Dear Members,
The GWI Board of Officers invites members of national federations and associations (NFAs) and Independent Members to nominate qualified, experienced candidates for the following:
GWI BOARD
· President, Vice-President (Audit and Risk), Vice-President (Fundraising), Vice-President (Legal and Governance), Vice-President (Marketing), Vice-President (Membership), Treasurer as per the attached job descriptions.
Please note: These job descriptions have been the subject of discussion within the Board and represent what is desired for Board positions with a longer term view of governance. We request that NFAs take the job descriptions into account in making nominations so that the Nominations Committee can build up a balanced Board to take GWI into the next triennium.
STANDING COMMITTEES
· Committee for the Award of International Fellowships, Finance Committee
Membership Committee, Resolutions Committee, and Education Committee
SPECIAL COMMITTEES and ASSISTANT TREASURERS
· The Hegg Hoffet Committee and the Special Committee on Project Development will be APPOINTED by the GWI Board.
· In accordance with By Law 23, the Swiss and Canadian NFAs are each invited to submit one nomination for the two positions of Assistant Treasurer, who shall be APPOINTED by the General Assembly.
PROCEDURE
GWI Board: According to the unanimous vote of November 2015, the membership approved the introduction of a Nominations Committee to seek out and identify the best candidates for positions on the GWI Board in order to nominate candidates that will actively pursue the growth of the organisation.
All nominations should be submitted to the GWI Headquarters on noms@graduatewomen.org by no later than midnight, Central European Time, on Friday 19 February 2016. Any nomination submitted after this date, or any incomplete nomination will NOT be considered. Nominations for the GWI Board will be passed on to the Nominations Committee for processing.
Before completing a nomination, the NFA officers or members responsible should have read the description of the position for which the nomination is to be made and satisfied themselves that the nominee is qualified to meet the requirements of the position.
To nominate one or more candidates, a national federation or association or independent member must:
· Obtain the consent of each candidate to be nominated, by ensuring that the potential candidate has been given a copy of the description of the position for which she is being nominated.
· Provide each candidate with a copy of the candidate instructions.
· Complete thenominations form and return itto GWI Headquarters no later than midnight, Central European Time, on 19 February 2016.
· Ensure that each candidate completes and returns the applicable biographical data form and a photograph tonoms@graduatewomen.org no later than 19 February 2016.
All nomination material may be downloaded from the Members’ Corner on the GWI website at:http://www.graduatewomen.org/nominations/ .
RESTRICTIONS
NFAs and independent members may propose as many candidates as they wish from any of GWI’s national affiliates, but not more than one candidate from an NFA for the same committee. GWI Headquarters will inform national federations and associations if any of their members are nominated by another NFA. If your NFA wishes those currently serving to continue, you must nominate them again.
QUALIFICATIONS NEEDED
· leadership or governance experience and recent experience related to the positions for which they are proposed – see the 2014 Committee Terms of Reference and Board Terms of Reference and Addendum 2014
· suitable knowledge for the position for which they are proposed by virtue of their recent professional or volunteer experience
· the ability to work in a team
· the skills necessary to take responsibility for an allocated portion of work
· leadership experience if they are being nominated for the role of convener of a particular committee in addition to their experience related to the committee
· a working knowledge of English (the working language of GWI)
· a commitment to attend all face to face and regular Skype or other electronic meetings of the group for which they are nominated and to work regularly throughout each year, reading material, preparing reports and corresponding by email in a prompt, timely manner
· regular, reliable access to e-mail and to Skype
· working ability in Microsoft Office suite and access to it
LISTS OF CANDIDATES
· Lists of candidates for the Board of Officers and the Standing Committees, along with biographical information, will be posted on the GWI website in the second half of April 2016. Candidates who have not submitted a biographical data form by 19 February 2016 will be omitted from this list and will not be eligible for election or appointment.
· Candidates whose NFAs have not paid by the end of June 2016 will no longer be eligible and will have their names removed from the website.
POLICY ON CAMPAIGNING
It is GWI’s established policy and practice that there should be no campaigning in support of candidates or by the candidates themselves.
ELECTION AND APPOINTMENT OF CANDIDATES
· Elections will take place during the 32nd GWI General Assembly in Cape Town from 21-23 August 2016.
· The Board of Officers will be elected by the delegates to the 32nd General Assembly. National affiliates eligible to vote, but unable to be represented in Cape Town, will be able to vote for the Board by electronic vote. (More details and information will be provided nearer the time.)
· The Finance Committee, Membership Committee and the Education Committee will be elected during the General Assembly.
· The Assistant Treasurers will be appointed by the General Assembly.
· The Committee for the Award of International Fellowships and the Resolutions Committee will be appointed by the Board of Officers and announced at the end of the General Assembly.
· The Special Committee on Project Development and the Special Committee for the Hegg Hoffet Fund will be appointed by the new Board of Officers and announced at the end of the General Assembly.
The Board of Officers encourages all national federations and associations and independent members to propose qualified candidates. A special flyer is available to help advertise this opportunity to your members.
The rules for the election and appointment of the GWI Board and Standing Committees can be found in the GWI Constitution and By-Laws Article VII and By-laws 4, 8, 9, 18-27.
