
  
  
• Provides the NCIL Governing Board and NCIL office with input from the regional members regarding NCIL policies or procedures.
  
  
• Assists in disseminating NCIL Legislative and Advocacy Alerts to the regional membership and other advocates as requested.
  
  
• Actively recruits and maintains all levels of NCIL membership within the region.
  
  
• Participates on regularly scheduled Regional Representative conference calls.
  
  
• Attends and participates in all NCIL Governing Board meetings.*
  
  
• Provides regional members with information related to the Governing Board and Executive Committee meetings.
  
  
• Develops newsletter articles related to activities within the region.
  
  
• Facilitates regional meetings during NCIL Conference.
  
  
• Provides technical assistance to members in the region regarding meeting with legislators, NCIL advocacy activities, and general advocacy techniques.
  
  
• Actively participates in NCIL fund raising and resource development activities.
  
  
• Identifies individuals who may fill future Regional Representative or Board positions and make leadership development and mentoring activities available to them.
  
  
• Other duties as requested by the Regional Representative Chair.

Qualifications:

Eligibility to serve in any of the ten (10) positions of Regional Representative shall be limited to staff, board or designated representative of a CIL/SILC Member of NCIL within that region.  All Regional Representatives must become and maintain Individual Membership within NCIL. The Representative must be willing to spend time and money to meet assigned responsibilities.

• At this time NCIL is unable to assist with travel costs associated with attendance at Governing Board meetings.