Wanted: Board Members

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Wanted: Board Members and Volunteers

We are looking for individuals to join our Board and share our mission and vision!

As a board member, you would be responsible for:

• Attending 1 board meeting on the 3rd Monday of every month
• Actively participating in the committee(s) of your choice, and/or volunteer your time in the store, and/or helping with off-site events.
• The time commitment is approximately 8 hours per month.
• All board terms are for 3 years.

We are looking for the individuals with the following backgrounds/experience:

• Human resources
• Finance or Accounting
• Volunteer Recruitment
• ** if you don't see your focus listed, feel free to reach out. We would love to hear from you.**

Ten Thousand Villages, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is an exceptional source for unique handmade gifts, jewelry, home decor, and personal accessories representing the diverse cultures of artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. One of the world's largest fair trade organizations and a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), the organization strives to improve the livelihood of tens of thousands of disadvantaged artisans in 38 countries. Ten Thousand Villages accomplishes this by establishing a sustainable market for handmade products in North America, and building long-term buying relationships in places where skilled artisan partners lack opportunities for stable income. Product sales help pay for food, education, healthcare, and housing for artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed.

Founded in 1946, the company has grown from the trunk of founder Edna Ruth Byler's car to a network of more than 390 retail outlets throughout the United States selling Ten Thousand Villages products. The company encourages artisan partners to use environmentally friendly processes, sustainable natural resources, and recycled materials to ensure each product offered has been crafted responsibly. Ten Thousand Villages is a partner of Mennonite Central Committee.

• Our Vision: One day all artisans in the developing countries will earn a fair wage, be treated with dignity and respect, and be able to live a life of quality.
• Our Mission: Ten Thousand Villages' mission is to create opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn income by bringing their products and stories to our markets through long-term fair trading relationships.
• Our Name: The inspiration for our name, Ten Thousand Villages, came from a Mahatma Gandhi quote: "... India is not to be found in its few cities but in the 700,000 villages".