Managing Board · founding directors
11 founding seats. $25,000 each.
The Managing Board is the layer that holds NAR accountable. Founding directors ratify bylaws changes, approve mass communications, and set the data-usage policy. Each seat carries one vote. The role is held for life or until self-resignation.
The role
What founding directors 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 directors 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 Director · 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-director status is permanent. Named publicly on /governance and in the org's filings. The role is held for life unless resigned or 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 director has skin in the game; it doesn't replace vetting. Every applicant is evaluated against four criteria, all of which have to land:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 director can bypass the others.
- Not a marketing channel. Public statements naming any founding director 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_inviteaction 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. If the fit is wrong, we'll say so on the call — no awkward email follow-ups.