The Department of Imaginary Affairs (DIA) is seeking individuals to join our Board of Directors. We are looking for folks who are eager to invest in our vision, to learn alongside us, and to be our greatest champions.
We are seeking up to 3 new board members who are interested and invested in making a shift towards more equitable futures and have the capacity, energy, and experience to join our board.
Our Origin Story
The Department of Imaginary Affairs was founded in 2015 by Jennifer Chan and Blair Francey, and incorporated in 2017. In a short time, we have grown so much as an organization. We started with a question — what would Canada look like if policies, programs and services were designed with as much imagination as our youngest citizens have? We thought we would stay small and operate as a hyper-local community space invested in one community at a time.
But with the insight and advice of our founding board members, they pushed us to think bigger and aim for more.
Our Mission and Vision
Our work is focused on contributing to the evolving definition of what it means to be Canadian from new and developing Canadians. We are invested in hearing, elevating and amplifying the voices, perspectives, and stories of newcomers and young people in Canada and their visions of alternative and equitable futures. We believe that newcomers and young people make up a majority population in Canada who are under-represented when it comes to the design, development, and implementation of empathetic policies, programs, and services.
What it means to be on our Board
As a Board Member of the DIA, you will be joining a group of dedicated, knowledgeable, and uniquely suited individuals who believe in our potential and work to help us make it happen. Our board members trust our small but mighty staff team to lead our day-to-day operations and, in turn, support our organization to strive for what’s next. Our board contributes to our strategic direction, partnership brokering, knowledge sharing, fundraising, governance, and program advice.
Our board of directors contribute 40 – 50 hours annually by attending quarterly board meetings, committee meetings, and board retreats. Our board members sign 3-year terms, with an annual evaluation to ensure the relationship is mutually beneficial.
The Department of Imaginary Affairs currently operates out of Toronto. While we currently meet virtually for our board meetings, ideally we will be able to meet physically in the future for meetings and retreats. Accordingly, priority will be given to applicants who can make themselves available to attend those meetings in-person.
We are looking for individuals who align with our mission and vision and are eager to invest in our future. We are looking for community-minded changemakers who are committed to contributing to creating more equitable futures for every person in Canada. We recognize that this commitment will look different for each person depending on where they are in their own journey.
The Department of Imaginary Affairs is committed to equity, inclusion, anti-oppression, and anti-racism. This is work that is ongoing and we are still on a very active learning journey, and we are looking for board members who are open to being on that journey with us. We are seeking and placing priority on engaging qualified applicants who identify as Black, Indigenous, Persons of Colour, Persons with Disabilities, and/or Persons across the spectrum of sexual orientation and gender identities.
This is not just boilerplate text for us — this is a part of our own ongoing learning, unlearning, and relearning. We are seeking board members who are eager to join us on this path.
Board Member must-haves:
- A passion for knowing or learning nonprofit governance, law, finances, fundraising, and grant writing
- A drive to be critical about power and systems — and to reimagine what’s possible
- An openness to be a champion, connector, and ambassador for the work we do
- An ability to be vulnerable regarding power and privilege
- An appreciation for asking hard questions and chasing solutions
If you are still reading, we hope you will consider sharing a bit about yourself with us. To express interest, please share with us the following information:
- A resume and/or CV or your LinkedIn profile or online portfolio;
- A brief statement about why you are curious to learn more about being a board member with the DIA and what you have to offer, and;
- A story about what you imagine Canada to look like 50 years from now
Expressions of interest will be accepted until December 20th, 11:59pm. Please send your expression of interest to Jennifer Chan at jenn@dia.space with the subject line re: Board Member. We are seeking up to 3 board members to help us grow through our next chapter as an organization.