Board Member

Save to Favorites

MSS Board Member

Our Mission:

To support people with disabilities as vital and contributing members of our community.

About MSS:

MSS is a private, non-profit agency established in 1949, providing day and employment supports to people with disabilities throughout the Twin Cities metro area.

Some Agency Highlights:

• Creative Arts - Our Fresh Eye Arts progressive arts studio supports artists in exhibiting and selling their work, as well as engaging in professional development opportunities. While everyone at MSS can participate in the creative arts, Fresh Eye artists are self-driven and are dedicated to their artistic practice. We provide artists with high-quality materials and access to art facilities, including screen printing, ceramics, and more. Our program is designed and supported by professional teaching artists. We also own and manage Fresh Eye Gallery, a community art space in South Minneapolis.
• Self-Advocacy - A support network where individuals learn skills to advocate for themselves and their peers.
• eTrac - This online curriculum is designed to teach job search skills to people struggling to overcome barriers to employment such as disabilities, gaps in employment history, or mental health challenges.
• Beekeeping - With apiaries at both our Shoreview and St. Paul locations, people we support are able to learn about bee biology, husbandry, and harvesting honey.

MSS has consistently focused on providing quality, value driven services for adults with disabilities that meet people where they are and support them in living the life they choose.

Are you a fit for our board?

The biggest asset you bring to MSS is yourself -- your perspectives, experiences, and insights are valuable to our team. The more diverse we are, the more we can act with alignment and connection to our communities.

Some helpful skills we are currently seeking for board service include candidates with Human Resources background and recruitment preferred, experience in the arts and/or relationships with art-focused organizations, fundraising and grant writing or personal or professional experience with disability and/or employment services.

Most of all we are looking for members with a passion for supporting people who have disabilities in achieving their greatest potential.

Position Description:

The Board of Directors will support the work of MSS and provide mission-based leadership and strategic governance. While day-to-day operations are led by MSS’s President/CEO, the Board-CEO relationship is a partnership, and the appropriate involvement of the Board is both critical and expected. Specific Board Member responsibilities include:

• Selecting the President/CEO, overseeing succession planning, and conducting an annual performance evaluation of the President/CEO
• Serving as a trusted advisor to the President/CEO as the strategic plan is developed and implemented
• Reviewing outcomes and metrics created by MSS for evaluating its impact, and regularly measuring its performance and effectiveness using those metrics
• Approving annual budget, audit reports, and material business decisions; being informed of, and meeting all legal and fiduciary responsibilities
• Assisting the President/CEO and board chair in identifying and recruiting other Board Members
• Partnering with the President/CEO and other board members to ensure that board resolutions are carried out
• Serving on committees and taking on special assignments as needed
• Representing MSS to stakeholders; acting as an ambassador for the organization
• Ensuring MSS’s commitment to a diverse board and staff that reflect the communities MSS serves
• Assessing major risk factors facing MSS and providing input into plans for addressing risk
• Assuring processes are in place for maintaining the integrity of MSS.

Fundraising:

MSS Board Members are expected to consider MSS a philanthropic priority and make annual gifts to the organization. So that MSS can credibly solicit contributions from foundations, organizations, and individuals, MSS strives to have 100 percent of Board Members make an annual contribution of an amount that is significant to the member.

Time-commitment:

Board meetings will be held every other month and committee meetings will be held at regularly scheduled times. Time commitment is typically 1-2 hours a month depending on committee meetings. Participation in meetings is critical to the success of the board. While physical attendance is preferred, attending remotely through conferencing is permissible. Currently MSS Board Meetings are being held in a hybrid model to allow in-person and virtual attendance.

Term of board service:

MSS’s Board Members will serve a four-year term and be eligible for re-appointment for one additional term.

Qualifications

• Professional experience in the non-profit sector, in business, government, or philanthropy.
• A commitment and understanding of the people served by MSS, preferably based on experience
• Savvy diplomatic skills and a natural affinity for cultivating relationships and persuading, facilitating, and building consensus among diverse individuals
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a passion for improving the lives of the people MSS supports

*Service on MSS’s Board of Director’s is without compensation, except for administrative support, travel, and accommodation expenses in relation to Board Member’s duties.

**To apply please send a cover letter expressing your interest and a resume to jjohnson@mssmn.org