COCo is looking for new Board Members!
Interested in joining COCo’s Board of Directors? Please read this page for information about:
- What COCo does?
- The role of a COCo Board member
- How to submit your application?
- Who we are looking for?
Table of Contents
What does COCo do?
COCo is a provincial non-profit that works to nurture an inclusive, social-justice oriented Quebec community sector where grassroots organizations can thrive, because we believe that is an important part of creating a more just and equitable society overall. To this end, COCo provides training, accompaniment, and technological support to small, ground-up, social justice focused organizations. We also use research and other sector development initiatives to steward dialogue and progress on issues of inclusion and diversity in the Quebec non-profit sector. For more information on COCo’s mandate, please read our Mission and Theory of Change.
What is the role of a COCo Board member?
- Collaborate with 8 other board members within a horizontal structure to ensure accountability to COCo’s mission and membership. Check out our training tool on Board of Directors: Roles and Responsibilities for more details.
- Actively engage with a highly collaborative and dynamic staff team of 7-9 people within a highly collaborative structure. This might include participation in:
- Working groups
- Ad-hoc committees
Take a look at our blogpost on The Role of a Board in a Flat Organization for more information.
- Participate in monthly 3-hour Board meetings
- Participate in occasional 1-day strategic planning and reflection retreats with the organization
- Contribute to developing COCo’s membership base by connecting COCo to other networks
- Commit 8 to 12 volunteer hours per month for the activities listed above with occasional peak periods
- Be available for a minimum 2-year term (spring 2024 to spring 2026).
How do I become a COCo Board member?
- Please complete this online form before April 10th, 2024 at midnight. Your answers to Part B of the form will be sent to the COCo membership in advance of the AGM and posted on COCo’s website. Make sure your submissions to Part B only contain information you are willing to share publicly. We of course will not share your contact information.
- You must be available for a 20 to 30 minute phone call sometime between March 28th and April 18th, 2024. During this phone call, a board or staff member will provide you with general information about COCo and the kind of work a COCo board member does. It will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions before the Annual General Meeting.
- Your responses to Part B will be published on the website from March 28th to April 24th, 2024.
- You will be asked to briefly present your candidacy at COCo’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on April 24th, 2024 from 5 pm to 7 pm on Zoom. If it is impossible for you to attend, a presentation by video is also possible. Attendance is strongly encouraged as a question period normally follows.
- COCo’s membership will elect new Board members by secret ballot.
- Immediately after the AGM, the board will meet briefly via Zoom to set the time and date of the first board meeting.
Who are we looking for?
COCo welcomes individuals with non-traditional and/or non-formal experiences, this means:
- You are NOT expected to have all the qualifications and skills listed below.
- You do NOT need to have any formal training.
Not sure if you qualify, apply anyway! You might be surprised by how relevant your experience is and how valuable your perspective is!
COCo values the contributions that individuals who identify as members of marginalized and underrepresented communities bring to our organization. We encourage, among others, Indigenous peoples, Black people, people of colour, people with disabilities, people identifying as LGBTQIA2S+, women, formerly incarcerated or institutionalized people, immigrants and people from working class backgrounds to apply. We also understand that applicants may experience a number of these identities simultaneously in ways that reinforce and nuance their experience. We are committed to creating an organization as diverse as the communities we serve.
COCo has always strived to create an inclusive environment for learning and unlearning, building and sharpening skills through peer mentoring and training. In light of the work that COCo takes on and the needs-based support we bring to our communities, we also need members on the board who have a special knowledge and expertise in the legal, financial and technological fields. The leadership of the board of directors in these fields will ensure the level of compliance and governance that the organization can build on when developing tools and resources for our communities and clients by modeling the organizational structures and health we want to promote. Furthermore, these knowledge bases will also support COCo’s internal understanding of legal and financial systems, and navigate the growing demand of technological implementations in our services. Here are some qualities and other additional assets that we are looking for :
Required qualities:
- Affinity for oversight and/or strategic direction roles and experiences
- Strong understanding of the Quebec community sector and/or grassroots organizing context
- Commitment to social justice and anti-oppressive values and practices
- Commitment to learning and upholding COCo’s mission as a training and facilitation organization
- Collaborative skills
- Empathetic listening
- Initiative
- Shared leadership
- Ability to exercise a high degree of confidentiality and discretion
Additional assets (Any of the following assets would be welcomed but are not a requirement):
- Experience working in an anti-oppressive group context (e.g. anti-racist, decolonial, queer and trans inclusive, disability justice, feminist approaches)
- Experience in the Quebec non-profit and community sector
- Professional or personal experience and/or connections with
- Actively involved in grassroots groups
- Organizations led by and/or serving Indigenous, Black, and other Racialized communities
- Coalitions
- Neighbourhood and/or borough-based groups
- Experience and skills with organizational development, organizational restructuring, change management processes, or big picture / systems thinking
- Experience with or knowledge of collaborative organizational models and decision-making structures
- Knowledge or/and experience with trauma-informed frameworks and practices, culturally informed or developmental evaluation, conflict navigation, self-reflexivity
- Knowledge relating to bylaws, legal requirements for non-profits and governance
- Experience with financial management and/or fundraising: knowledge of Quebec and Canadian funding landscape
- Experience in human resources: labor relations and performance management
- Experience with project management: community-based projects and social justice-oriented initiatives
- Experience with policy analysis and development
- Experience in information technology, web development, data
Accessibility:
Since COVID-19 pandemic, COCo majoritarily conducts its business virtually. However, we are thinking more and more about the conditions of accessibility for board members to feel comfortable meeting in person. Normally, COCo’s offices and bathrooms, located in Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyaang/Montréal, are wheelchair accessible. As we are in a shared building, we cannot guarantee a scent-free space. However, we aim to have a scent-reduced space.
If you have specific questions relating to the accessibility of our space or any aspect of the Board application process, please email us at governance@coco-net.org.
