Board Director (Volunteer)

Aunt Leah’s Independent Life Skills Society

Are you passionate about making a lasting impact on youth and young mothers at risk of homelessness in your community? Join Aunt Leah’s as a volunteer Board Director and play a key role in expanding our mission to provide pivotal support to young people transitioning out of foster care.

Who We Are

For over 35 years, Aunt Leah’s has provided care and continuity for young people whose lives have been marked by abuse, neglect, abandonment, and multiple foster home placements. When youth ‘age out’ of government care at age 19, they can find themselves completely alone. Aunt Leah’s empowers youth and young mothers with the resources needed to succeed – housing, employment, education, and essential life skills. We believe all youth connected to the government foster care system should have equal opportunities akin to what parented youth receive as they transition to adulthood.

We are CARF certified, five-star rated by Charity Intelligence, and proudly deliver exceptionally high standards of service. Through careful planning and management, we are able to achieve significantly higher impact (return for every dollar raised) compared to the average for most charities. We are looking for passionate volunteer Board members to help us continue to strengthen our mission and expand our impact.

Aunt Leah’s has been rated by Charity Intelligence as one of the highest rated charities in Canada and is also recognized as a top performing youth charity in British Columbia.

For more information about our purpose, values, programs, and impact to date, please visit our website: https://auntleahs.org/impact/make-difference/
 

About the Board

Aunt Leah’s is directed by a Governance Board responsible for setting the strategic direction of the Society, establishing strong governance and risk management frameworks, developing policies to guide operations, and providing oversight to ensure promotion and alignment of Aunt Leah’s mission, vision, and values. The Board works closely with the Executive Director and other senior management to ensure financial integrity and oversight for an annual budget of over $6 million.

We are recruiting two new Board Members in 2025. We plan to increase our Board to 10 volunteer members to support the work of four committees and to ensure diversity of perspective at our table. Board members are expected to support Aunt Leah’s as donors, and ambassadors for the organization within personal networks and community.

Each Board position has a three-year term from September 2025 to September 2028, with the opportunity to renew for a second term.

What We Need

A variety of different skill sets and experience will benefit the Board and Aunt Leah’s. The Board is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We hope to recruit candidates who will broaden our understanding of how to best serve youth; engage and expand our networks of support, and continue to enhance our ability to support staff, volunteers, and partners.

Currently, we are looking for expertise in the following areas:

• Government relations and legislative processes
• Compliance and risk management
• Legal expertise
• Strategic planning

The following experience would also be an asset:

• Prior Board experience
• Lived experience or work in the Foster Care system
• Indigenous relations experience
• Not for profit sector experience
• Social services sector experience

What We Expect

• A deep commitment to our mission and values.
• Skills and expertise in one or more of the areas listed above.
• Ability to collaborate effectively and contribute to strategic discussions
• Attendance at Board meetings and participation in at least one committee.
• Ambassadorship for our programs with existing and potential partners and donors.

An estimated 45-55 hours per year is required for each Director. In person meetings take place in our New Westminster or Vancouver offices. Board meetings rotate between in person and virtual meetings. All Committee meetings are conducted virtually.

The commitment includes the following:

• Approximately 9 Board meetings a year.
• Participation in at least one of four committees: Finance, Governance, Board Development, Executive Director Development. Minimum of 5 meetings per year.
• Participation in Board development/training sessions.
• Participation at a minimum of one donor meeting or event per year.
• Participation at annual/biennial in-person Strategic planning sessions in the Fall.