Board Member

Applicants must reside in the Greater Philadelphia area. The deadline to apply is Friday, June 21, 2024.

About the Spruce Foundation

The Spruce Foundation empowers emerging leaders in Greater Philadelphia to develop as philanthropists and strengthens the region’s generations to come through fundraising and grant-making for youth-serving nonprofits. We are accepting applications for our Communications, Development, Events, Grants, and Strategic Operations Committees.

Responsibilities

The Spruce Foundation is 100% volunteer-driven and guided by an active, volunteer Board of Directors with zero staff. Serving in a volunteer capacity, board members maintain a fiduciary responsibility for Spruce Foundation, serving as advisors to and implementers of Spruce’s work. As ambassadors, they role model philanthropic leadership, providing both charitable gifts and strengthening connections between Spruce and individuals and audiences who can support its mission. Generally, all board members, regardless of committee, are required to:

• Attend and actively participate in monthly board meetings.
• Fundraise year-round and during major initiatives.
• Attend Spruce events.
• Be professionally responsive in all communication methods.
• Serve on at least one committee and attend and actively participate in that committee’s monthly meetings 
• Help execute the annual marquee fundraiser event.
• Promote the Spruce Foundation’s events, accomplishments, and goals to your networks on all communications channels to which you may have access. 
• Be fiscally responsible to the organization.
• Be a constant ambassador to the Spruce Foundation. 
• Be engaged and communicate — we get that life happens, but we need board members to be upfront and honest about their ability to commit to Spruce and take on projects. 
• Come prepared to board/committee meetings to collaborate across committees and provide input on board actions and decisions. 
• Support achievement of our strategic goals. 
• Support our commitment to becoming an anti-racist, inclusive organization, including attending board-wide training opportunities. 

For more details on committee-specific responsibilities, please visit the application link.

Core Competencies

The Spruce Foundation Board of Directors recruits its members to reflect a wide range of backgrounds and skills. Competencies or subject matter expertise sought include, but are not limited to:

• Nonprofit leadership/management
• Grant-making
• Fundraising and development
• Marketing and communications
• Community/social impact
• Event planning
• Strategic planning
• Operations
• Finance
• Legal compliance

In raising money for Philadelphia’s nonprofit sector and diverse emerging leaders, Spruce expects that board members uphold its organizational commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging.

Time Commitment

On average, the time commitment is 10-15 hours/month, with some months requiring less or more commitment. Here's a breakdown of what to expect:

• Board meetings (2 hours/month)
• Committee meetings (1-2 hours/month)
• Attending and helping to execute official Spruce events (8-11 hours/year in the Spring and Summer)
• Ongoing board communications/committee responsibilities (3-5 hours/week)
• Attending onboarding and strategic planning sessions (5 hours/month during Winter, Spring, and Summer sessions)
• Assorted other Spruce needs such as attending engagement events, meeting with potential donors, representing Spruce at grantee events, etc. (2 hours/month)

If you have any issues or questions about this application, please contact So Jung at so.jung@sprucefoundation.org.