ADDING BOARD MEMBERS

• • • • July:

        • • Work with board and MDs to start informally recruiting or building lists for recruitment

          • Ready the app, marketing materials, ads, etc.

      • August:

        • • App window 8/1-8/30

          • Contact past applicants

          • Advertise

          • Recruitment

      • September:

        • • Hold 1st meeting early Sept

          • Conduct interviews mid-Sept

          • Hold 2nd meeting late Sept

          • Decisions sent end of Sept

      • October

        • • New members marketed

          • Onboarding all-Board meeting

• Email

• Social media post (make into an ad)

• DETAILED email to board asking them to recruit

• Slack+email to rest of team

• Add app to Linktree

Hi board!

Thank you for being responsive! All who responded voted YES to amending the bylaws to allow up to 20 members and to opening a public app. Well, let's not waste any time!

Interested in sitting on the small committee that will review and score initial apps? Lmk. You'll have between 9/9-9/12 to review (thurs-sun).

The board application is now open and will close on Wednesday, 9/8 at midnight (a 2+ week window). Please encourage people to apply!

• I will be sending an email to past applicants who were rated highly, but didn't make the cut, inviting them to re-apply.

• We want diverse candidates who have time to dedicate to a working board. All skill sets welcome, but we could use peeps with the following types:

  • Fundraising / Earned Income

  • Finance / Accounting

  • Marketing / Communications

  • Business / Organizational Development

  • Journalism

Please do share the attached graphic and copy:

• Are you or someone you know passionate about bringing contextualized, multimedia news to Columbus? Apply today to join Grey Matter Media and Matter News' nonprofit board of directors! It is important to note that this is a 'working board', so in addition to the basics like voting on the budget and keeping the organization in line with its mission, members serve on a committee (finance+legal or audience development). We strive to assemble a board as diverse as our community, to build a company culture that makes ours a good space for different people to work together, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. The deadline to apply is midnight Wednesday, September 8th.

Please let me know if you have any questions and thank you!

Cassie

Invite the high scorers from the previous year to re-apply, as well as anyone who has applied since last elections (find their emails in Airtable):

SUBJECT: You are invited to apply for a Matter board position!

Good afternoon [Name]!

I hope you've been well! You are receiving this email because you previously applied for a board position with Grey Matter Media/Matter News and you were rated highly last round, we just didn't have enough slots on our board at the time. Now, we are opening up more seats and want to invite you to re-apply if you are still interested.

Here is the application and it's due midnight Weds 9/8.

It is important to note that this is a 'working board', so in addition to the basics like voting on the budget and keeping the organization in line with its mission, members serve on a committee (finance+legal or audience development).

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Cassie

SUBJECT: [FYI] Thanks for volunteering to review board applicants!

Hello and thank you to yall for joining our board application review committee!

I just want to give you a heads up that I will be emailing you on 9/9 with a spreadsheet of applicants and application answers. Your rankings/notes are due 9/13.

So, it may be a good idea to block out ~1 hour on your calendar one day between afternoon 9/9 and midnight 9/13 to complete that review.

My hope is there will be a clear line we can draw between candidates we are and aren't interested in based on those rankings and we will interview those we are interested in.

You are not expected to participate in those interviews, but please let me know if you are interested in attending 1.

Thanks!

Cassie

SUBJECT: [DUE MON @ MIDNIGHT] Review + score these board applicants!

Hi all!

We got 10 applicants for our board and now it's time to review them. Here are your action steps to complete by midnight on Monday, 9/13:

1. Review the application records

   • actual app in case you want to see it

2. Fill out this spreadsheet

   • with comments and scores/rankings

   • each of you has a tab named after you

As a reminder, we do not have a set # of spots we are opening up and we can legally add up to 10 members. We said we want to stick with like 2-5 this time, probably. But it really just depends how many good candidates we get. And as a reminder:

We want diverse candidates who have time to dedicate to a working board. All skill sets welcome, but we could use peeps with the following types:

• Fundraising / Earned Income

• Finance / Accounting

• Marketing / Communications

• Business / Organizational Development

• Journalism

After I receive all responses, I will tally the scores/rankings and I hope from those, we have some clear front runners for interviewing and I will notify applicants and ask them to give their availability so that I can schedule them. If you want to take part in an interview, let me know! It's ideal to have me and 1 board member part of each.

Thank yall and let me know if you have any questions!

Cassie

SUBJECT: [Respond ASAP] You're invited to interview with Grey Matter Media!

Hi [NAME]!

Thank you so much for applying to our board! Our board selection committee scored your application highly, so we'd like to invite you to interview, which is the final round of this application process.

