Join our board and support our amazing group of staff, interns, and friends!
The Opportunity
Speak for the Trees is actively seeking board members who can provide expertise, knowledge, and skills to grow the organization in the coming years.
Board FAQs
Our Mission
Speak for the Trees works together with Boston community members to plant, preserve, care for, and advocate for trees and expand canopy in order to rebuild resilient neighborhoods and safeguard the health of all residents, repairing historic injustices that persist today as environmental inequities in urban communities. We partner with government agencies, community organizations, corporations, and residents to plant trees, increase community engagement, improve tree policies, and raise awareness about the importance of trees, especially in environmental justice neighborhoods with low tree coverage. Our aim is to support the city’s efforts, as mapped out in its Urban Forest Plan, to improve the city’s urban forest in the face of climate change.
We are rooted in four core values:
- Urban resilience is critical in this era of global climate change.
- All Boston residents deserve a clean and healthy urban environment.
- Green communities are the backbone of safe spaces, social cohesion, and livable neighborhoods.
- All residents play an important role in solving local and global environmental challenges and we celebrate the inclusion of a diversity of stakeholders from all of Boston’s neighborhoods.
Our Team
We seek to continue to develop and expand an engaged and diverse board that can assist in expanding the organization’s impact and reach.
Board Expectations
- Leverage connections, networks, and partnerships to help SFTT achieve its mission
- Assist in seeking individuals, corporations, and foundations that may provide financial support to the organization
- Serve as an ambassador and representative of SFTT to promote the organization’s mission
- Have a passion for issues of urban environmental resilience, justice, and public health
- Recruit new board members who have skills and backgrounds that serve the organization’s needs
- Help locate and engage like-minded individuals, organizations, and academic institutions
- Complete a three (3) year term (with a maximum of 2 terms per member)
Board Duties
Participate in:
- At least one committee and on ad-hoc committees and in projects, as needed
- 90-minute quarterly meetings (virtual or in person)
- 90 minute inter-quarterly conference calls
- Contribute financially at a level of personal significance
Desired Qualifications
We seek board candidates who have some of the following characteristics and skills:
- Passion and influence to help SFTT add scale to its programs and reach
- Experience in strategy development, accounting, financial management, grant-writing, marketing/branding, long-term budget planning, fundraising, and event coordination
- Experience in climate justice and environmental activism
- Knowledge and expertise in forestry and/or arboriculture
- Strong professional and personal networks at the community level
- Previous experience as a board member of a non-profit, but all candidates will be considered
Interested candidates should fill out the interest form below.