Purpose of the position

The Business & Social Enterprise board member advises the development of earned-income activities that support The Sorting Bun’s charitable mission. This includes TSB & Co., product sales, entrepreneurship initiatives, workforce-development production activities, and other mission-aligned business opportunities.

Preferred experience

The ideal member has experience in:

• Entrepreneurship

• Small-business development

• Retail or e-commerce

• Shopify or online sales

• Manufacturing or product production

• Merchandising

• Marketing

• Inventory management

• Pricing and profit analysis

• Social-enterprise development

Responsibilities

This board member will:

• Help develop a realistic business strategy for TSB & Co. and future social-enterprise activities.

• Review proposed products, collections, pricing, costs, profit margins, and sales goals.

• Help evaluate whether a product or business opportunity supports the organization’s mission and is financially sustainable.

• Advise on e-commerce operations, inventory, vendors, product quality, fulfillment, packaging, and customer service.

• Help establish systems for tracking product costs, sales revenue, inventory, and net proceeds.

• Advise on equipment purchases and other business investments.

• Help identify wholesale, retail, pop-up, vendor, and corporate-sales opportunities.

• Support relationships with manufacturers, suppliers, cooperatives, local entrepreneurs, and small-business organizations.

• Help develop workforce opportunities through product creation, merchandising, entrepreneurship, or business training.

• Review potential risks involving inventory, intellectual property, contracts, sales taxes, customer safety, and product claims.

• Help clearly communicate how social-enterprise proceeds support The Sorting Bun’s programs.

• Chair or actively participate in the Business and Social Enterprise Committee.

What the member is signing up to do

The member is agreeing to help The Sorting Bun make responsible, mission-aligned business decisions. They should be prepared to review numbers, assess opportunities, provide practical guidance, and help the organization avoid investing in products or equipment without a realistic plan.

The member is not expected to personally manufacture every product, manage the online store daily, or fulfill customer orders.

Purpose of the position

The Education & Educator Workforce board member helps ensure that The Sorting Bun’s educational and workforce initiatives are relevant, practical, equitable, and connected to the needs of students, aspiring educators, schools, and communities.

This member advises the organization’s efforts to address educator shortages and expand pathways into teaching for underrepresented and underserved populations.

Preferred experience

The ideal member has experience in one or more of the following areas:

• K–12 education or school leadership

• Teacher preparation

• Educator certification or alternative certification

• Higher education

• Career and technical education

• Educator recruitment and retention

• Workforce development

• Student support services

• Curriculum or program development

Responsibilities

This board member will:

• Advise the board on educator shortages, workforce trends, certification barriers, and teacher-retention challenges.

• Help develop The Sorting Bun’s educator-workforce pathway, including the Explore, Prepare, Enter, and Advance stages.

• Review educational programs to ensure they have clear objectives, appropriate activities, and measurable outcomes.

• Help identify barriers affecting aspiring educators, including tuition, certification examinations, alternative-certification expenses, transportation, housing, books, and fees.

• Provide guidance on programs serving first-generation students, low-income students, former foster youth, Dreamers, students with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups.

• Help connect The Sorting Bun with school districts, colleges of education, teacher-preparation programs, alternative-certification providers, and education associations.

• Advise on the educational structure of summer programs, camps, training experiences, and workforce initiatives.

• Help ensure that programs involving children or students follow appropriate safety, supervision, and ethical practices.

• Review relevant program proposals, educational materials, and partnership opportunities.

• Support the evaluation of student participation, completion, certification, employment, and retention outcomes.

• Help identify educators, school leaders, and education professionals who could serve as mentors, speakers, volunteers, or partners.

• Lead or actively participate in the board’s education and workforce committee.

What the member is signing up to do

The member is agreeing to be an active education strategist and connector. The member will not be expected to teach every program or manage students daily, but they will be expected to review plans, provide informed recommendations, open appropriate doors, and help the board determine whether its educator-workforce programs are effective.

Purpose of the position

The Finance/Treasury board member provides financial leadership and helps the board fulfill its fiduciary responsibility. This position ensures that organizational funds are properly documented, protected, monitored, and used in accordance with The Sorting Bun’s mission and approved budget.

If elected Treasurer, this individual will also serve as a board officer.

Preferred experience

The ideal member has experience in:

• Accounting or bookkeeping

• Budget development

• Banking

• Financial management

• Nonprofit finance

• Auditing or internal controls

• Tax preparation or financial compliance

• Business administration

Responsibilities

This board member will:

• Work with the Founder/Executive Director and board to develop and monitor the annual organizational budget.

• Present understandable financial updates during board meetings.

