Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona Board Member

Save to Favorites

Founded in 1993, Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona ("Free Arts") is a nonprofit organization that delivers transformative arts programs to children who have faced abuse, neglect, and homelessness. By fostering trusting relationships with volunteer mentors and creating opportunities for children to develop a sense of self through creative activities and artistic expression, Free Arts helps children build the resilience they need to overcome trauma. Free Arts employs 25 staff members and engages more than 800 trained volunteers who serve 5,000+ children each year with a budget of more than $2,500,000.

The ideal Free Arts board member is an individual with a diversity of experience, background, and beliefs who is willing to lend their thoughts and actions to building the success of Free Arts and committed to delivering the message of the transformative effects of the creative arts to members of their personal and professional lives.

We believe that our board should be representative of the children and communities we serve - including people of color, people of working-class backgrounds, and LGBTQ+ people. We believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.

The quality of our board members is very important to us. As such, we have an extensive board recruitment
process. The process includes an application, an interview with our Executive Director, an interview with members of our board’s governance committee, and a background check. This process typically takes between three and six months to complete. Again, while this process is extensive, it is critical to selecting highly effective board members to work on our current initiatives.

Board work at Free Arts includes three priority areas:

1. Oversight of financial and programmatic agency goals - board members should feel comfortable asking questions about progress toward goals and should represent the community ensuring that Free Arts is a good steward of the donated funds we receive.
2. Fundraising and resource development - board members should make a meaningful personal donation to Free Arts and feel comfortable highlighting the opportunities to give to Free Arts as an individual. Board members should look for opportunities for companies and community groups to sponsor and support Free Arts. Board members should share news and information about Free Arts to their networks with the intent of developing future resources for growth.
3. High-level strategy and future planning - board members support the Free Arts 2028 Vision. They evaluate the current strategic initiatives that move us toward our vision and recommend adjustments to strategy as needed.

Board members are also expected to:

• Prepare for and attend 8 board meetings per fiscal year. Meetings are the 4th Thursday of the month from 4:00-6:00 pm at the Free Arts office (Central and Camelback area). Normal meeting months are Jan-Apr, Jun, Aug-Sept, Nov.
• Actively participate in the affairs of the organization through joining a board committee or task force. Attend these monthly 1.5-hour meetings, set at a time that is convenient for the current members.
• Give a personal contribution that is meaningful for them and connect Free Arts to philanthropic opportunities through their company and/or their community connections.
• Transforming children’s trauma to resilience through the arts.

Board Term:

• Each board member shall hold office for a term of 2 fiscal years (October-September) or until a successor shall have been elected and qualified. Board members may serve and be elected for up to 3 consecutive terms for a total length of service of 6 years.

Free Arts is currently recruiting board members with the following skills, lived experience, and/or geographic
representation:

• Skills/Professional Experience
  • Government liaison, lobbying, political operations
  • DEI/Racial equity work
  • Accounting, tax credit understanding, finance
  • Trauma training/trauma-informed care
  • Fundraising
  • Insurance, public health, medical field

• Lived Experience (we seek board members who have/had experiences that mirror those of the children we serve)
  • Systems involvement (Legal, child welfare, juvenile justice, kinship families, unaccompanied minors, refugee, immigration etc.)
  • Black, Indigenous, and people of color
  • LGBTQ+

• Geographic representation
  • Maricopa County (specifically West Valley)
  • Tribal Communities
  • Northern Arizona/Yavapai County
  • Pima County
  • Pinal County