North York Arts is committed to fostering and supporting equity, diversity and inclusion in its operations, programming and governance structures as an organization. The purpose of this statement is to express the commitment of the Board of Directors to promoting achievement of equitable, diverse and inclusive representation through appointments to its board and committees, and in the performance of its governance duties and responsibilities for the organization.

This includes an ongoing commitment to achieving a board membership that fully reflects the diversity of artistic and other expertise within the community and encourages inclusive representation including Persons with Disabilities, Black, Indigenous and Persons of Colour (BIPOC), and LGBT2SQIAP community members.

The Governance and Nominating Committee will use its best efforts within its processes to apply best practices to reach out to identify and recruit highly-skilled potential candidates who have skills, experience and knowledge supportive of roles on the board and its committees and who reflect the diversity of Canadian society, having particular regard to under-represented groups and equity seeking groups represented by race, sex, disability, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.

The Governance and Nominating Committee will periodically review its practices and procedures to ensure alignment with best practices and principles for diverse recruitment.

North York Arts Board of Directors – July 7, 2020

Term Start: June 2024 (min 1 year term)
Application Deadline: April 30th, 2024
Time Commitment: 7 Board meetings per year

About North York Arts:

North York Arts is a local arts service organization to serve and support the North York community and provide inclusive arts programming to children, youth, family and seniors including programs to serve the New Canadian and Neighbourhood Improvement Area community in North York. In addition, North York Arts provides arts services and programs to support local artists and collaborates with City Councillors, Toronto’s Culture Division and various community stakeholders to foster arts programming and engagement in North York. Since inception in 2011, North York Arts has built a strong audience of 200,000+ attendees and participants to arts events and programs in North York.

New members will be supported and mentored by the existing Board of Directors to help ease the transition into this leadership role. Participation on the Board is voluntary and there is no remuneration for service. See below for detailed information on the roles and responsibilities for Board members.

Board of Directors Key Role:  The volunteer Board of Directors provides strategic leadership, governance, establishes policy, oversees the operations and financial performance of North York Arts and assesses the Board’s own effectiveness. Our Board Members serve on several committees, including Executive, Finance & Audit, Fundraising, Nominations & Governance, Programming & Events, and Marketing. 

Expected Commitment from Board Members: 

The Nominations & Governance Committee is interested in adding two (2) to four (4) new members:

• Term begins June 2024 for a minimum of one (1) year and eligible for re-election at the following annual general meeting
• Attend 7 Board meetings each year, one in conjunction with the Annual General Meeting  
• Able to commit the time and resources to serve on the Board and one board committee, and represent North York Arts as requested (expected time commitment is approx. 4-8 hours per month)

The Nominations & Governance Committee is particularly interested in candidates with the following knowledge and expertise, who either live or work in the City of Toronto. Candidates living in or from North York will be prioritized.

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Fundraising and corporate sponsorship
• Artistic creation and leadership
• Intellectual Property Rights/Copyright 
• Building management
• Experience working with and navigating processes of City of Toronto

Qualifications:

• Commitment to North York Arts’ Vision and Values and an appreciation for the arts
• Personal commitment to devote the time necessary to perform the responsibilities of a Board member
• Strong communication and collaborative skills
• Previous fundraising experience is considered an asset
• Previous non-profit board experience is an asset
• Live and/or work in the Greater Toronto Area, specifically in North York is considered an asset

To apply:  

• Please submit a cover letter and your résumé / CV by April 30, 2024 to board@northyorkarts.org
• All applicants must submit a cover letter and résumé / CV to be considered for the position. 
• All cover letters and résumé / CV’s will be reviewed by the Nominations & Governance Committee to be selected for an interview. The Nominations & Governance Committee will then make recommendations for each open position to the Board. 
• The Board will review the recommendations and then motion for selection. 

North York Arts is strongly committed to equity and inclusion within the community and encourages applications from all qualified candidates including Persons with Disabilities, Black, Persons of Colour, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIAP community members. We thank all applicants in advance, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Interviews may be conducted throughout the posting period. However, no offers will be made until after the application deadline.

For more information about the role and nomination process – please contact Executive Director, Christina Giannelia at christina@northyorkarts.org