Join the AIGA Baltimore Board

AIGA Baltimore is powered by 100% volunteers. Founded in 1988, AIGA Baltimore has over 150 professional, associate, and student members from Baltimore and the surrounding area. Our members represent a variety of professions under the umbrella of communication design, ranging from book and type design to interactive design and experience design.

At AIGA Baltimore, we want our board to represent the diverse community in which we live. We want board members who are dedicated, excited, and passionate about the Baltimore creative community and want to support, amplify, and collaborate with all of the amazing talent that exists within our city.

Board Nominations is an opportunity to nominate individuals (or yourself!) to join the AIGA Baltimore chapter as a board and/or committee member. This year’s nominations will elect the chapter’s next team of executive officers to serve AIGA Baltimore’s community during the 2022–2024 term.

Board Eligibility

• Living in Baltimore or surrounding DMV regions
• Must be at least 18 years old
• Board position: AIGA membership is required
  (Note: Membership is not required when you apply but is required once voted in.)
• Committee position: AIGA membership is not required
• Nominations open: Tuesday, September 6, 9:00 EST–Friday, October 22, Friday, November 18, 11:59 EST (Deadline Extended!)

Not a member? Join today.

Board Requirements

Joining the AIGA Baltimore Board is a two-year commitment. Board members have the option to stay on longer than 2 years and have the opportunity to switch to different positions. Specific responsibilities vary by role, but, board members are expected to:

• Be (or become) members of AIGA members in good standing at any level. It’s important to note that AIGA’s National staff will work with members to break it up into monthly payments or provide support for board members who would like to serve but are unable to meet the cost of higher membership levels. If you want more information, reach out to Karen (karen_kiell@aiga.org).
• Attend all required planning retreats and monthly board meetings.
• Attend all major events. (board members get to attend most events for free!)
• Be communicative and responsive! Time commitment varies by role and season, but we recommend applying if you are comfortable committing to 5 hours per week. We use Slack and email. Feel free to join our Slack group at any time.

Nomination Process

1. Review the open positions and descriptions. Choose a position you might be interested in.
2. Apply via our nomination form. You can nominate yourself or someone else!
3. After submissions close, the AIGA Baltimore board will review submissions and the applicants.
4. AIGA Baltimore board will hold applicant interviews throughout November.
5. Chapter slate vote: The slate of nominees will be approved by the current board and nominee committee. The chapter slate will then be presented to all AIGA Baltimore members for a majority vote election.
6. Term start: Elected candidates will be onboarded and new board/committee members will begin their term on January 1, 2022.

Open Positions & Responsibilities

Incoming President
President term begins July 1, 2023

The President focuses on the vision and direction of the Board of Directors and the chapter. The President is the primary contact between the chapter and the national office. The President shares responsibilities with the Vice-President for running board meetings and keeping the board focused on its mission and objectives.

• Assures the chapter pursues its mission consistently
• Ensures accountability of the chapter to the interests of the members
• Provides mentorship for board members
• Communicates the National agenda to the local chapter
• Participate in monthly Presidents’ Council conference call
• Responsible for maintaining and communicating the chapter charter and bylaws

Vice President
The Vice President works directly with the President in maintaining the vision and direction of the Board of Directors and the chapter. The Vice President shares responsibilities with the President for running board meetings and keeping the board focused on its mission and objectives.

• Assures the chapter pursues its mission consistently
• Ensures accountability of the chapter to the interests of the members
• Provides mentorship for board members
• Works with Treasurer to file the annual report with AIGA National
• Assists President in updating chapter bylaws, setting policies, and managing operations

Membership Chair
Must love people! The ability to build relationships and foster connections with our members is required. Having a passion for spreading design love is also a huge plus.

• Developing at least one “members only” event
• Creating and managing distribution of a welcome packet (digital or printed) to new members
• Reaching out to members whose memberships have expired or are up for renewal
• Developing ways to increase and retain our membership

Treasurer
The Treasurer oversees the chapter’s financial resources including financial planning and regular reporting.

• Keeps financial records in good standing through bookkeeping, managing accounts, preparing financial reports for the chapter, AIGA National, the state of Maryland (if required), and the IRS
• Keeper of physical records, including 990 forms, insurance policies, tax-exempt documentation, etc.
• Works with Vice-President to prepare and file the annual report with AIGA National
• Prepares financial reports monthly for the board, including a summary of banking activities and balances, deposits, expenses paid, etc.
• Establishes and maintains annual budgets with each director

Programming Director + Chairs
Must love planning! Attention to detail and top-notch time management skills are a must. You should also be able to juggle multiple event issues at once: budget, venue, catering, promotions, speakers, volunteers, etc.

• Generating ideas for and planning two large-scale special events each year
• Ensuring events are attractive to members and add value to their memberships
• Collaborating with other board members on their event needs

Community Partnership Chair
Do you strike up conversations with strangers in the check-out line? We’re looking for someone who loves to meet new people and is passionate about building relationships. A strong belief in the purpose and vision of AIGA is an absolute must, as is the ability to articulate the importance of design.

• Building relationships within Baltimore’s greater creative community, including individuals, professional organizations, and businesses
• Identifying potential collaborators, partners, and sponsors for AIGA Baltimore’s various events and initiatives
• Ensuring that collaborators, partners, and sponsors are acknowledged and thanked for their contributions

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Chair
Are you passionate about social impact, and looking for a platform from which to make a difference? Our board is fully committed to developing and maintaining an inclusive environment for creatives of all flavors and advocating for marginalized groups in the Baltimore creative community. If you’d like to help us with these efforts, we want to hear from you.

• Researching and recommending inclusive practices for AIGA Baltimore’s various events and initiatives
• Working with our Programming and Communications teams to create content and experiences that celebrate and appeal to the diverse community of Baltimore
• Maintaining partnerships locally and nationally with organizations and individuals to elevate our impact

Education Director + Chairs
You know that a mind is a terrible thing to waste—especially a creative one! And you know that today’s design students are tomorrow’s thought leaders. Ensuring that the next generation of designers gets the support it needs from AIGA will be your number one priority.

• Establishing relationships with student group leaders and acting as a liaison between AIGA Baltimore and Student Groups
• Organizing events and initiatives directed to students, including the annual Ink & Pixels student conference in April and Flux Student Design Competition in the Fall
• Organizing programming fostering professional development for non-students

Communications Chairs
Do you love content strategy and social media? Do you live to write and write to live? Are your proofreading skills bulletproof? Then we want you to be one of our resident wordsmiths!

• Writing and editing copy for events/initiatives, blog posts, social media, and emails as needed
• Attending an occasional chapter event to manage social media coverage, taking event pictures and publishing posts to the Chapter’s social media streams
• Assisting the Communications Director and working with volunteers to ensure quality communications are produced in a timely manner
• Ensuring that materials are aligned with Chapter guidelines and proofread prior to release

Interactive Web Chair
Total web geek. Must love coding pixels to perfection. <strong>Strong organizational and time management skills are essential, along with a love to collaborate with other board members and volunteers. You will be responsible for maintaining AIGA Baltimore’s web presence and working on web projects, including:

• Chapter website updates and feature projects (using WordPress, HTML, CSS [maybe some PHP, Javascript, and SASS, as needed]
• Microsite design & development (as needed)

Ready to apply your talents to benefit the creative community in Baltimore? Fill out this form to apply or to nominate someone you know!