Volunteer opportunity – National Office, National Board of Directors

Canadian Mental Health Association; Toronto; On-site; CAD 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Canadian Mental Health Association invites candidates to apply for the National Board of Directors. We seek individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences who are committed to improving the mental health landscape in Canada. Successful candidates will play a crucial role in governing the organization, ensuring alignment with CMHA's mission, and actively engaging in discussions on critical mental health issues.

Qualifications

• Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to CMHA's mission, vision, and values.
• Experience in governance or as a board member is preferred.
• Diversity of background and thought is highly valued.

Responsibilities

• Participate actively in board meetings and committee work.
• Contribute to the strategic direction and oversight of CMHA.
• Ensure the organization fulfills its mission and meets its strategic objectives.

Skills

Philanthropic skills

Indigenous cultural knowledge

Financial credentials (CPA)

Mental Health & Addiction services experience

Information Technology expertise

Board experience

Job description

Registered Charity Number: 10686 3657 RR0001 Numéro d’enregistrement: 10686 3657 RR0001

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

Canadian Mental Health Association – National Office

National Board of Directors

About CMHA: Founded in 1918, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is the most

established, most extensive community mental health network in Canada. Through a presence in

more than 330 communities across every province and one territory, CMHA provides advocacy

and resources that help to prevent mental health problems and illnesses, support recovery and

resilience, and enable all Canadians to flourish and thrive. Our vision is a Canada where mental

health is a human right. https://cmha.ca/nationwide-strategic-plan/

CMHA’s National Office serves to support a federation of provincial/territorial Divisions (11

organizations) and local Branches/Regions (69 organizations). In addition, the National Office has

a mandate to drive national systems and social change. We are leading a campaign to ensure that

Board Mandate: The role of the CMHA National Board is to ensure that the National office

embodies its mission, vision and values and achieves its strategic direction. The Board governs

with an emphasis on a policy governance approach; strategic leadership, aware of current and

future opportunities; decision-making in keeping with its values and based on adequate

information; monitoring the effectiveness of Board functioning and of its policies in the key areas

of the organization’s activities; and maintaining the distinction between Board and President/Lead

Executive role.

The position: The National Office of the Canadian Mental Health Association seeks up to five

skilled and passionate individuals to serve on the Board of Directors.

Duties & Term: Board members are expected to be active and full participants at meetings, with

regular attendance, a commitment to good governance, and a belief in the mission, vision and

values of CMHA. Board members are elected by the members for terms of one to three years and

may serve for a maximum of nine years.

Time Commitment: To fully contribute to the Board, a minimum time commitment of approximately

6-24 hours per month is anticipated. The time commitment includes the following activities:

• Three quarterly virtual Board meetings hosted on Saturdays for 3-4 hours

• Annual in-person Board meeting held in major Canadian city over a weekend

• Active engagement in a minimum of one Board Committee meeting is usually scheduled

during the work week lasting from 60-90 minutes every month.

http://www.acsm.ca/

Registered Charity Number: 10686 3657 RR0001 Numéro d’enregistrement: 10686 3657 RR0001

• Time to review all materials and prepare for upcoming meetings.

Candidate Profile: We are seeking up to 5 individuals with some combination of the followingstrengths, experiences, mindsets and professional connections:

• Philanthropic skills, abilities, and experience with fund development networks to advance

our economic sustainability.

• Indigenous lived experience with traditional cultural knowledge and strong connections to

Indigenous communities across Canada to advance our commitment to Truth and

• Individuals living with a mental health challenge and experience navigating the Mental

Health Care System preferably across geographic regions in Canada including cross

cultural perspectives to advance our commitment for meaningful engagement and

contribution of people with a lived experience.

• Financial credentials as a CPA to support our shared commitment of fiduciary excellence

• Strong personal and professional networks and partnerships across Canada to advance

our marketing, communications and impact priorities.

• Individuals with experience in Mental Health & Addiction services/policies

• Information Technology and Cyber Security Expertise to advance our commitment to

maximize technology

• Previous board experience, fluency in both official languages and residency outside of

Ontario will be considered advantageous assets.

Are you a good fit? If you are interested in applying for the role, please submit a completed

nomination form (please download the form using this link: 2025 CMHA National Board Nomination

Forms.docx), a cover letter Introducing yourself - sharing why you are interested in joining the

board of directors plus PDF of your resume by August 8, 2025 to [e-mail].

Candidates selected for conversational interviews will be contacted in early August.

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: CMHA is committed to reflecting the

diversity of the communities within which we work. As such, we explicitly invite and encourage

applications from people with lived experience of a mental illness or substance use health issue,

persons living with disabilities, members of the Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities,

people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and others who believe they

can contribute to the diversity of our Board. We invite you to self-identify in your cover letter. Please

let us know if you require accommodation throughout the application process. To learn more about

http://www.acsm.ca/

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