Board Position Descriptions
Mount Holyoke Club of Northern California
We’re thrilled you’re considering joining the Board, and if any positions spark your interest, please email us at mountholyoke@gmail.com! You can also find more information on our website about the Board and volunteer opportunities.
Each position involves unique skill sets and responsibilities, but there are a few universal expectations. All members of the Board must reside in NorCal and commit to the following:
- Plan to complete the entire term (2 years for President, VP, and General Board Member or 1 year for all other Board positions).
- If you’re unable to do so due to extenuating circumstances, you may work with the Board leadership on a plan for succession.
- Virtually attend at least 9/12 of the Board’s monthly Zoom meetings per year.
- If you’re unable to join a meeting, add any necessary updates for your position to the agenda pre-meeting, then review the notes post-meeting to stay informed of Board business and action items.
- Actively participate in internal Board communications, which includes event planning, scheduling, and Club-wide brainstorming using Slack, Google Drive, and email.
- If you don’t already have a Slack account, you can join our workspace by providing an email address, which you'll use to log in.
- The Club uses a shared drive, which is best accessed with a Google account, but other email providers will also work.
- The President(s)/Vice President(s) may send out tasks and reminders via email for you to read and take action.
- Organize at least 1 event per year (minimum may vary by position). This encompasses (co-) hosting, planning, coordinating, and/or acting as a day-of point person for an annual or ad hoc event.
- Have a strong desire to engage the Mount Holyoke alum community.
Volunteer opportunities exist for alums with a range of experience levels, availability, and interests. The above expectations (barring the requirement about residence) don’t apply to the roles listed under “Other Options”, which are a good fit for Club members who wish to get more involved but who may be unable to commit to a full Board position. We appreciate your interest and hope to hear from you soon!
President(s) |
Purpose | Lead the Club; act as liaison among Club members, the Alum Association, and the College’s administrative offices |
Qualifications | - Current or previous experience in a volunteer leadership role for the College/Alum Association
- Previous experience as member of the Board [preferred]
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Commitment | Two-year term
↳ 1 hour/month for Board meetings ↳ 1-3 hours per week for key responsibilities When completing term as president or stepping down: - Notify the Alum Association
- Help transition new president to office
- Make sure all Club records, accounts, access, etc. are transferred
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Responsibilities | - Guide policy decisions regarding the Club’s direction and role
- Review positions annually with entire Board; update roles and responsibilities as Club needs and priorities evolve
- Preside over monthly Board meetings; create/distribute meeting notes and agenda
- Reach out to members of the Board with tasks and reminders
- Monitor Club email and respond to queries
- Assist and encourage all members of the Board with new ideas, events, and programs
- Maintain and improve upon tools for data management and Board collaboration (e.g., Google Drive, Slack, email, etc.)
- Mentor new Club volunteers; ensure continuity by providing opportunities for new leaders
- Coordinate and delegate responsibilities with Vice President(s) as desired/needed
- Co-sign expenses or other financial responsibilities with Treasurer(s)
- Oversee schedule of events with Communication Chair(s)
- Approve all Club emails with Communication Chair(s)
- Coordinate and/or plan events for prospective, admitted, and committed students with Alum Admission Representative(s)
- Organize or co-organize at least 1 event per year
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Vice President(s) / VP(s) |
Purpose | Collaborate with and act for the president as desired/needed |
Qualifications | - Current or previous experience in a volunteer leadership role for the College/Alum Association
- Previous experience as member of the Board [preferred]
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Commitment | Two-year term
↳ 1 hour/month for Board meetings ↳ 1-3 hours per week for key responsibilities Note: If a President steps down, a VP is asked to take on the role. |
Responsibilities | - Serve as chair of programs, ways and means, or any other committee as desired/needed
- Manage records and agenda/minutes for all Club meetings
- If no membership chair is elected, maintain a complete, up-to-date membership list
- Support and collaborate with President(s) in their duties, including but not limited to the following:
- Monitor Club email and respond to queries
- Assist and encourage all members of the Board with new ideas, events, and programs
- Maintain and improve upon tools for data management and Board collaboration (e.g., Google Drive, Slack, email, etc.)
- Mentor new Club volunteers; ensure continuity by providing opportunities for new leaders
- Organize or co-organize at least 1 event per year
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Treasurer(s) |
Purpose | Be a good steward of the Club’s treasury |
Qualifications | - Comfortable with numbers and money
- An eye for detail and communication
- Responsible and reliable
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Commitment | One-year term
↳ 1 hour/month for Board meetings ↳ 1 hour/week for key responsibilities When completing term as treasurer or stepping down: - Notify the Alum Association
- Help transition new treasurer to office
- Make sure all official records are transferred and account co-signer is updated with the bank
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Responsibilities | - Maintain appropriate bank account(s) in the name of the Club
- Receive all Club money, including dues, gifts, and receipts from fundraising projects
- Write checks and use Club debit card as needed for expenses
- Deposit funds and reimburse expenses promptly
- Track dues, other donations, and expenses; ensure an accurate record of all financial transactions
- Report out to the entire Board at least quarterly
- Report out to the Alum Association annually
- Consider the best way(s) to collect dues and generate additional revenue for the Club with Membership Chair(s)
- Organize or co-organize at least 1 event per year
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Communications Chair(s) / Comms Chair(s) |
Purpose | Oversee and send Club communications, including but not limited to newsletters and email blasts; manage Club social media and website |
Qualifications | - Familiar with and comfortable using functions and features of Facebook, Instagram, and/or LinkedIn
- Able to write compelling marketing copy
- Previous experience with WordPress, Canva, and/or Meta Business Suite [preferred]
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Commitment | One-year term
↳ 1 hour/month for Board meetings ↳ 1-2 hours per week for key responsibilities |
| - Write/edit/curate communications including but not limited to newsletters and broadcast emails through Volunteer Hub
- Get approval from President(s) before sending
- Manage and monitor Club presence on Instagram, Facebook (page and group), and/or LinkedIn
- Maintain and update the Club’s WordPress/EasyWP site
- Turn on email notifications for new responses to the Member Event / Comms Request form and establish contact with respondents within a week of their submission
- Create event registration pages using Zoom and OpenCollective for virtual and in-person events, respectively, with Event Lead(s)
- Make graphics as needed for upcoming events using Canva or other tools (or delegate the task as desired)
- Oversee events calendar with President(s) and Vice President(s)
- Organize or co-organize at least 1 event per year
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Membership Chair(s) |
Purpose | Support the activity of the Board as it relates to retaining and growing our dues-paying membership and event attendance |
Qualifications | - Highly organized
- A connector
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Commitment | One-year term
↳ 1 hour/month for Board meetings ↳ 1 hour/week for key responsibilities |
Responsibilities | - Send a welcome email to new members in areas without a Regional Representative
- Cultivate community and Club engagement by connecting with new and existing members at events, soliciting input, and encouraging dues payments and Alum Directory profile updates as needed
- Brainstorm and develop event ideas with Event Lead(s)
- Strategically plan and implement ways to engage a diverse range of segments of the membership with special attention to groups that have been under-served by the Club
- Work with Treasurer(s) to find the best ways to collect and encourage dues and donations.