We are hoping to interview you sometime this week or next, so please respond ASAP (and by Monday at latest) with 2 one-hour time slots that work for you in the below timeframes for a *virtual* interview:

• Thursday 9/16 10am-2:00pm

• Friday 9/17 11am-1pm, 2pm-6pm

• Monday, 9/20 11am-2pm, 4pm-8pm

• Tuesday 9/21 4-8pm

• Wednesday 9/22 11am-8pm

• Thursday 9/23 11am-3pm, 6pm-8pm

• Friday 9/24 11am-3pm

Then, I'll respond confirming which slot. This virtual interview will last 25-60 mins (depending how talkative you are!) and will be with myself, and if schedules allow, a current board member. It will be an opportunity for you to go deeper into the application questions, as well as ask us any questions you may have.

Here is some board information to review prior to the interview. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Talk to you soon,

Cassie

SUBJECT: Thank you for applying for the GMM board.

Hi [NAME],

Thank you so much for applying to our board. It means a lot to us that you are supportive of our mission and want to get involved with our organization.

We have a limited number of slots open and I am sorry to let you know our selection committee is unable to offer you a board position at this time.

We are working to figure out how to incorporate aspiring board members who want to get involved in our work. Some people have said they'd like to be able to volunteer with us so they can get experience and get to know us, either in hopes of eventually becoming a board member, or simply in getting to be involved regardless of the board.

If you are interested in volunteering, please email me back and let me know that. In 2022, we are getting our committees fully off the ground and will get back in touch then if you are interested.

Take care and thank you again,

Cassie

Once they respond, set up and send Google Calendar appointment w/ Google Meet link AND email them

SUBJECT: Board Interviews Weds @ 5 & 7

Adam - thank you so much for helping out on weds eve!

• The interview with Conor is 5pm on Google Meet

  • interview doc for Conor

• The interview with Lisa is 7pm on Google Meet

  • interview doc for Lisa

Interview docs includes app answers and interview questions. If you can, try to skim before the interview, that is ideal.

During:

• I will lead, but feel free to interject at any time

• If you're able to, it's super ideal to take notes

• When it's over (or even during) type your reflections at the bottom of the doc in the slot with your name

Thanks again!!

Cassie

SUBJECT: SUBJECT: [respond by Sunday @ midnight] vote on this possible slate!

Hey selection committee!

Please respond to this email by midnight this Sunday

(you can respond to only me)

I think the easiest way to do this is for yall to respond to 2 things:

• Do you agree with adding all 5 interviewees to the board?

  • The "slate" I am presenting to you is the entire pool of interview applicants (see interview answers + interviewer reflections for Carolina, DaiJhah, Conor, Bryan, Lisa).

    • The main reason I am recommending adding all 5 is because interviewers for each candidate generally voted to add them to the board (only one that wasn't an outright "yes" is Gerry is a "tentative yes" on DaiJhah)

• Do you have any reservations or comments to add?

As a reminder, the next step will be to propose the slate to the larger board for an up/down vote.

Thank you!

Cassie\

SUBJECT: Welcome to the Grey Matter Media board!

Good Evening Carolina,

Thank you again for the time and effort you put into this board application and interview process. I am happy to inform you that our board has voted to offer you a board position!

Your action items (by Tues @ midnight):

• Fill out this Doodle poll so we can find a time to meet and get you 5 new board members onboarded. The meeting will be virtual.

• Fill out this team member profile.

You are also invited to our next fundraising meeting in case you are available. You probably won't have been onboarded yet, so you can just kinda observe that meeting if you'd like (or even jump into a subcommittee if you're eager!) I am sending you a Google calendar invite for that now. It's next Weds at 6pm on Zoom.

Congrats and we are excited to get to work with you!!

Cassie

SUBJECT: Thank you for applying for the GMM board.

Hi [NAME],

Thank you so much for applying to our board. It means a lot to us that you are supportive of our mission and want to get involved with our organization.

We have a limited number of slots open and I am sorry to let you know our selection committee is unable to offer you a board position at this time.

We are working to figure out how to incorporate aspiring board members who want to get involved in our work. Some people have said they'd like to be able to volunteer with us so they can get experience and get to know us, either in hopes of eventually becoming a board member, or simply in getting to be involved regardless of the board.

If you are interested in volunteering, please email me back and let me know that. In 2022, we are getting our committees fully off the ground and will get back in touch then if you are interested.

Take care and thank you again,

Cassie

• • first half is intros and such

  • second half is board basics, q&A, etc.