• Review income, expenses, bank balances, fundraising revenue, program costs, and restricted funds.

• Help establish internal financial controls that protect the organization from errors, misuse, fraud, or unauthorized spending.

• Ensure that financial transactions are supported by appropriate receipts, invoices, approvals, and records.

• Monitor whether funds are being used according to grant, donor, sponsorship, and board restrictions.

• Assist with financial policies covering reimbursements, purchasing, cash handling, banking, and conflicts of interest.

• Review financial information connected to TSB & Co. and other social-enterprise activities.

• Help distinguish charitable revenue, program revenue, donations, and business-related income.

• Support the preparation of financial materials needed for grants, audits, tax filings, and organizational reports.

• Help the board understand the financial risks and benefits of major purchases, contracts, programs, or expansions.

• Coordinate with accountants, bookkeepers, tax professionals, or auditors when necessary.

• Chair or actively participate in the Finance and Audit Committee.

• Immediately report serious financial concerns to the Board Chair and appropriate board members.

What the member is signing up to do

The member is agreeing to review the organization’s finances consistently—not only when a problem occurs. They must be comfortable asking questions, requesting documentation, explaining financial information to other board members, and helping the organization establish responsible systems.

The Treasurer provides oversight but is not automatically responsible for personally performing all bookkeeping, preparing every tax form, or paying organizational expenses.

Purpose of the position

The Fundraising & Development board member helps The Sorting Bun build sustainable financial support through grants, sponsorships, individual donors, fundraising campaigns, community partnerships, and special events.

Preferred experience

The ideal member has experience in:

• Grant development

• Fundraising campaigns

• Corporate partnerships

• Sponsorship development

• Donor cultivation

• Philanthropy

• Community engagement

• Public relations

• Special-event planning

Responsibilities

This board member will:

• Help develop and monitor an annual fundraising and development plan.

• Identify potential grant opportunities, corporate sponsors, foundations, individual donors, and community partners.

• Help determine which funding opportunities align with The Sorting Bun’s mission and capacity.

• Support the development of sponsorship packages, donor materials, fundraising appeals, and campaign messaging.

• Introduce the organization to appropriate business, philanthropic, educational, and community contacts.

• Help cultivate relationships before, during, and after a donation or sponsorship request.

• Support grant applications by reviewing proposals, gathering information, providing connections, or assisting with required documentation.

• Help plan fundraising activities, including campaigns, auctions, product-based fundraising, summits, galas, and community events.

• Assist with donor acknowledgment, stewardship, and retention strategies.

• Help the board track fundraising goals and evaluate which approaches are producing results.

• Encourage full board participation in fundraising.

• Help ensure that fundraising messages accurately explain how donations and net proceeds support The Sorting Bun’s programs.

• Chair or actively participate in the Fundraising and Development Committee.

What the member is signing up to do

The member is agreeing to actively participate in fundraising—not simply advise the Founder/Executive Director to raise money. This may include making introductions, attending meetings, helping prepare requests, securing sponsorships, identifying prospects, or supporting campaigns.

The member is not expected to personally contribute the entire fundraising goal, but they are expected to participate meaningfully in the board’s give-or-get commitment.

Purpose of the position

The Legal/Governance board member helps the board operate responsibly, consistently, and in accordance with nonprofit laws, organizational policies, bylaws, and ethical standards.

This position supports strong governance but does not automatically create an attorney-client relationship between the individual and The Sorting Bun.

Preferred experience

The ideal member has experience in:

• Nonprofit governance

• Law or legal services

• Regulatory compliance

• Public policy

• Risk management

• Human resources

• Contract review

• Board development

• Organizational policy

Responsibilities

This board member will:

• Help the board understand and follow The Sorting Bun’s bylaws and governance policies.

• Review whether board meetings, votes, officer appointments, committees, and records follow established procedures.

• Help develop or revise policies related to conflicts of interest, confidentiality, ethics, whistleblower protection, document retention, financial controls, and board conduct.

• Advise the board about potential legal, compliance, governance, or reputational risks.

• Help identify when the organization should seek advice from a licensed attorney, accountant, insurance professional, or other specialist.

• Review proposed contracts, memoranda of understanding, partnership agreements, and organizational commitments from a governance perspective.

• Help ensure that board and organizational decisions are properly documented.

• Support board recruitment, orientation, training, evaluation, and succession planning.

• Help clarify the difference between the board’s oversight role and the Founder/Executive Director’s operational authority.

• Monitor board-member compliance with attendance, conflict-of-interest disclosures, confidentiality, and other requirements.

• Assist with maintaining good standing and appropriate nonprofit documentation.

