Become a Member of the SMAC Board of Directors

Each of the 18 counties in the SMAC region has one voting representative on the Board of Directors. The Board members meet in Marshall or via Zoom on the fourth Tuesday evening of the month to make policy and management decisions and to share ideas and information from their representative counties. The positions are voluntary, but travel expenses are reimbursed and board members received stipends when they serve on a grant panel. Below is synopsis of the SMAC Board of Directors. You may download the SMAC Board of Directors application form at the bottom of this page or contact SMAC for more information.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF A SMAC BOARD MEMBER
As a private non-profit organization, the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council (SMAC) is governed by its Board of Directors. The board is charged with making governing decisions concerning SMAC’s organization, policies and activities. The staff exists chiefly to carry out and coordinate the grant programs, technical services, and activities that the board has approved. This arrangement is a great source of strength for the organization. SMAC is not managed by a small number of professional arts administrators, but rather by dedicated arts volunteers drawn from all walks of life. Your active participation on the Board will help ensure that the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council will continue to serve the purpose for which it was created, that it will continue to meet the needs and reflect the tastes and attitudes of the people of southwestern Minnesota.

The activities of SMAC board members can be divided into two basic categories: the role they serve in the development and governance of the region-wide organization, and the role they serve in their local county.

AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL, BOARD MEMBERS ARE EXPECTED TO:

1. Attend and play an active role in all SMAC meetings. All board members are given the option to meet in person in Marshall or via Zoom virtually.

• SMAC board meetings are usually held on the fourth Tuesday of the month. The staff prepares meeting materials available on the SMAC website prior to each meeting. It is crucial that board members understand this information and come to the meetings prepared to discuss and act upon it.
• SMAC’s annual meeting is usually held in September or October.
• Occasionally special meetings or planning sessions are called to handle business too lengthy for regular board meetings. Full day planning meetings are usually scheduled for a Saturday in January.
• Conferences and workshops for constituents are held at various times throughout the year. SMAC generally conducts a minimum of one workshop or conference per year.
• Board members will comply with SMAC’s Conflict of Interest Policy.

2. Play an active role in the administration and development of the organization.

• Board members must be paying members of SMAC ($25) and are called upon to take an active role in the annual membership and fund drive as well as the annual fund raising event.
• Board members serve on committees—some ad hoc, others standing. Committee meetings may be scheduled for those months without a board meeting. All committee meetings can accommodate members wanting to meet virtually instead of in-person.
• Serve on SMAC grant review panels which evaluate grant applications. Panel meetings are held on Zoom, usually on Saturday mornings, but occasionally on weekday afternoons or evenings. Board members receive a $75 stipend for every grant panel they participate in, the same as non-board member panelists.

 AT THE COUNTY LEVEL, BOARD MEMBERS ARE EXPECTED TO:

1. Serve as an information liaison between SMAC and communities in your county.

• Board members must stay informed of SMAC activities so as to educate local groups and individuals about opportunities they may be interested in. Likewise, they are expected to share local ideas, problems and concerns with SMAC. This includes attending local meetings; contacting officers of local arts organizations, or working with other groups which traditionally have not been identified with the arts.
• Board members should inform SMAC about local cultural events so that we may help publicize them throughout the region.
• Attend arts events in their own communities as well as other communities in the region. Board members may be called upon occasionally to report on an event funded by SMAC.
• Board members are expected to represent SMAC at city and county government levels.

Print: Board of Directors Responsibilities
Board of Directors Application Form (word)
Board of Directors Application Form (pdf)