Opportunity:
The Natural Assets Initiative (NAI) is seeking one to two dynamic, experienced volunteer board members. NAI has six committed, experienced board members who would like to add additional, diverse perspectives to help the organization with the next stage of its growth and development to ensure it achieves its mission of making natural asset management a mainstream practice across Canada.
Responsibilities
- Serve as a leading ambassador of natural asset management and NAI
- Commit time to:
- Attend and participate in quarterly Board meetings and related meetings
- Accept special assignments or leadership positions
- Stay informed on issues and read materials
- Support NAI in identifying and building relationships with potential funders including Canadian and international foundations, individual donors, and private sector foundations and entities
- Approve necessary organizational policies
- Participate in oversight process of the Executive Director
- Stay informed about Board matters, prepare themselves for meetings, and review and comment on issues of importance
- Participate in implementation of strategic plan reviews of progress
- Respond to requests for feedback or decisions between meetings in a timely manner
Qualifications for Service
- Able to commit to a two-year term with option for renewal
- Significant past or current experience as not-for-profit Board member in Canada
- Deep commitment to, and interest in, advancing NAI’s goals and objectives
- Experience with philanthropic and private sector resource mobilization a strong asset
- Strong experience in a relevant area such as local government, accounting, finance, climate change adaptation, resource mobilization, or organizational development an asset
Organization:
NAI, a multi-award-winning, Canadian not-for-profit organization, has defined and led the development of natural asset management, a practice that motivates and supports local governments, Indigenous Nations, watershed agencies, and others to understand, protect, enhance and restore nature as a vital asset that provides core infrastructure services (e.g., flood management) and diverse co-benefits (e.g., recreation, health).
Natural asset management is a counterpoint to more traditional asset management approaches that ignore nature entirely or understand it only in terms of “green” or aesthetic benefits, which result in it being overused and under-acknowledged. Our goal is to bring nature from the periphery to the core of decision-making.
NAI works both directly with governments and organizations to provide methods, tools and advice; and, at a systems level to help ensure that there is market demand for natural asset management, multiple entities that can help local governments meet the demand, and professional norms, national standards, and curriculum to ensure that work is comparable, effective and replicable.
NAI has worked with 140+ local governments on projects ranging from natural asset inventories to complex initiatives in multi-use, multi-owner watersheds from a baseline of a single initiative eight years ago. To support these efforts, NAI has:
- Developed, introduced, tested and refined multiple methods and tools for local governments to adopt and implement natural asset management
- Played a key role in the ongoing development of Canada’s first National Standard for inventories , which are a first foundational step in natural asset management.
- Played a key role in the emergence of Canada’s first natural asset guidance for engineers and geoscientists.
- Played a key role in developing and delivering training for natural assets management, including academic programming in partnership with Royal Roads University.
- Helped local governments address challenges that are stalling full implementation and scaling of natural asset management within local government operations.
Throughout, NAI has cemented its leadership role, demonstrated a consistent ability to deliver projects on time and on budget, and been recognized for its efforts with several awards.
Diversity
NAI is committed to meeting or exceeding:
- 50% gender parity (“50% women and/or non-binary people on Canadian board[s] and/or senior management”)
- 30% representation of other equity-deserving groups: Racialized, Black, and/or People of Colour (“Visible Minorities”), People with disabilities (including invisible and episodic disabilities), 2SLGBTQ+ and/or gender and sexually diverse individuals, and Aboriginal and/or Indigenous Peoples on its Board and staff
Meetings
Most meetings will be virtual. Travel costs will be covered per NAI policy in the event of an in-person meeting.
Applications and more information
Please send your cover letter and CV to ElleryL@naturalassetsinitiative.ca. For more information, please visit naturalassetsinitiative.ca. Vacancy notice will stay active until roles are filled.
