Organization: NeighborWorks Western Pennsylvania

Industry: Homeownership/Non-Profit

Position/Title: Board Member

Employment Type: Unpaid Volunteer

About NeighborWorks Western Pennsylvania:

NeighborWorks Western Pennsylvania (NWWPA) has been enriching lives and expanding housing opportunities for more than 50 years. With a mission of promoting stable, vibrant communities by providing our neighbors with comprehensive homeownership services, NWWPA is a HUD-certified housing counseling agency serving low- and moderate-income first-time homebuyers at all stages of purchase readiness and homeowners at risk of foreclosure. Services include one-on-one counseling, group and self-paced education, and down payment and closing cost assistance. A core focus of the organization is closing the racial wealth gap by increasing Black homeownership throughout Western Pennsylvania. For more information on the organization’s history, leadership, and current services, visit www.neighborworkswpa.org.

Position Summary

The NWWPA Board of Directors is comprised of talented and diverse individuals who have a unique connection to the organization’s mission of sustainable homeownership. The Board is responsible for strategic planning and direction, policy development, fiscal management and accountability, providing oversight for legal and contractual obligations, and the provision of programs in a manner consistent with the organization’s mission, vision, and values.

NWWPA is currently recruiting for 1-2 new board members to leverage their diverse backgrounds and talents for mission advancement. NWWPA places a high value on lived expertise in addition to and/or in place of work or volunteer experience. Qualified candidates will have experience or expertise in one or more of the following areas: affordable housing and/or homeownership, real estate, banking or lending, governance, community organizing, financial management, fundraising, strategic planning, nonprofit management, and strategic planning. Qualified residents will also live or work in Western Pennsylvania.

NeighborWorks^® Western Pennsylvania expects the Board Member to be an active, committed participant by:

• Committing to serve a two-year term;
• Learning the organization’s mission, policies, and programs;
• Regularly attending bi-monthly board meetings;
• Reading board materials in advance and arriving prepared to ask questions and engage in discussion;
• Actively participating on at least one committee, as evidenced by meeting attendance;
• Making an annual, personally significant financial contribution to the organization;
• Recruiting other board members, committee members, general volunteers, and/or potential sponsors/donors;
• Serving as an advocate and ambassador for the organization within their respective communities and networks 

Desired Knowledge, Skills, and Qualities

• Ability to listen, analyze, problem solve, and evaluate risks and rewards
• Strong interpersonal communication skills and a willingness to respectfully engage in open and honest dialogue
• Personal integrity and a developed sense of values
• Ability to separate personal interests and motivations when making decisions on behalf of the organization
• An understanding of the experience of financial insecurity, housing instability, mortgage foreclosure, and/or the challenges unique to low- and moderate-income first-time homebuyers
• An understanding of systemic racial injustice and a commitment to addressing racial inequity through homeownership services
• Willingness to facilitate new partnerships and/or make financial connections for the organization to the best of your personal ability
• Must live or work in Western Pennsylvania 

How to Apply

Online applications will be accepted between September 8 and September 30, 2023. Applicants selected to advance will be invited to interview between October 23, 2023 and November 10, 2023. The NWWPA Board of Directors will vote to approve new members at its November 15, 2023 meeting. Interested candidates may contact Patrick Clark (pat@jacksonclark.net), Governance Committee Chair, with questions.