Want to be an international PB leader? (Board Member Opportunity)

Do you want to help PB grow across North America, and serve as a leader for an international movement to build public control over public money? If so, see our Board Member ad below!

Board Member Volunteer Opportunity

The Participatory Budgeting Project, Inc. (PBP), a non-profit organization based in New York City, is seeking up to three additional members for its Board of Directors.

Our mission is to empower community members to make informed, democratic, and fair decisions about public spending and revenue, by opening up public budgets to meaningful democratic participation. We work with elected officials, government agencies, and community groups in the US and Canada to set up participatory budgeting programs - public processes that let ordinary people directly decide how to spend public money. This work involves three main activities: public education, technical assistance, and research & evaluation.

As a Board Member, you will help lead a growing movement to build real democracy. Participatory budgeting (PB) is practiced in over 3,000 cities around the world, but it is relatively new to North America. As the primary organization promoting PB in the US and Canada, PBP has served as a lead partner for the first two PB processes in US cities (in Chicago and New York), and we are working to launch additional processes in over a dozen other cities. Our board and staff include PB experts, practitioners, and participants based in over five cities.

Because we are a start-up organization, incorporated in 2011, we expect Board Members to play an active role in developing the organization. We seek board candidates who will:
- Serve at least a two-year term,
- Attend three to five board meetings per year, via phone or in person,
- Contribute additional work outside of meetings, by serving on at least one board committee,
- Assist with fundraising, and
- Serve as an ambassador for the organization by representing and promoting our work in the wider community.

We are especially interested in candidates with accounting, legal, or non-profit development expertise; who have experience as participants or organizers of PB processes; and who are based in New York City, Chicago, or Toronto. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, and LGBTQ individuals.

To apply, send a resume and a letter of interest (highlighting the contributions you expect to make to the organization) by March 7th to Josh Lerner (Executive Director) at josh@participatorybudgeting.org and Michael Menser (Board Chair) at menser@participatorybudgeting.org. For more information, visit our website at http://www.participatorybudgeting.org.