• Chair or actively participate in the Governance Committee.

What the member is signing up to do

The member is agreeing to help the board establish and follow consistent rules, even when difficult decisions arise. They must be willing to raise concerns respectfully, protect the organization from avoidable risk, and support fair and documented decision-making.

Unless separately retained as legal counsel, the member is not expected to provide formal legal representation.

Purpose of the position

The Board Secretary maintains accurate records of the Board of Directors’ official actions. This officer helps ensure that meetings, votes, resolutions, policies, and governance documents are properly recorded, organized, approved, and retained.

The Secretary supports the board’s administrative accountability but is not expected to serve as the Founder/Executive Director’s personal assistant or manage the organization’s everyday correspondence.

Responsibilities

The Secretary will:

• Attend and document all regular and special board meetings.

• Prepare clear and accurate meeting minutes.

• Record attendance, motions, votes, abstentions, recusals, and approved decisions.

• Distribute draft minutes for review and maintain final board-approved copies.

• Work with the Board Chair to prepare and distribute meeting notices and agendas.

• Confirm that meetings and votes follow the bylaws and established procedures.

• Maintain the official board roster and members’ terms, appointments, resignations, and contact information.

• Maintain copies of the bylaws, policies, board resolutions, committee reports, and governing documents.

• Track required conflict-of-interest disclosures, confidentiality agreements, and annual board acknowledgments.

• Maintain organized records of committee appointments and officer elections.

• Help track meeting attendance and notify the Chair when a member falls below the attendance requirement.

• Document decisions made between meetings and ensure they are formally recorded when required.

• Help orient new members by providing current governance documents and board materials.

• Ensure sensitive records are stored securely and shared only with authorized individuals.

• Coordinate with the Legal/Governance member to support document retention and compliance.

• Certify official board actions or resolutions when required.

• Transfer all organizational records to the next Secretary at the end of the term.

What the Secretary is signing up to do

The Secretary is agreeing to attend meetings consistently, take dependable minutes, maintain organized records, and follow up promptly after meetings. Because the board’s official records depend on this position, the Secretary must be reliable, detail-oriented, and comfortable working with confidential information.

The Secretary does not need to personally write every agenda or store documents on a private device. Administrative assistance and approved technology may be used, but the Secretary remains responsible for ensuring that the board’s official records are complete and accurate.

Purpose of the position

The University Partnerships & Internship Development board member helps The Sorting Bun establish structured, mutually beneficial relationships with colleges, universities, academic departments, internship programs, and students.

This member helps ensure that internships support both the organization’s mission and each student’s academic and professional-learning requirements.

Preferred experience

The ideal member has experience in:

• Higher education

• Internship or field-placement coordination

• Experiential learning

• Career services

• Academic program administration

• Student supervision

• Workforce readiness

• Faculty engagement

• Student learning assessment

• University-community partnerships

Responsibilities

This board member will:

• Help establish and strengthen partnerships with colleges, universities, academic departments, faculty members, and career-services offices.

• Assist with developing clear internship tracks, project descriptions, learning objectives, duties, schedules, and expected outcomes.

• Help align internship experiences with students’ majors, academic requirements, required hours, and student-learning outcomes.

• Review internship opportunities to ensure they are educational, appropriately supervised, and connected to meaningful organizational work.

• Help develop orientation materials, supervision plans, evaluation forms, progress reviews, and internship-completion procedures.

• Support communication among The Sorting Bun, students, faculty supervisors, and university internship coordinators.

• Help determine whether The Sorting Bun has the capacity to host and appropriately supervise each intern.

• Advise on internship tracks such as community health and program development, education and workforce development, communications and marketing, social enterprise, research and evaluation, and placemaking.

• Help connect the organization with students and academic programs that match its current projects.

• Promote equitable internship opportunities and help reduce barriers that may prevent students from participating.

• Support the evaluation of interns’ skills, learning, project completion, and contribution to organizational goals.

• Help address internship concerns, unclear expectations, or partnership challenges before they become serious problems.

• Help create pathways for successful interns to become volunteers, fellows, employees, advisors, or long-term organizational partners.

• Chair or actively participate in the University Partnerships and Internships Committee.

What the member is signing up to do

The member is agreeing to help build and maintain the structure behind The Sorting Bun’s internship program. They will help ensure that interns are not brought into the organization without clear responsibilities, appropriate supervision, meaningful learning opportunities, and communication with their academic institutions.

The member is not expected to supervise every intern’s daily work. Daily supervision may be assigned to the Founder/Executive Director, a staff member, a project supervisor, or another qualified professional.