Volunteer Board Member

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Project Zawadi is recruiting volunteer board and committee members who are passionate about significantly improving educational quality, safety, and access in rural Tanzania.

Organization Overview:

Project Zawadi is a 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to partner with communities, schools, and teachers to support quality education for Tanzanian children and youth. Project Zawadi implements this mission through three programs:

• Student Sponsorship ensures equitable access to education for vulnerable populations and high-achieving students with limited means by covering all education-related expenses for students. Over 680 students have been supported through the Sponsorship Program since our founding in 2000. Today, there are 248 actively sponsored students at 48 schools studying at all levels from primary through university and a variety of vocational training programs.
• Tenda Teachers brings internationally recognized teaching standards into the unique context of Tanzanian classrooms through a comprehensive professional development program for public school teachers. Project Zawadi is working with Tanzanian teachers and international education experts to develop a series of video training modules, delivered in Swahili, that demonstrate active teaching and learning strategies and create opportunities for discussion and reflection for teachers.
• Model Schools empowers local community members to co-create a vision for a high-quality educational institution for their students through an intensive community and school planning initiative. Model Schools utilizes local knowledge and resources to address critical educational needs for infrastructure, teaching materials, staff professional development, student and family support, and academic and career counseling needs.

Project Zawadi has a staff of 14 employees (11 based in Tanzania and three in St. Paul). With an annual budget of $380,000, over 85% of Project Zawadi's income is raised via individual donors.

The current Board of Directors has 11 members. The Board meets on the third Wednesday in February, June, and September from 7pm to 9pm in St. Paul. Additionally there is a full day annual meeting workshop the third Saturday in April from 8:30am to 3:30pm in Minneapolis and a holiday meeting the second Saturday in December from 9am to 11am in St. Paul. Board Members participate in at least one committee which typically meets 3 or 4 times per year on a schedule set at a time convenient to committee members.

Position Overview:

Project Zawadi Board Members act as fiduciaries who steer the organization towards a sustainable future by adopting sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management policies as well as ensuring the organization has adequate resources to advance its mission.

In addition to the ability to fulfill these functional responsibilities, Project Zawadi seeks Board members with diverse perspectives and community connections (especially East African), leadership abilities, and expertise or experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Project planning and management
• Knowledge of Tanzania
• Non-profit management
• Education
• Current/former program participants
• Current/former Mara Region community members
• Financial management
• Fundraising
• Connections/wealth

Board terms are three years in length and renewable once before a mandated break of one year. Board Members are expected to be ambassadors of the organization to both their networks and the community at large and to make a financial gift of personal significance. Monthly time commitment is estimated at 2-5 hours depending upon committee work.

Please feel free to explore our website and contact us for more details:

https://www.projectzawadi.org