Thank you for your interest in serving as a member of the Board of Directors for The Muse Writers Center. Our mission is to foster and celebrate literary arts throughout the community through high-quality education, outreach, events, networking, and support for aspiring and experienced writers of all ages, backgrounds, and means.

Our volunteer board members provide governance oversight for the mission, strategy, goals, growth, and financial health of the organization. We are fiduciaries working for the benefit of our students, teachers, and supporters of the literary arts in Hampton Roads. It is our responsibility to guide The Muse towards a sustainable future by adopting and ensuring compliance to sound, ethical, legal, and financial policies, and by making sure we have adequate resources to advance our mission.

Requirements

We are seeking board candidates who fully support and embody The Muse Writers Center’s mission and are willing to serve as loyal ambassadors for our organization. This includes attending board meetings, participating in events, supporting fundraising initiatives, and more:

• Attending Board Meetings. The Board of Directors meets quarterly. Members are expected to attend, arrive prepared, and participate. Our bylaws require that Directors who fail to attend two consecutive, regularly scheduled meetings of the Board, without prior notification to the Chair, are subject to removal.
• Participating in Events. Our mission is advanced through public outreach. Events are held from time to time to facilitate that outreach. Board members are encouraged to support these events and to attend at least one event per quarter.
• Board Giving. The Muse is financed by tuition fees, grants, sponsorships, and charitable giving. To the best of their ability, all board members are expected to contribute through annual board giving, and by supporting fundraising events and outreach activities.
• Serving on Committees. Our Board of Directors exercises its leadership function via standing governance committees (e.g., Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Governance Committee, etc.) and ad hoc committees established from time to time (e.g., Marketing Committee, Fundraising Event Committees, etc.). Members are expected to actively serve on at least one committee.
• Duty of Loyalty. When acting on behalf of The Muse, board members must put aside personal and professional interests for the best interest of the organization. Directors are asked to inform the Board of any conflict of interest, and are required to hold as confidential information regarding The Muse Writers Center obtained pursuant to their board service.

If you are passionate about the literary arts and have the time, energy and resources to contribute to our dynamic organization, please complete our online Expression of Interest form below. A member of the Board Nominating Committee will contact you as soon as possible to discuss your potential involvement.