Prospective YES! Board Member

Thank you for your interest in YES! Young Enough to Serve and for your prayerful consideration of serving on the Board of Directors. We are excited about YES! and helping people spiritually thrive on the plus side of fifty-five.

We're attempting here to give you an organizational overview, along with specific board members' expectations.

Started in 2008, YES! Young Enough to Serve inspires individuals and churches toward better stewardship of life's second half.  We know our best inspiration flows from our personal relationship with Christ, as we submit our lives to Him.  As outlined in Galatians 5, God calls us to freedom, and we’re admonished to use that freedom to serve one another through love.

Sadly, many Christian adults stop serving prematurely, allowing vocational retirement to morph into spiritual retirement as well.  YES! reinforces the importance of being steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58). This may also require some creative adaptability, and YES! seeks to inspire the frail and pre-frail, too, not just those with robust health.

YES! affirms that each of us has something to contribute and that God has a deep love for every generation represented within His Church. Our culture and many churches opt to isolate generations from each other, creating widening relationship and understanding gaps. A central task of YES! Young Enough to Serve is helping intergenerational relationships emerge and thrive, especially on a spiritual level.

YES! has a national board and holds quarterly meetings remotely by Zoom. Board members' physical presence is expected only annually. Round-trip travel to this board meeting is typically at the board member's own expense, and YES! will seek to minimize other travel expenses by providing food, lodging and/or assisting with local transportation, as needed. 

Three of our last eight annual meetings were in Gilbert, Arizona, three were at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center in Santa Cruz County, California, one was in Colorado Springs, and our most recent was at Balboa Island in Southern California, where we plan to return this coming Spring: June 1 arrival, board meeting on June 2, June 3 departure.  Remote board meetings are at least three times annually, usually running up to two hours. Additional meetings are called as needed.  Regular board meeting dates are usually known at least three months in advance.

2025 is a year of leadership transition, with Wes & Judy Wick passing the executive director torch to Dan & Shani Parotti at some point, when the Parotti’s support reaches a suitable level.

Board members serve three-year terms and are asked to:

• Pray faithfully for the ministry and mission of YES!: Together with all generations, YES! inspires adults over fifty-five to pray, serve, and make disciples.

• Financially support YES! Young Enough to Serve through giving personally and helping to identify other prospective donors. Monthly support is ideal. Current and former board members also typically give generously to help launch the initial phase of annual, year-end funding initiatives.

• Participate in organizational development through your personal strengths or gifts. This may mean taking on a special project or participating in some other way to strengthen YES. The Board of Directors intends to be more than an executive decision-making board. It is a working board, with evolving roles for each board member.

• Support YES! events through attendance when practical, and open doors for YES!, tapping into your personal spheres of influence.

• Speak on behalf of YES! as needed, and share our story with the community at large. You will be acting as our 'ministry agent' for ongoing work with adults over fifty-five, younger generations, churches, and other ministries.

• Determine during your first year of service whether or not serving on the YES! board is a good fit. Your first year of board service is considered provisional, with opportunity to opt out after the first year, if desirable or necessary. Please commit with three years in mind but know that there is a respectable end-of-the-first-year escape clause if the fit is just not there. We want serving to be a joy for everyone involved, not an unwanted burden. Some board members opt to serve a second three-year term, which is allowed under the bylaws before a mandatory one-year break.

After successful completion of at least one term, parting board members are invited to serve on the YES! advisory board, an informal assignment, serving as an ongoing resource with no meeting requirements. Former board members are also invited annually to participate in the first phase of our year-end funding initiative.

If you have questions regarding YES!, please feel free to contact Wes, and he can put you in touch with any of our current board members, upon request. They will be happy to connect with you.

PROCESS OF NEW YES! BOARD MEMBER SELECTION

1.     Any current board member is welcome to nominate a new prospective board member.

2.     Nominations are subject to the parameters outlined in the bylaws regarding number of board members (five minimum, nine maximum). A board member may be elected to a full term or to fulfill the remainder of a vacated term of office (rare and not currently available).

3.     If there is any noted hesitation related to proceeding with approaching a new nominee, these hesitations will be openly discussed with board members before proceeding.

4.     Efforts will be made to look at the current mix of board members and to fill in potential missing gaps in perspective and abilities. A goal is to assemble a board passionate about the mission of YES! and rich in diversity. As a ministry seeking to be both interdenominational and intergenerational in leadership and outreach, these diversities are of particular significance.

5.     Assuming no known objection, communication will then be initiated by the Executive Director or Board Chair. The potential candidate is approached, asking if he/she might prayerfully consider becoming a part of the YES! Young Enough to Serve Board of Directors.

YOU'VE ALREADY REACHED THIS POINT. :)

6.     If prayerful consideration is agreed to, this web page is then forwarded to you, the candidate. This page includes:

a.     An outline of responsibilities for YES! board members.

b.     A copy of this board selection process description.

c.     Current bylaws.

d.     Request to familiarize yourself with the YES! website and our statement of faith basic content. Reading Half Two will also help you understand YES! more thoroughly. Watching the Finishing Strong video series will also add depth of understanding. The ‘women connect’ e-newsletters were initiated recently and give further insight into recent YES! outreach. And our recent webinar highlights our ‘together with all generations’ thrust.

e.     Your board member application form. (See below.)

7.     If you remain open to proceeding, please electronically submit your application form below to the Board Chair.

8.     The Board Chair will contact references and then forward your application to the other board members, and a current board member (preferably one who does not yet know you) will be asked to informally interview you. You are encouraged to ask any questions you might have about YES! or about serving on the YES! board of directors. This interview may take place in person, but if a direct meeting is not practical, a phone or Zoom conversation is arranged.

9.     Assuming this interview confirms continued mutual interest, your name will then be presented to the board in advance of the next meeting for ratification (by a specially called phone conference or by unanimous consent, as allowed in the bylaws) .

10. Following ratification, you are asked to submit this Covenant Agreement.