2017 Madison Audubon Board Elections
Madison Audubon members voted in 2016 to change the bylaws and expand the board of directors from nine members to up to 15. This ballot includes candidates for three new members, thereby expanding the board to 12.
Why the change?
Our nine-member board of directors has done a wonderful job building Madison Audubon through committee work, direct program involvement, strategic planning, capacity building, and staff development. And as Madison Audubon has grown, so has the depth and complexity of our programs, our capacity needs, and our business practices. Indeed, the average board size of other nonprofit organizations of similar size and annual budget is 13.7 members.* Among the advantages of expanding our board include achieving broader input for decision making, building upon our organizational resiliency, continuing to hold high levels of accountability and meet the public trust, strengthening mission-related ambassadorship, and growing the financial development of the organization.
Our board has been able to accomplish a lot and we look forward to expanding our board’s capacity to meet our mission and do great work in bird conservation, land protection, and science education.
On this ballot
In October and November 2016, a six-member committee consisting of three Madison Audubon directors and three organizational members nominated three candidates to fill the new director positions. Those candidates include Pat Eagan, Dave Rihn, and John Shillinglaw (read their short biographies here).
In addition, three current directors' terms are up for renewal. Madison Audubon is fortunate and grateful that each are willing to serve another term, upon member approval. Those candidates include Galen Hasler, Joanne Jones, and Jim Shurts (read their short biographies here).
Fine Print
Madison Audubon members are asked to vote on the acceptance of these candidates by 5:00 pm CST on Friday, March 10, 2017. Each Madison Audubon member/family may cast one vote per candidate to serve a three-year term on the twelve-member board of directors. Simply fill out the form below and click submit.
Thank you for your vote and involvement in Madison Audubon!
*BoardSource, Leading with Intent: A National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices (Washington, D.C.: BoardSource, 2015). Available online at http://leadingwithintent.org/
