Giving thanks for a devoted board

Our 11-member board of directors holds its annual meeting in October of every year. Most years, that meeting is here in Asheville, N.C. Giving our directors a good excuse to be in Asheville in its most beautiful, colorful season may be the very reason our bylaws dictate an annual meeting in this month. I’m only half kidding.

The board has other reasons for the October date, though. One reason is that our corporate audit is completed by October, and its review of the audit represents an important aspect of our board’s fiscal oversight of the organization, one of its vital roles.

It has several others, too. Broadly, our board is responsible for our mission: Together, the members determine what our mission is, and they ensure that the things we’re doing fulfill the mission. Then they provide direction—that’s why they’re called a board of directors.

As with most nonprofits the size of WORLD, our directors are unpaid. In spite of that, they spend a lot of their time and energy working on organizational matters. Aside from the annual meeting, we have two other regular meetings every year, and we almost always add a special meeting or two. Every director sits on at least one committee, and those committees have meetings and specific work to do.

All our directors get involved in a variety of other ways. They have provided housing when we travel, hosted dinners for supporters, represented WORLD at conferences and other events, encouraged our people with meals, generally promoted WORLD everywhere they go, and prayed for us. They make themselves available year-round, not just at meetings.

Each man and woman on our board has made a serious commitment to serve you through their service to WORLD. Their sacrifice of time, energy, resources, and low-stress lives (being a WORLD director is not always a low-stress role!) is significant. I thank God for them. When you pray for WORLD, please pray for our directors, and thank God for them as I do.