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AuSM Board of Directors Overview (9/20/21)

Board Member Roles and Responsibilities

Members of the AuSM Board of Directors act on behalf of AuSM's constituents, including the autism community, our members, donors and partners. The basic responsibilities of AuSM’s Board of Directors include:

• Determine AuSM’s mission, goals and strategic plan.

• Support and evaluate AuSM’s executive director.

• Ensure effective organizational planning, budgeting and financial controls.

• Ensure all AuSM programs are effective and consistent with its mission.

• Secure adequate financial resources for the organization.

• Articulate AuSM’s goals and accomplishments to gain support from the community.

• Collaborate with board and staff to accomplish consensus and confidence in

  decisions.

• Define criteria for recruitment of new board members.

• Be open to self-evaluation and board development to ensure community

  representation.

• Ensure compliance with state and federal laws, including filing required federal and

  state charitable organization tax documents.

• Ensure compliance with policies and regulations related to non-profit fundraising,

  including the terms of restricted donations.

• Record minutes of board and annual meetings.

  Individual Board Member Expectations

  Individual AuSM Board of Directors members are expected to:

• Serve a 3-year term, with the choice to serve a second 3-year term.

• Attend monthly board meetings and periodic committee meetings.

• Attend and participate in AuSM events and fundraisers.

• Stay informed about AuSM’s services, programs and policies.

• Be prepared for meetings and ready to share insights, opinions and any concerns.

• Serve on committees, work groups and take on any special assignments. Board

  standing committees include: executive, finance, development, strategy, advocacy

  and community building.

• Participate in regular reviews of financial statements in support of board fiduciary

  responsibilities.

• Personally support fundraising and make a financial contribution.

• Keep up-to-date on developments in autism and needs of the autism community.

• Work collaboratively with staff, working through the Executive Director.

• Represent AuSM to reach new communities, partners and donors.

  Who is AuSM looking for to serve on its Board of Directors?

  AuSM prides itself on having active, engaged board members. AuSM strives to amplify the voices of all community members we serve. We aim to do this by building a diverse board with broad expertise to move us forward and achieve our mission.

• New voices and diverse perspectives, particularly representing BIPOC, LGBTQIA and neuro-divergent communities.

• Specific experiences/expertise in certain areas, for example: medical, mental health, communications, services, advocacy, education, social justice and disability justice.

• Development expertise and "networkers" who can build connections and represent AuSM to new stakeholders, corporations, donors and communities.

• Experienced leaders/managers with business, financial, HR and non-profit management knowledge to support staff in improving our operations.

• People with a commitment to our mission and community, passionate, engaged and willing to participate in events to support AuSM.

  Click on this link to take our AuSM Board of Directors interest survey: https://ausm.org/about/board-of-directors/.