Anyone who lives in a rural community knows the value of volunteer boards, and how important it is that those who serve on them know how to run them effectively.
Board members for organizations large and small are regularly in high demand, and those who accept these jobs, will often attest to the benefits of being involved in something that matters to them.
But serving on a board can also be perceived as daunting, and be a role otherwise skilled people with much to contribute may avoid.
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That’s where two upcoming risk management seminars coming to Carman and Brandon in early March aim to help.
Manitoba Agriculture Rural Leadership Specialists have worked with agricultural groups to design the seminars, with the roles and responsibilities of board members one of the topic areas covered.
Robert Ermel, manager (boards) with Manitoba Agriculture, covers that area with a presentation on matters such as general duties, codes of conduct, and conflict of interest and more.
What he hopes to help people see is that board service is “a common sense role,” he said.
No one need be afraid to serve on a board so long as they take time to read an organization’s background documents, such as its policies and by-laws, and familiarize themselves with the organization, he said.
Job descriptions for board members are also helpful and informative, and board without these might want to consider developing them, he notes.
Other speaker’s topics include parliamentary procedures, foundational documents, understanding financial statements, insurance, protecting and storing documents and various legal considerations pertaining to these matters.
They developed these seminars to help build capacity of rural and agricultural organizations, said Cathey Day, Industry Leadership manager with Manitoba Agriculture. These are areas people are seeking expertise in.
“We recognize that there is lots of capacity in the industry in Manitoba, but there’s also lots of demand in terms of leadership, and building leadership skills and building confidence for really high functioning,” she said.
These seminars were also held last fall and response was very good, said Day.
“We had a wide variety of responses, from large commodity groups attending, and smaller groups that operate with volunteers,” she said.
The seminars will held in Carman on March 6 and Brandon March 7. To register by March 1 contact (204)641-4133 or email [email protected].
