Share skills and boost your resume: Run for the NAJA Board of Directors
Support and learn about the business of a non-profit organization passionate for Native American media.
The Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) is calling for candidate nominations and declarations to serve on the NAJA Board of Directors. There are three vacancies for 3-year terms, which will begin Sept. 19, 2019.
NAJA members in good standing may submit declarations of candidacy and supporting materials including bio, resume and video message through the deadline of Aug. 7, 2019 to NAJA Election Chair Graham Brewer, grahambrew22@gmail.com.
Volunteer Board
The NAJA Board of Directors is made up of all volunteers, who dedicate their time and talents to strengthening journalism in Indian Country.
Fundraising
Fundraising is a major function of the volunteer board, which supports membership needs and the pipeline of Native talent into media careers, including the Native American Journalism Fellowship and next generation of storytellers.
NAJA board members will receive training as an elected representative of the organization through hands-on experience in writing sponsorship proposals and grants as well as understanding the fiscal responsibilities and strategy needs of leading a non-profit organization.
Commitment Expectations
Elected board members are required to attend monthly meetings as well as regularly scheduled committee meetings. Meeting times are determined by the board. If an elected member misses more than three meetings due to unexcused absences, they may be removed from the board.
Membership Vote
In-person voting for the board election will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019 in coordination with the 2019 National Native Media Conference in Prior Lake, Minn. The NAJA election booth will be located in the Native Media Expo during the event.
Online Voting
Current NAJA members will receive a unique link in their NAJA email for online voting in 2019, prior to the on-site election. Members may only cast one vote per person, either online or in-person. All votes will be verified so there are no duplicates.
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How to Become a Candidate
Candidates must be determined to be NAJA members in good standing in order to be eligible to run for any position within the board. Associate members are not eligible for board candidacy. Read more about nominations and board elections in Article VII of the NAJA bylaws.
After the NAJA Election Committee has determined eligibility, candidates must then submit a biography, photo and brief summary of fundraising goals and ideas (no more than 500 words) in addition to a current resume. Candidates should also provide an outline of how they will address the membership needs, as outlined at the beginning of this announcement, and their personal strategies to support the execution of the 2018-2020 strategic plan.
Candidates may also submit a public YouTube video link to introduce themselves to the NAJA membership. NAJA may share the video profile with members and it should be two minutes or less.
All candidacy declaration documents should be submitted to NAJA Election Chair Graham Brewer at grahambrew22@gmail.com by 5 p.m. CT on Aug. 7, 2019.
Candidate Meet and Greet
An informal candidate meet and greet will be held following the conference NAJA Membership Luncheon on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019 from 12-2 p.m., where candidates will be introduced by NAJA Election Chair Graham Brewer, at the conclusion of the event.
Election Guidelines
The Native American Journalists Association charter states, under Article VII, Section 1, that the membership shall determine the election process.
In 1996, the NAJA membership voted to establish an Election Committee to organize and facilitate annual board elections. The following guidelines were adopted on June 22, 1996 in Bangor, Maine. It was later revised and adopted by the board in March 26, 2006, and updated in March 2009.
Declaration of board candidacy:
Candidates must declare their intention to run for the board between Jan. 1 and six weeks before the election (deadline: Aug. 7, 2019).
After their eligibility to run for the board has been determined, candidates shall submit a photo, bio and brief summary of what the candidate hopes to achieve through service on the board, including fundraising goals and ideas.
In addition, the NAJA Board of Directors has adopted the following definition of “media professional” and recommended procedure for the Election Board to follow:
“A media professional is defined as a journalist who works for either tribal media or mainstream media and earns 51 percent of his or her annual income through journalism. A journalist is someone who works in the gathering, writing, editing, photographing, publishing and disseminating of news as through, but not limited to, a newspaper, magazine, radio, television station, or World Wide Web publication owned and operated by a news media outlet.”
“Determining whether a board candidate is eligible to hold office shall be the responsibility of the Election Committee. When the NAJA office receives written notification that a NAJA member has declared his or her candidacy for office, the Election Committee has 21 days to notify the candidate in writing whether he or she is eligible to run for the NAJA board. The written determination of eligibility will be sent to the candidate, with copies to the NAJA President and Executive Director. Any candidate determined ineligible will receive an explanation for the ruling within the notification letter.”
“An election report shall be prepared and distributed during the annual membership meeting. The report shall include the list of board candidates and any explanations why a candidate was determined ineligible to run, along with general procedures followed during that year’s election process.”
(Note: This policy shall be published in every document that NAJA releases concerning board candidates)
Candidates must declare their intention to run for the NAJA Board before deadline: Aug. 7, 2019.
