Volunteer Leader Opportunities

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CASE welcomes nominations for volunteers to serve on our governing and advisory boards, including the CASE Board of Trustees, CASE Europe Board of Trustees and CASE Commissions.

Nominations for terms beginning in 2019 have closed, but we encourage nominations and self-nominations throughout the year for the next round of vacancies.

Learn a little about each group's responsibilities and the characteristics of its members.

Responsibilities of the Governing and Advisory Boards

The board oversees CASE policy, budget and organizational assets.

  • It has 30 members, most of whom must be professional members of CASE.
  • Members are typically senior leaders in the profession from all of the advancement disciplines and around the globe.
  • Officers serve two-year terms and all other trustees serve three-year terms (unless appointed to fill a position that has been vacated during a term).
  • The board meets in person three times each year and conducts additional business between meetings.
  • Nominations are accepted throughout the year.
  • Trustees are elected by the membership, usually in June of each year, and attend their first meeting in November.
  • The CASE Europe board oversees programming, services and resources for CASE members in the United Kingdom and continental Europe.
  • The board currently has 16 members.
  • CASE Europe is a registered charity in the United Kingdom, so a majority of its board members must be based in the U.K., and all members of the board must be based in Europe.
  • Trustees are typically senior leaders in the profession selected from nominees by current members of the board.
  • Members typically serve three-year terms.
  • The CASE Europe board typically meets in person twice each year and conducts additional business between meetings.
  • Nominations are accepted throughout the year.
  • Appointments to fill vacant positions are typically made in May of each year for terms that begin in July.
  • The CASE Asia-Pacific Board of Directors provides input and advice on CASE's operations, programming and services within the Asia-Pacific region.
  • The board currently has nine members.
  • This working group advises CASE on serving the advancement profession in Mexico and provides assistance in support of CASE programming and services in the region. Members are currently working with CASE staff to deliver a two-year pilot program to expand operations in Mexico and Latin America.
  • Members are typically advancement professionals who work at institutions in Mexico.
  • Advisory group members are volunteers selected by CASE staff and other members of the committee.
  • Nominations are accepted throughout the year.
  • CASE's three advisory commissions support the creation and dissemination of knowledge and standards in the advancement disciplines and advise CASE on related programming and services.
  • Each commission has 18 members who are appointed by the CASE Board of Trustees
  • Members traditionally meet twice each year, at least once in person, and serve three-year terms.
  • Commissioners are typically professional members who are considered leading thinkers in the profession and represent the diversity of CASE institutions around the world.
  • Nominations are accepted throughout the year
  • The CASE Board of Trustees appoints new commissioners in March of each year; new commissioners attend their first meeting in October.
  • CASE's North American membership is divided into eight districts.
  • Each district has its own board of directors operating under bylaws approved by the CASE Board of Trustees.
  • Advancement professionals on district boards come from all disciplines and range from those who are relatively new to the profession to those with deep experience.
  • District boards differ in size, terms, meeting schedules, responsibilities and selection processes, but members of all eight boards must work at CASE member institutions based in the district.
  • Visit the district websites to learn more about serving on a district board.

CASE's national IRF committee provides leadership and guidance on issues of concern to institutionally related foundations and supports the development of resources and services for foundation professionals.

  • The 18-member committee is made up of senior-level professionals who work at U.S. foundations affiliated with educational institutions.
  • Nominees are vetted by current members of the committee and invited to serve by the CASE president.
  • IRF committee members typically meet in person or virtually twice each year and serve three-year terms.
  • Nominations are accepted throughout the year
  • New committee members are typically notified of their appointments in June of each year and begin their service in July.
  • This 13-member committee provides guidance and advice to the Center for Community College Advancement and the institutions it serves.
  • Nominees are vetted by current members of the committee and invited to serve by the CASE president.
  • Committee members typically meet in person or virtually twice each year.
  • Nominations are accepted throughout the year.
  • New committee members are typically notified of their appointments in June of each year and begin their service in July.
  • This council, made up of 15 professionals representing firms that serve educational advancement, provides advice on opportunities for CASE to serve its corporate affiliates and helps identify trends and position CASE to meet the future challenges of its partners and organization.
  • Members must be CASE Educational Partners and will be invited to serve by the CASE president based on their history with CASE and disciplinary focus.
  • IAC members typically meet in person twice each year and serve three-year terms.
  • Nominations are accepted throughout the year.
  • New members are typically invited to serve in August and attend their first meeting the following December.

FAQ: Volunteer Leadership

CASE looks for advancement professionals who are respected as leading practitioners and thinkers in the field; have demonstrated their commitment to the profession, to CASE or to both; and who bring energy, enthusiasm and relevant skills to the individual volunteer role.

CASE works to ensure that most volunteer leadership groups include representatives of the various disciplines and institution types that are part of the CASE membership. The location of the nominee's institution is also a consideration for many groups, such as the North American districts and the CASE Europe Board of Trustees.

Nominations are welcome from anyone familiar with a nominee's expertise, professionalism and leadership in the profession.

Absolutely. CASE welcomes self-nominations as well as the nomination of colleagues.

In most cases, members of volunteer governing and advisory boards must work at CASE-member institutions. The CASE bylaws require most trustees to be professionals at CASE-member institutions.

Members of the Industry Advisory Council must be CASE Educational Partners.

Not necessarily. Nominees for the CASE Board of Trustees as well as the CASE Europe Board of Trustees are not notified if they are under consideration. Nominees for the CASE commissions are notified in advance. The process varies for each of the other groups.

Most CASE volunteer leaders are appointed by other members of the CASE group, the CASE Board of Trustees or the CASE staff. See group descriptions for details.

The exception is the CASE Board of Trustees. The board's Committee on Leadership, the nominating body for CASE, reviews nominations for vacant trustee positions and presents a slate of candidates to be elected by the membership. Election of the slate occurs via e-mail ballot (each member institution has one vote that is cast by the institutional membership coordinator) in June, and the results are announced at CASE's annual business meeting during the Summit for Advancement Leaders in July.

Yes. Although it varies by volunteer group, CASE typically keeps nominations for two years and welcomes re-nominations.

Because CASE is a volunteer-led association, the commitment of volunteer leaders to their roles is critically important to CASE's ongoing ability to grow membership and to serve members. In addition, because most volunteer groups meet only one, two or three times a year, missing a meeting may mean missing a key conversation or decision that affects the future of CASE.

Volunteer leaders are encouraged and expected to attend all meetings. Volunteers who miss multiple meetings may be removed from service.

In most cases, CASE will cover expenses associated with service as long as they fall under CASE's travel policy. CASE encourages members of the Board of Trustees to ask their institutions to pay for the cost of attending one of three meetings each year.

Volunteer leaders on the CASE Board of Trustees, the CASE Europe Board of Trustees and the CASE commissions who change positions but remain in advancement and meet other criteria required by that particular volunteer group (for example, being employed at a CASE-member institution or being a professional member of CASE) will be invited to remain in their volunteer roles. Volunteer leaders on these groups who are between positions or who leave the profession may remain in their positions for six months and may continue in their roles after the six-month grace period if they have accepted a position in advancement and meet other criteria required by the particular volunteer group.

Practices vary across the districts and with other volunteer groups.