Become a member of our Board of Directors

What is PAUSE?

PAUSE is an organization dedicated to supporting Communities of Color through grief and end of life with safe, culturally-sensitive, and expert-informed resources.  

PAUSE envisions spaces that:

  1. Provide educational and community-driven resources (i.e. native written content, native video content, native audio content, original event content, original trainings, engagements, etc.)  about grief and end of life, all created by and for People of Color. 

  2. Engage companies and their leadership with educational and supportive resources (i.e. custom workshops, custom written content, policy audits, etc.) built to support employees who are People of Color.

  3. Engage end-of-life professionals, leaders, and related industries in the advocacy of health equity and equity in death for People of Color (i.e. connects grief, mental health, end-of-life service providers, and deathcare professionals (doulas, hospices, and spiritual leaders) to People of Color seeking these services).

  4. Diversify existing grief and end-of-life resources and materials available to healthcare providers, corporate businesses, etc.

  5. Explore systems for diversifying where financial resources go for POC end-of-life leaders and businesses 

Your Role as a PAUSE Board of Directors Member

PAUSE’s inaugural Board of Directors will support the growth and development of this incredible new startup. The Board of Directors will ultimately provide mission-based leadership and strategic governance, and ensure the financial sustainability of the organization over time. While day-to-day operations are led by Executive Director, Alica Forneret, the Board-ED relationship is a partnership, and timely and appropriate involvement of the Board is both critical and expected.  Specific Board Member responsibilities include:

 Leadership, Governance, and Oversight

  • Ensure PAUSE’s commitment to a diverse board and staff that reflect the communities PAUSE serves;

  • Review and approve PAUSE’s annual budget, audit reports, and material business decisions; be informed of, and meet all, legal and fiduciary responsibilities;

  • Partner with the Executive Director and other Board Members  to ensure that board resolutions are carried out;

  • Help set and regularly review outcomes and metrics for evaluating PAUSE’s impact and effectiveness;

  • Review agenda and supporting materials before board and committee meetings;

  • Serve on committees or task forces and/or take on special assignments. Committees include Finance/Audit, Resource Development (Fundraising, marketing, partnerships), Governance & Board Development, Technology, and the Executive Committee (for board officers).

Board Terms and Meeting Schedule

  • PAUSE’s directors will serve 2-year terms and will be eligible for re-appointment without limit;

  • PAUSE’s board has a schedule of four regular meetings each year.  Three are arranged as Zoom calls for 90 minutes, and, public health conditions permitting, there is an annual meeting in Los Angeles to which directors are encouraged to attend in person;

  • Additional consultations/meetings may be scheduled throughout the year as needs arise.

Fundraising, Marketing, and PR

  • Represent PAUSE to stakeholders; act as an ambassador for the organization;

  • Actively participate in fundraising activities by making introductions and conducting solicitations where appropriate;

  • Consider PAUSE a personal philanthropic priority and give/get an annual contribution at a minimum of $2,500; Directors with greater capacity are encouraged to give at a level that is meaningful to you.

Qualifications and Experience

Service on the PAUSE Board is an extraordinary opportunity for an individual who is passionate about PAUSE’s mission. Directors should be individuals who have achieved leadership status in their professional fields and/or voluntary endeavors. His/her/their accomplishments will allow him/her/them to attract other well-qualified and exceptional Directors.

  • PAUSE’s Board - both in composition and in personal dedication - will reflect our organization’s deep commitment to inclusion, equity, diversity, and access, across age, ethnicity,  and race, class, sexual orientation, disability, and geography.

  • PAUSE Directors will give generously of their expertise as needed in one or more of the following areas:

o   Finance

o   Development/Fundraising 

o   Legal

o   Communications/Marketing

o   Business Development

o   Tech/IT 

o   Design

o   Non-Profit Board experience

  • PAUSE Directors will understand that to ensure PAUSE’s viability in the years to come, we will look to our Directors to help build and ensure PAUSE’s sustainable future, through their significant financial contributions and/or their ability to bring in funds from other sources;

  • PAUSE Directors will demonstrate significant accomplishment in business, government, philanthropy, healthcare, media, the arts, or the nonprofit sector;

  • PAUSE Directors will demonstrate diplomatic skills and a natural affinity for cultivating relationships and persuading, convening, facilitating, and building consensus among diverse individuals;

  • PAUSE Directors will exemplify personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a passion for improving the lives of PAUSE’s beneficiaries.

  • Service on PAUSE’s Board of Directors is without remuneration, although administrative support, travel reimbursement, and accommodations may be provided for certain Board Member tasks as agreed upon in advance of undertaking the activity.