The volunteers who serve on the YaleWomen Council and work with the Council as non-Council members are an amazing group of women. When we engage and work together by bringing the responsibility of our Yale education to bear, the potential for YaleWomen to produce compelling, mission- and vision-driven programs and create a dynamic community of Yale women alums is huge. Since YaleWomen’s founding in 2011, many alums have worked together to develop a variety of ways for us to connect and engage with one another, and to use our voices to transform the world: at conferences and symposia, in webinars and chapters, in the newsletters, and on social media. 

We have equally ambitious goals for FY21 and beyond. Their realization requires serious commitment and hands-on work. We want to make sure candidates for the Council are aware of the expected commitment and are ready to make it. There are many ways to contribute to the work of YaleWomen for alums who are not able to make serving on the Council a priority at this time in their lives. We hope that those who are able to commit significant time will consider a role on the YaleWomen Council. 

Structure 

The YaleWomen Council is made up of the following roles: 

• Member of the Council (24 slots, including 4 Officers and the Immediate Past Chair) 

• Officer of the Council 

Chair 

Vice-Chair 

Secretary 

Treasurer 

Immediate Past Chair (filled without election by the retiring Chair) 

Much of YaleWomen’s work is done through our committees. The committees for 2019-2020, which may change in 2020-2021, are:

Governance 

Finance 

Fundraising 

Communications: Infrastructure 

Communications: Digital and Written Content 

Programs 

Chapters 

Parity

Membership and Engagement

Time Commitment Guidelines 

Typically, Council members should plan to dedicate resources as outlined below. In general, the Officers attempt to allow Council members flexibility to schedule the work of YaleWomen to respect the work and family obligations each of us has. 

• Member of the Council (minimum of 5 hours/week with some weeks exceeding that) 

Attendance on monthly 60- to 90-minute Council meeting (Zoom conferencing)  

Active participation on 2 committees 

Chairing a committee (optional, and most relevant to 2nd and 3rd year Council members) 

• Officer of the Council (minimum of 10 hours/week with some weeks exceeding 20 hours) 

Attendance on monthly 60- to 90-minute Council meetings (Zoom conferencing) 

Attendance on semi-monthly 60- to 90- minute Officer meetings and, on alternate weeks, semi-monthly 30-minute Officer meetings (Zoom conferencing)

Chairing a committee and/or serving as Officer liaison for 1-2 committees 

Other activities, as necessary to fulfill Officer role and lead the organization

Participation should be both active and regular, at both the Council and committee level. 

Types of Participation Expected 

Active Participation. We expect active participation in the work of the Council by each Council member and Officer. If you wish to be considered for either role, we ask you to commit to a significant level of engagement as we continue to build infrastructure and create compelling programs that engage alums within the four focus areas set forth in our Strategic Plan: Building community, Promoting lifelong learning opportunities, Contributing to society and Contributing to Yale.  As stated in our Bylaws: “[N]ominees for the Council should be able to devote adequate time to Council activities and be willing to make Council service a priority. They should possess good judgment, listening, and speaking skills, follow through on work they undertake, be able to work collaboratively and be willing to abide by a consensus. All prospective Council members should be able and willing to serve as ambassadors for YaleWomen.”

Regular Participation. Council meetings are held monthly, for 60 to 90 minutes, by Zoom conferencing. At present, these meetings are held on the fourth Monday of each month, at 5:00 pm Eastern. Attendance is necessary, but this is not sufficient. Much of YaleWomen’s work is done outside the monthly Council meetings and within our committees. Committees are responsible for the production of newsletters, social media, webinars, chapter events, and conferences and symposia. Email communication is heavily used. Some weeks may require in excess of 10 hours for Council members, and much more than that for Officers. Officers also hold weekly meetings in addition to the Council meetings, and are expected to chair, liaise, or be extremely active on at least one of the Council committees. 

Committee Engagement. Each Council member is expected to be an active member and contributor to two committees or projects. Some Council members may be asked to take on the additional role of chairing a committee or leading a project. Committee chairs are asked to prepare monthly reports of committee activities, sharing achievements, concerns, and questions for discussion during monthly Council meetings. While we recognize that some Council members may contribute significant value that is not necessarily measured by hours spent, we want to be transparent about the potential expected time commitment. If you are ready to commit to a standard three-year term on the YaleWomen Council, we are excited to have you participate in our nomination process. Please complete and submit your application no later than Sunday, March 15, 2020. The election will be held by Monday, June 1, 2020.