Join our Board (or a Committee)!
Are you passionate about walking, transit, the environment? Do you want to help make Massachusetts more walkable? Join us!
We recently completed a self assessment of our board’s strengths and weaknesses. Through that, we identified several areas as those of greatest need: most notably the fields of legal, finance, operations, human resources, technology, development, public health, climate resiliency, and DEAI.
We are also looking for people from all backgrounds and demographics across the state to fully represent the diverse communities in which we work, not just in the Boston area, but from the Hilltowns, throughout the Merrimack Valley, and down to the Cape.
If you’re interested in getting more involved, let us know by filling out this google form.
Please also share this information with members of your network if you think you know someone who would be a good fit for us. We’d love to talk to them!
Board Member Description
The board of WalkMassachusetts (previously known as WalkBoston) is responsible for the strategic governance and oversight of the organization. Working with the Executive Director, the board ensures the organization’s financial health, strategic plan, and goals are aligned with the mission, vision, and values. Members are committed to executing all fiduciary responsibilities and serving as advocates of WalkMassachusetts to the community.
Responsibilities of a Board Member
- Attend board and committee meetings and significant organizational events.
- Chair and/or participate in at least one board committee.
- Participate in establishing and maintaining organizational policies.
- Make an annual contribution at a level commensurate with personal capacity.
- Participate actively in organizational fundraising activities.
- Identify friends and associates who might be prospective donors or board/committee members.
- Participate in hiring and periodic evaluation of WalkMassachusetts’s Executive Director.
- Support and advise the Executive Director as appropriate.
- Participate actively in assessing WalkMassachusetts’s performance and setting its strategic goals and objectives.
- Serve as an ambassador for WalkMassachusetts in the community.
Desired Qualifications
- Significant experience in business, nonprofit, academia, government/public service, or another field.
- Ideally, experience in a field closely related to WalkMassachusetts’s work – e.g. planning/transportation, finance, development, public health, or community organizing.
- Knowledge of, or willingness to learn about issues of walkability in Massachusetts and the work of pedestrian advocacy.
- Belief in, and commitment to WalkMassachusetts’s mission to create more walkable communities across the state.
- Connections to personal or professional networks with capacity and interest to support the work of the organization.
- Personal capacity to make an annual contribution to the organization in addition to supporting fundraising efforts.
- Understanding of the role that diversity and inclusion plays in the work that WalkMassachusetts does.
WalkMassachusetts is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We seek candidates that represent the diverse perspectives and lived experiences throughout the commonwealth, with the goal of having a board that mirrors the diversity of the communities we serve. While a candidate may not demonstrate every qualification listed above, we encourage candidates to apply if they are interested.
WalkMassachusetts’s board currently meets monthly (10x / year) via Zoom, with a hybrid Annual Celebration in the Spring. Some board meetings may have a hybrid / in-person option. WalkMassachusetts has office space in Downtown Boston at the CIC (50 Milk Street, Boston, MA 02109). Meetings are the fourth Tuesday of the month from 5:30pm – 7pm EST unless otherwise stated. Committee meetings are scheduled separately, based on the availability of committee members, and occur monthly.
WalkMassachusetts Board Committees
- Communications
- Development
- Events
- Executive
- Finance
- Governance
About WalkMassachusetts
WalkBoston is now WalkMassachusetts!
WalkMassachusetts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization that makes walking safer and easier in Massachusetts to encourage better health, a cleaner environment and more vibrant communities. We have a vision of a Massachusetts where people walking – no matter their race, identity, age, ability, or lived experience – feel safe, connected, and valued on our streets and sidewalks. Founded in 1990 as WalkBoston, it was the first organization in the U.S. dedicated to pedestrian advocacy. Our small, committed staff work as a team to make change: whether it’s getting a crosswalk painted in a neighborhood or influencing Massachusetts state policy to make streets safer for all. Key to our effort is the value we place in Community, Equity, and Partnership.