Volunteer Job Description
Board of Directors
President
Published on 08/11/2025
Mission and Vision Statements
Our mission is to make an education in Motion Design / Animation more accessible to everyone. We are working to remove barriers of location, cost, and accessibility to enable more people who want to learn Motion Design the opportunity to do so. By removing these barriers, we want to move the needle on creating a more diverse and inclusive creative industry.
Our Vision is to build training programs unlike anything available to Motion Designers, both aspiring and current professionals, without putting the burden of debt for training onto them. We want an industry that fosters upcoming talent and creates opportunity for growth by investing in educating its future.
Position Summary
As a volunteer member of Gunner School’s Board of Directors you will have the opportunity to shape the future of our organization. We are looking for people who are passionate about building our school and assisting with creating a stable financial foundation for our organization to grow and thrive. We expect a commitment of 10 hours per month, with bi-monthly meetings while we work towards these important goals of stability and growth. Our Board Members are expected to use their professional expertise to assist with committees and other organizational duties on a voluntary basis. Members of our board are not financially compensated for their time, and this position is strictly voluntary.
The President of the Board of Directors provides leadership, direction, and oversight to support the mission of the organization to provide free training to aspiring and established Motion Designers. You will work in partnership with the Executive Director and fellow board members to ensure the organization thrives both programmatically and financially.
Position Responsibilities
Leadership and Mission Alignment
Champion the organization’s mission to make an Education in Motion Design more accessible to everyone.
Foster a culture of equity, creativity, and learning within the board and the organization at large.
Ensure that board decisions support and amplify the organization's goals.
Board Management
Lead board meetings, promoting meaningful discussion, strategic focus, and timely decision-making.
Collaborate with the Executive Director to develop meeting agendas that reflect current priorities in programming, community engagement, and fundraising.
Oversee the maintenance of clear records (minutes, votes, resolutions) and uphold the board’s fiduciary and legal responsibilities.
Executive Partnership
Serve as the primary liaison between the board and the Executive Director.
Support and evaluate the Executive Director, providing constructive feedback and guidance, especially in areas of programming, staffing, and public visibility.
Help navigate challenges unique to our school model, such as funding for programs and providing positive outcomes for alumni.
Strategic Oversight
Guide long-term strategic planning, ensuring that growth and educational impact remain central to the organization’s direction.
Encourage partnerships with businesses, schools, animators, artists, teaching institutions, and cultural organizations, both in Detroit and globally.
Board Development and Engagement
Lead the recruitment and onboarding of board members with a passion for our mission, ensuring diversity in perspective and experience.
Set expectations for board participation in fundraising, advocacy, and program support.
Facilitate annual board self-assessment and individual member accountability.
Mentor and empower future board leaders with a deep understanding of the organization’s culture and purpose.
Advocacy and Public Presence
Serve as a key ambassador for the organization, representing it at events alongside the Executive Director.
Build relationships with donors, grantmakers, industry educators, businesses, and civic leaders.
Support the development of messaging that highlights the organization’s impact on the Motion Design community.
Financial Stewardship
Oversee the organization’s financial health in collaboration with the Treasurer and Executive Director.
Support efforts to secure funding through grants, sponsorships, donor cultivation, and fundraising campaigns.
Ensure that resources are allocated to support the mission and vision of the organization.
Collective Board Responsibilities
As the governing body of Gunner School, the board is collectively responsible for:
Strategic Planning: Determine the organization’s mission and purpose; approve overarching goals and objectives of all programs; monitor achievements and outcomes against those established goals.
Financial Accountability: Ensure that the organization is properly managed, that financial control systems are in place, and that proper judgment is used in all business and financial transactions.
Fund Development: Approve fund development goals and plans; participate in fundraising activities, especially in regard to identification and cultivation of prospective donors.
Public Relations: Work to advance the public image of the organization.
Appraising the Executive Director: Select, support and conduct an annual performance review of the Executive Director.
Maintaining the Board: Select, recruit, and nurture new board members; develop and review the performance of board members; and assess its meetings and own performance as a board.
Individual Responsibilities:
In order to achieve these collective responsibilities, all individual board members will be asked to:
Attend a one hour orientation session upon election.
Attend no less than 75% of regular board meetings. Currently, the board meets bi-monthly. This frequency can change in the future as the organization grows and stabilizes. If a board member is absent from three consecutive regular meetings without excuse, that position on the board may be declared vacant by the President.
Prepare for board meetings in advance by reviewing the pre-distributed materials in order to facilitate the board’s approval of a consent agenda.
Review board updates, which are distributed during months without a board meeting.
Serve on at least one standing committee (Fundraising, Financial Review & Audit).
Make introductions to prospective donors.
Secure their businesses’ contribution to the annual campaign (if applicable).
Attends major organizational sponsored events (e.g. Student Showcase, fundraising events);
Make a personally significant contribution to the Fund’s annual campaign;
Identify and disclose any potential conflicts of interest;
Respect the confidentiality of organizational information;
Assist with special projects as requested by the chairperson or executive director.
Term of Service
3 years (with the option of serving an additional 3 year term, if so desired).
Average Time Commitment
10 Hours per Month
Location
You must be in the United States to apply for this position. Candidates from the Metro-Detroit area are preferred, non-local candidates with a passion for our organization’s mission along with experience serving on a Board of Directors, or similar organizational experience, will be considered.
How to Apply
Please send a resume and short cover letter detailing relevant experience, volunteerism, and interest in this position to info@gunner.school.
The subject of your email should be YOUR NAME - Board President Position
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.