- As membership is a strong indicator of how well the Club is being run, work with the entire Board to creatively brainstorm ways to encourage new members to join the Club and participate in events.
- Organize or co-organize at least 1 event per year
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Recent Alum Chair(s) |
Purpose | Engage recent alums in our region; represent their interests and perspectives |
Qualifications | - Graduated ≤10 years ago
- Experience with event planning [preferred]
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Commitment | One-year term
↳ 1 hour/month for Board meetings ↳ 1 hour/week for key responsibilities |
Responsibilities | - Serve as contact for all recent alums; act as liaison between the entire Board and recent alums interested in learning more about the Club and/or in getting involved
- Brainstorm and design programming that would be of interest to recent alums and encourage future Club involvement
- Create opportunities for recent alums, alums from all years, and the Board to connect and support each other
- Work to increase recent alum participation and attendance
- Organize or co-organize at least 1 event per year aimed at attracting recent alums by providing space for fun, networking, and/or relationship-building opportunities
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External Relations Liaison(s) / External Liaison(s) |
Purpose | Engage and collaborate with the leadership of organizations, including but not limited to the Alum Association, other MHC Alum Clubs, Seven Sisters groups, and Five Colleges groups, in and outside of our region to offer co-hosted events and programs for our members |
Qualifications | - Previous experience as member of the Board [preferred]
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Commitment | One-year term
↳ 1 hour/month for Board meetings ↳ 1 hour/week for key responsibilities |
Responsibilities | - Collaborate with external Clubs, organizations, and groups on co-hosted, or otherwise cross-listed, events and programming
- Ensure that the aforementioned events and programs are aligned with the Club’s purpose, with the Club’s calendar of events, and with the interests and needs of the Club membership
- Maintain and expand key external relationships and Rolodex, and ensure warm handoff to future liaisons and other members of the Board
- Organize or co-organize at least 1 event per year
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General Member(s) |
Purpose | Support the growth and longevity of the Board |
Qualifications | - Current or previous experience in a volunteer leadership role for the College/Alum Association
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Commitment | Two-year term
↳ 1 hour/month for Board meetings ↳ 1 hour/week for key responsibilities |
Responsibilities | - Serve in an advisory capacity to the Board
- Serve on committees and take on special projects as needed
- Identify and recruit additional members of the Board with President(s) and Vice President(s)
- Organize or co-organize at least 1 event per year
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Other Options
Event Lead (ad hoc) |
Purpose | Lead an individual event for the NorCal Club community |
Qualifications | - Interest in planning and executing an in-person or virtual event
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Commitment | Varies Note: Club events typically run for 1 to 2 hours. For in-person events, anticipate arriving at least 30 minutes before the official start time to set up and staying for around 30 minutes after the official end time to clean up. For virtual events, plan to join the Zoom meeting at least 15 minutes before the official start time to make sure there are no tech issues. |
Responsibilities | - Propose an event by filling out this form
- Coordinate logistics and collaborate with the Board to publicize the event and manage registrations
- Serve as the point person/primary source for event information
- Organize or co-organize 1 event
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Regional Representative |
Purpose | Act as liaison between the Board at large and regional alums; encourage participation in and connection to the Club |
Qualifications | - Resident of an underrepresented NorCal region (Far North, Sacramento Valley, Sierra Nevada, or San Joaquin Valley)
- Experience with event planning [preferred]
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Commitment | Flexible term ↳ optional 1 hour/month for Board meetings
↳ <1 hour/week for key responsibilities |
Responsibilities | - Identify and retain local committee members and ad hoc event leads
- Volunteer to host at least one event per year and submit expenses as needed
- Reach out to welcome new members in region
- Maintain and expand relationships and Rolodex in that area to ensure smooth handoff to future representatives
- Organize or co-organize at least 1 in-person event per year
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Club Regions
Region Name | Included Counties |
Far North | Del Norte, Siskiyou, Modoc, Humboldt, Trinity, Lassen, Mendocino, Lake, and Plumas |
Sacramento Valley | Shasta, Tehama, Glenn, Butte, Colusa, Yolo, Sutter, Yuba, Placer, and Sacramento |
Bay Area | Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Alameda |
Sierra Nevada | Sierra, Nevada, El Dorado, Amador, Alpine, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Mono, and Mariposa |
San Joaquin Valley | San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Merced |