At Wu Yee Children’s Service, we believe nothing is more essential than excellent child care and education for all our children, right from the start. Every day we partner with parents, as well as countless individuals and organizations across San Francisco, to provide a network that strengthens and connects a diverse, resilient community around our children. Because when we stand up for children, we stand up for one another. As the Wu Yee Children’s Services Board of Directors, we understand that we serve all of San Francisco and celebrate the strength and diversity of our children, families, and workforce. We are committed to building and maintaining a board that reflects the diversity of the community that we serve. We look to our core values, mission, and community as we build our board and seek to recruit board members. We are on a learning journey and continue to reflect, refine and improve our practices. However, our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion does not waver.

As we select our Board of Directors, we consider, weigh, and balance the following:

• Professional background
• Our primary responsibility is to the fiduciary and long-term strength of the organization. This requires an array of professional backgrounds that meet the strategic needs of Wu Yee.
• Life experience and engagement in the San Francisco community
• Cultural, racial, and economic background

The beauty of the Wu Yee community is in our ethnic and gender, racial, and socio-economical diversity:

• We are proud of our history of serving a strong, immigrant population
• Many of our families are multilingual, including English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Vietnamese, etc.
• We serve families across San Francisco and particularly focus on neighborhoods where our services or most needed and best contribute to family economic wellness.
  
  

Qualifications

• Extensive professional experience with significant executive leadership accomplishments in business, government, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector and/or extensive knowledge or work with the clients we serve.
• A commitment to and understanding of Wu Yee’s community.
• Savvy diplomatic skills and a natural ability for cultivating relationships and persuading, convening, facilitating, and building agreements among diverse individuals.
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a passion for improving the lives of Wu Yee’s community.
  
  

General Board Roles and Responsibilities

• Determine the organization’s mission and purpose.
• Participate in fundraising by making a meaningful personal contribution annually, advocating for Wu Yee with your personal networks and/or actively engaging in board fundraising efforts.
• Select the Executive Director (ED).
• Support the ED and review her/his performance.
• Ensure effective organizational planning.
• Ensure adequate financial resources through budget monitoring and fundraising.
• Manage resources effectively.
• Determine and monitor the organization’s programs and services.
• Enhance the organization’s public image.
• Serve as a Court of Appeal, if necessary.
• Assess board performance.
  
  

Individual Board Member Term & Duties

• Serve for an initial term for (1) year and may be re-elected for a two-year term, and up to three (3) consecutive 2-year terms following completion of the initial one-year term in office.
  
  
• Regularly attend board meetings, including committee and important meetings.
  
  
• Prepare well for meetings; stay informed about committee matters, and review and comment on minutes and reports.
  
  
• Participate in fundraising by making a meaningful personal contribution annually, advocating for Wu Yee with your personal networks, and/or actively engaging in board fundraising efforts.
  
  
• Volunteer for assignments and complete them thoroughly and on time.
  
  
• Get to know other board members and build a collegial working relationship that contributes to an agreement.
  
  

Time Commitment

• ~ 2 hours/month for board meetings
• ~ 2 hours/month on committee work plus 1 hour preparation time for all meetings
• All-day board retreat (annually)
• Special events as they come up ~2-3 / year, 2 hours each
• Miscellaneous based on an individual member’s assumption of responsibilities
  
  

Training

• An initial 1-hour orientation to the work of the organization with the Executive Director and/or Board President.
• Initial site tour of at least one of our sites.
• Ongoing, as needed, if not incorporated into the BoD agendas.