The Indiana Renewable Energy Association (InREA) Annual Meeting and Conference is less than one month away on Sat., November 12, 2011, at Epworth United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. (See below for details)
Our by-laws provide that nominations to the Board of Directors and election take place during the Fourth Quarter of the year each year. Our by-laws were amended last year to create a maximum of nine (9) members of the Board. This was done to increase representation from across the state of Indiana as well as to increase participation and to lessen the load on individual Board members.
The past year has been difficult for many throughout our state and nation. With so much uncertainty in the world it is difficult to put participation in an organization ahead of work and family. It is and can be a huge sacrifice to participate as a Board member of a 100% volunteer organization. It is also a huge opportunity to make a valuable contribution to the future of renewable energy in our state.
We are sending this letter to both our existing members and to selected prospective members to ask you to help us find nominees for the Board of Directors. So what is involved to become a Board Member?
- First, the nominee must be a member or become a member of InREA.
- Second, since InREA is a state chapter of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) all members of the Board are required to be or become ASES members.
- Third, Board members are expected to participate in Board of Directors meetings.
Currently, by mutual agreement of the existing Board members, the Board has a monthly conference call and then meets face-to-face quarterly doing a working and strategy sessions to growing the organization. Right now as a 100% volunteer organization serving as a member of the Board is not an honorary position but a commitment to be a working member of the organization.
Clearly it is not intended for the Board to be the only volunteers but instead to provide the leadership and vision for the organization. We need many people from all walks of life-homeowners, teachers, small business owners, electric utilities, elected officials, etc.--to volunteer and participate whether serving on the Board of not.
Since the creation of InREA in 2008, it has been our intent to apply for IRS 501 (c) (3) tax status as a non-profit organization that is tax exempt and tax deductible. We have finally received approval earlier this year from the IRS. So what does that mean? InREA can now apply for grants from foundations as well as receive charitable tax exempt contributions from anyone including YOU. We hope this will allow InREA to gradually transition to a more active and productive association with the addition of some limited paid staff to increase the effectiveness of the Board and the membership by gaining a voice in the advancement of renewable energy in our state.
This transition to the addition of some paid staff is a critical step for our organization and that's why we plan to devote some time during our annual meeting for a presentation and discussion of future options for InREA. We hope to send some specific proposals to you in advance of the Annual Meeting but we welcome your thoughts and ideas for inclusion during this important discussion.
Please send Nominations, including self-nominations to: [email protected] If you are unsure or have questions, please send us an email with your questions or suggestions. If you would prefer, please mail your Nomination to: InREA, P.O. Box 843, Indianapolis, IN 46206. We would then like to request a short biographical paragraph and statement of interest (500 words or less please) plus a recent photograph which can be sent with the Ballot.
See InREA Board of Directors Nomination Guidelines below.
Naturally, if you are nominating someone else, we need their contact information to verify their willingness to be nominated and elected to the Board.
In the meantime, we hope you will share your thoughts and ideas for the vision, mission and strategy for our association. We look forward to hearing from you and hope to see you at the Annual Meeting and COnference next month.
Sincerely,
Board of Directors