UNITY Board Nominations Open Through November 4

UNITY Election Process 

UNITY Youth Development Corporation, commonly referred to as UNITY, is pleased to announce that the 2025 UNITY Elections process begins on October 21, 2024.  

Nominees are selected in October, preceding the elections of the following year. A person can be nominated by a Board member and/or director, UNITY member, or they can nominate themselves for an open Director position. A member must serve on the Board as a Director for at least two years before consideration for an Executive position. 

Members of UNITY, in good standing, meaning no outstanding debt owed to UNITY, will have voting rights to elect termed positions for the Board. Membership is attained through all program registration and all UNITY volunteers in the last year. 

Please review the UNITY handbook and consider getting involved in UNITY by running for an OPEN position on UNITY Board of Directors.  

Send your nominations to UnityThunder2018@gmail.com before the closing date. 

IMPORTANT DEADLINES

Monday, November 4, 2024: Nominations CLOSE! All nominations will be reviewed by the Board, and the qualification process begins by the Executive Board. Nominees will be notified of the nomination, and upon acceptance, the nominees must submit a resume to qualify for the position. Nominees that qualify are notified and asked to submit a short biography and picture by December 8, 2024.  

Monday, December 16, 2024: Find out who qualified and was nominated for each opened UNITY position in the UNITY Newsletter. Only those that qualified and accepted the nomination will move forward in the election process. 

Thursday, January 16, 2025: Voting begins! Electronic voting will be conducted from January 16, 2025 until 11:59 pm on Monday, January 20, 2025. 

Friday, January 24, 2025: Election results will be announced in a special edition of the  UNITY newsletter.

All new incumbents will take their position at the first Board meeting on January 28, 2025.  Those elected members will serve at minimum, a two-year term, and will be opened for elections  in 2027.  

These Board positions are currently open for election. A full list of duties is included in the handbook. Below are highlights:

• The Director of Academic and Community Programs oversees the educational and community development initiatives of UNITY; reports to the Executive Officers all businesses of the program; develops and maintains relationships with key stakeholders and targets, including but not limited to community-based providers and other local/youth advocacy organizations; develops a program that engages the UNITY Youth in fostering their academic skills, and, if of age, earn Student Service Learning (SSL) hours.
• The Director of Athletics upholds and enforces UNITY’s policies; in conjunction with the sports program Commissioner, is the face of UNITY for all sporting events; works with the Director of Operations on all issues pertaining to all programs within the organization; and is responsible for selecting and delegating Commissioners to each UNITY program.
• The Director of Communications oversees the branding and marketing of UNITY; approves all print and internet-based publications of the programs; is responsible for all communicative outlets to all members of UNITY; and approves all disseminated information.
• The Vice President of Program Development is a Board position, but not an Executive Officer position. They are responsible for the operational and overall strategic plan for all program areas; represents UNITY on a local, regional, and national basis; expands revenue generating and fundraising activities to support existing programs and the growth of UNITY; and manages relationships with partner organizations.
• The Bookkeeper works with the Treasurer, recording journal entries of all receipts, payments, and  other financial transactions; filing source documents for such; posting such entries to ledger  accounts; preparing trial balances and performs bank reconciliations; preparing cash flow  statements for review by the Treasurer; and assisting the Treasurer in preparing financial reports.
• The Grant Writer reports directly to the Director of Fundraising; researching, writing, and  coordinating the grant application process; managing proposals; maintaining a donor database;  and preparing documents to secure grant money UNITY is eligible to receive, and maintain  reoccurring eligibility if applicable.
• The At-Large Board Member, or “member-at-large” sits on the Board without a specific role and  serves as a liaison to the general membership. Members-at-large may have various  responsibilities and projects – short or long-term – during their elected two-year term. 

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Nominations for the following positions are open only to current standing board members: President and Secretary. Please review the position  description and nominate a current board member for this position. Please visit About UNITY for the bios of the current Board.

• The President is an Executive Officer for UNITY and will carry out the outlined duties.
  • Work to achieve an overview and vision of the future of the organization.
  • Be the principal officer, and will supervise the business, and affairs of UNITY.
  • Will review overall programs to ensure each age, league, and division is treated equally considering the requirements and needs of each established program.
  • Represent UNITY in the public, and facilitate all UNITY Regular Board Meetings, as well as the Annual Meeting each February.
  • With the assistance of the Parliamentarian, the President will prepare the ballots for February election of officers in January.
  • Receive pre-reports of all UNITY functions to ensure all are within the guidelines and present no conflict of interest. The respective Directors of each program will ensure coordination of their respective functions (i.e., Athletic Director ~ home games; Director of Fundraising ~ fundraising activities; Director of Academics and Community Programs ~ volunteer efforts; etc.) or events (Postseason banquet), and the Directors of such will serve as the quasi-supervisor of said events or functions. The President will receive post reports of all UNITY functions.
  • The President will address all incidents, disputes, and complaints that have been escalated to the Board level, i.e., injuries, misconduct, and violent activities that arose at a UNITY function. The address or response from the President can be in form of a statement made electronically (email) or in a public forum.
  • Maintain youth program oversight, working with the Directors to ensure policies and schedules comply with the organization’s policies.
  • Responsible for signing all legal documents that bind UNITY, along with the Secretary or other proper Board officer authorized to execute such instrument. These instruments are, but not limited to, any deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts, or other instruments which the Board has authorized to be executed.
  • Call for an audit, at any time if the majority of the Board deems it necessary, to be completed by an independent CPA not affiliated with the organization.

• The Secretary is an Executive Officer for UNITY, and in addition to the aforementioned duties, will perform the outlined duties.
  • Document, oversee, and manage all minutes of all Board meetings, and any other duties affiliated with minutes of meetings;
  • Ensure that all Board members are notified of the release of minutes in draft, or final format via any reasonable mode of communication, including e-mail notifications.
  • Maintain the membership database and registration.
  • In the event of the absence or disability of the Secretary, the Board of Directors may designate another Board Member to the perform duties.