Managing Board · founding board members

11 founding seats. $25,000 each.

The Managing Board is the layer that holds NAR accountable. Founding board members ratify bylaws changes, approve mass communications, and set the data-usage policy. Each seat carries one vote. The role is a 4-year term, re-electable by managing-board majority, with self-resignation possible at any time.

Book an exploratory call Read the requirements

Or submit a written application — same review, no call required.

The role

What founding board members do.

The Managing Board is structurally above the Executive Board. Until the 11 founding seats fill, the eight founders carry both layers. Once seats fill, founding board members take over the oversight role and the executive board returns to operations.

Sensitive actions — anything that touches the entire registry, the bylaws, the data-usage policy, the dissolution path — require Managing Board approval. See the decision rules for the full schedule of thresholds.

Founding Board Member · Role Summary

Contribution: $25,000 founding contribution. Tax-deductible per 501(c)(3) status.
Term: Indefinite. Self-resignation at any time, no questions asked. Removal requires documented cause per bylaws Article V.
Cadence: Quarterly meetings. Async voting on time-sensitive actions. Annual public-facing report.
Vote: One vote per seat on every Managing Board action. Two-of-N approval gates most sensitive operations; sticky provisions require unanimity.
Fiduciary duty: Yes. Duty of care, loyalty, obedience. Must file an initial COI disclosure and update annually. Personal political activity is constrained per IRS 501(c)(3) rules — see Article VII.
Recognition: Founding Board Member status is a 4-year term, re-electable. Named publicly on /governance and in the org's filings. Can resign at any time or be removed for cause.

Who qualifies

Money alone doesn't get you a seat.

The Managing Board is not auctioned. The $25K floor exists to ensure every founding board member has skin in the game; it doesn't replace vetting. Every applicant is evaluated against four criteria, all of which have to land:

Mission alignment

You believe a community-led count of Albanian Americans is the right move at this moment in history. You're not here to redirect the org toward a narrower agenda.
Network, influence, or resources

At least one of: a community network NAR can't reach without you; public stature that carries weight; or capital and infrastructure that meaningfully accelerate the work. Two of three is stronger; all three is rare.
Clean fiduciary record

No active SEC bars, IRS sanctions, or material litigation that would cloud the org's reputation. Standard nonprofit-board diligence — same as a major hospital or museum board.
Apolitical posture toward the org's work

Your personal political activity is yours; the role you take inside NAR cannot be partisan. Active candidates, party officers, and partisan endorsement holders are routed to /advisory instead — same vote, no fiduciary duty, no contribution.

What this seat is not

Honest expectations.

Not an executive role. The Managing Board oversees; it doesn't run operations. The eight founders run operations.
Not unilateral authority. Every consequential action is gated by 2-of-N approvals. No founding board member can bypass the others.
Not a marketing channel. Public statements naming any founding board member require their consent and 2-admin approval; the seat doesn't come with a megaphone.
Not refundable. The $25K is a charitable contribution to a 501(c)(3); the org cannot return it under IRS rules.

How applying works

No form. A conversation.

$25K commitments don't fit a web form. The path is:

01

Book a 30-minute call

Direct line to Ervin. Honest conversation about what you'd bring, what we'd ask of you, and whether the fit is real. No commitment from either side.
02

Submit a credentials packet

Bio, professional record, references, COI disclosure, and any litigation/regulatory history. We do standard board-level diligence.
03

Board reviews + 2-of-N votes to admit

Two existing admins must approve. Confirmation goes through the standard admin_invite action with documented rationale, public on the governance audit log.
04

Sign + wire

Intent letter, COI policy acknowledgment, and the $25K wire to the org's Cash Management account. Seat activates on receipt.

Take the first step.

Book the 30-minute exploratory call, or apply in writing — same review either way.

Book the call Apply in writing

Or consider the advisory board — same vote on policy items, no contribution required.