Board of Directors Team

Board of Directors

MPA Society

MPA is an internationally accredited, award-winning not-for-profit agency. It is a member-driven organization with about 1,500 members all of whom have mental health challenges. For 53 years, MPA has been inspiring hope and supporting recovery for individuals living with mental illness. MPA provides social, recreational, vocational housing programs that support people in their own communities.

MPA provides services in 10 BC  lower mainland municipalities, including a comprehensive spectrum of housing options and a variety of outreach services. The MPA Resource Centre is a large drop-in space located in Vancouver, and provides over 30,000 low-cost meals per year, as well as access to laundry, showers and social-recreational activities.

Our funding partners are Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health, BC Housing, BC Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, BC Ministry of Finance, the City of Vancouver, Service Canada, and the Law Foundation of BC. MPA Society does not fundraise.

MPA Society is committed to providing a culturally safe, supportive, inclusive, respectful environment for our members, staff and other stakeholders. As it is impossible to learn everything that is important about all cultures, populations or groups, MPA Society embraces and promotes a cultural humility approach. Cultural humility is the ability to maintain an interpersonal stance that is other-oriented, or open to the other, in relation to aspects of cultural identity that are most important to the person.

Additional information about our organization is available on our website: www.mpa-society.org.

Description

The MPA Society’s Board of Directors is a group of up to twelve volunteers who participate in setting the strategy and overseeing the operations of MPA. The Board is made up of independent directors and member directors receiving services from MPA.

Duties include:

• • Strategic oversight of the organization to ensure that it is managed appropriately and is providing mission-mandated services.

• • Consider the membership’s needs and viewpoints in decisions.

• • Oversee and participate in the strategic planning process.

• • Monitor the organization regularly for progress on strategic goals.

• • Ensure that the financial position of the organization is adequate and appropriate given the Strategic Plan.

• • Oversee the organization’s finances.

• • Appoint Committees, task forces and work groups as necessary to meet the needs of the Board and the organization.

• • Hire the Executive Director and review his/her performance.

Qualifications

MPA is seeking an individual with experience in finance (preferably with the CPA designation) and/or IT who is passionate about serving on a volunteer board for a not-for-profit agency, and who is interested in overseeing and improving services for individuals living with mental health challenges.

All applications will be considered, but at this time, we will give priority to an individual who has Financial, Information Technology, Governance, Strategic Planning, and member-lived experience.

Previous experience with not-for-profit organizations, in particular as a director, would be an asset.

Length of Term and Time Commitment:

The Board meets about 5 times a year, with additional meetings for Board committees. Directors are expected to be on at least one committee, based on their expertise and/or experience.

Directors can be appointed between AGMs but they will be elected for a two year term at the June AGM. Directors are eligible to be on the board for a maximum of 5 terms (10 years).

To Apply:

Please complete an on-line or paper application form along with a current resume and submit by April 15^th, 2024 to:

MPA Board Nominating Committee

122 Powell Street

Vancouver, BC V6A 1G1

admintemp@mpa-society.org

The application form is available at: MPA Board of Director Application Form

We acknowledge our work at MPA Society takes place on the traditional and unceded territories of the Katzie, Kwantlen, Kwikwetlem, Matsqui, Qayqayt, S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō) Nations of the lower mainland, sc̓əwaθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen), səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Semyome (Semiahmoo), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish),  Sumas, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nations.