Volunteer - Board of Directors Member

Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement; Montreal; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A non-profit organization based in Montreal is seeking a Board Member to provide strategic guidance and governance. Responsibilities include participating in quarterly meetings, monitoring organizational performance, and championing the organization's mission. Candidates should have a strong commitment to reducing poverty, with experience in philanthropy or governance being preferred. This volunteer position offers reimbursement for expenses related to participation.

Benefits

Expenses reimbursement

Mentorship support

Qualifications

• A commitment to Tamarack's mission, vision, and values.
• Deep knowledge in areas like poverty reduction or governance.
• Experience in philanthropy, fundraising, or grantmaking.

Responsibilities

• Attend and actively participate in quarterly Board meetings.
• Provide strategic guidance and fiduciary oversight.
• Champion Tamarack's work in networks and communities.

Skills

Commitment to mission

Lived experience in poverty reduction

Philanthropy or fundraising

Collaborative decision-making

Bilingualism (French-English)

Job description

Overview

Tamarack is seeking passionate and strategic individuals to join our Board of Directors. As a Board Member, you will play a key governance role in advancing Tamarack’s mission and stewarding its long-term sustainability and impact. You will work alongside a dynamic group of leaders committed to values of collaboration, equity, humility, and community-led change. You will provide strategic guidance, fiduciary oversight, and community leadership that supports Tamarack’s long-term success. You will work closely with fellow Board members and the CEO to steward our mission and values, offering leadership to staff during a time of growth and opportunity.

Acknowledging land, past truths, current commitments and accountable futures. In the spirit of respect, reciprocity, and truth, we acknowledge that our work occurs across Turtle Island (North America) and has been home since time immemorial to the ancestors of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples. We recognize that Indigenous rights holders have endured historical oppression and continue to endure inequities which have resulted from the widespread failure of non-Indigenous treaty people to uphold responsibilities.

We acknowledge those who came here as settlers — as migrants either in this generation or in generations past — and those of us who came here involuntarily, particularly those brought to these lands through the Transatlantic Slave Trade and enslavement. We pay tribute to ancestors of African origin and descent and thank them for contributing to systems that promote belonging and safety.

Key Responsibilities

• Attend and actively participate in quarterly Board meetings and one annual retreat
• Monitor organizational performance and progress against Tamarack’s strategic goals
• Provide insight and leadership in governance, financial oversight, risk management, equity, or strategy
• Champion Tamarack’s work in networks and communities, promoting the organization’s purpose and identifying new funding opportunities
• Support onboarding and mentorship of new Board members
• Serve on at least one Board committee (e.g., Finance, Governance, Resource Development, Equity and Reconciliation, etc.)
• Ensure compliance with By-Laws and organizational policies
• Participate in an annual Board self-evaluation and Board reports as needed
• Ensure that the new Board member orientation process is in place in partnership with Tamarack’s CEO and / or senior leadership

About Tamarack

Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement works to end poverty in all of its forms — economic poverty and the poverty of connection. We support people to develop the skills, mindsets and networks to collaborate for systems change. We support place-based collaborations to impact community-driven dimensions of poverty at a whole-of-community scale. We contribute to public policy and narrative change, informed by learnings from people and places.

Over the next three years, the Board will champion the role of place-based collaboration for reducing poverty, climate poverty, loneliness, polarization, unemployment, and other outcomes across municipalities and regions. The Board will help identify and explore new revenue models and grow our social enterprise, and support work toward a public policy and narrative agenda that enables communities’ contributions. The Board will champion commitments to equity, anti-racism, and reconciliation.

Tamarack Principles

Community Connections – We strengthen connections and collaborations between diverse people, organizations and sectors to grow and align our capacity to make a difference.

Place Matters – We focus our efforts on places where people live.

Hope And Optimism – We focus on the possible and our collective potential for positive change.

Equity And Inclusion – We engage and elevate the voice of those most impacted by issues who have the greatest insight into possible solutions.

Courage And Learning – We ask difficult questions about systems and structures that hold people and communities back and engage in peer-to-peer learning to build capacity.

Action And Impact – We emphasize action and focus on impact.

Ideal Candidate

We are looking for individuals who bring :

• A commitment to Tamarack’s mission, vision, and values
• Lived experience and / or deep knowledge in one or more areas such as poverty reduction, climate justice, Indigenous reconciliation, governance, law, or finance
• Philanthropy, fundraising, or grantmaking experience
• Systems innovation or policy change
• Digital transformation, AI, or impact measurement
• Community or network-based leadership
• A collaborative and respectful approach to decision-making
• Leads with an equity lens and uplifting equity-deserving populations
• Chair and / or Vice-Chair Board experience is an asset
• French-English bilingualism is an asset

We actively welcome applications from Indigenous, Black, racialized individuals, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, neurodivergent individuals, youth, people living in poverty, francophones, minority religious groups, newcomers to Canada, those whose primary language is not English, and people from rural or underserved communities. Equity and lived experience are critical to our collective wisdom.

Board Term and Support

• Term : 3 years
• Volunteer position; eligible expenses associated with participation are reimbursed
• Onboarding, mentorship, and accessibility supports provided
• Board members are expected to attend at least four meetings per year and actively participate in Board committee work

Time Commitments

• Board Meetings occur quarterly during the day (currently 1-3pm ET)
• There is an annual in-person retreat
• The 2026 retreat is scheduled for end of April 27-May 1 2026
• Committee meetings usually occur monthly to quarterly based on committee needs (online)
• Attend Tamarack offerings (free of charge), e.g., webinars, cohorts and events when available
• Estimated monthly hours : 4-6h, varying with time of year and committee involvement

Application Instructions

Please submit your resume and a cover letter explaining your interest in the role, how your experience aligns, and what you bring to the role.

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