TriPride Board Member Application

TriPride is now seeking applications from the community for board positions! The Tri-Cities community is diverse and talented in so many ways, and we seek to have that reflected on our board. We want to extend the opportunity to you, our community, to get involved in a leadership role and help us continue to bring our annual TriPride Parade & Festival to the Tri-Cities! Also, while we do seek to keep a majority of our board as members of the LGBTQ+ community, we also would love to have straight allies join us.

TriPride is a registered 501(c)(3) and consists of our board of directors, an executive committee, subcommittees and numerous volunteers. We’re all governed by our bylaws. It takes all of us working together as a team to make this idea work.

For those interested in and able to help continue our mission of building bridges between the community and bringing Pride to the Tri-Cities, we ask you to submit a short cover letter telling us why you want to get involved, along with a short resume detailing relevant experiences, skills, and any current organization affiliations. In some cases, we’re looking for individuals with specific skill sets to help us. With others we are looking for generalists who can fill in a variety of roles.

Our board is an active board. We are in the community, showing up to events throughout the year and especially for our event. We do the work that needs doing.

Once the existing board reviews your information, we’ll schedule some time to chat in the next few weeks so we can continue the conversation and answer any questions you may have. We’re so excited for our next chapter and for the wonderful people who will be joining us to write it. Talk soon!

The mission of TriPride is to organize a free annual event: The Tri-Cities Pride Parade and Festival, which serves our underlining cause to build a stronger and more inclusive community across Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. This will be a collaborative celebration, partnering with local businesses, organizations, and area institutions. The event will be a celebration of which the entire spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies can be proud, supported and engaged. The event is intended to promote inclusion, equality, and self-empowerment, fostering a stronger sense of community and belonging. The event will include entertainment, educational, cultural, and informational components.

We wrote this to give interested community members some scope of the responsibilities and expectations. If you’re interested in a role but feel that the scope should shift some or expand based on your interest and skills, let us know and we can work with you. It doesn’t cover everything, but if you’re still interested in having a conversation with us after reading through, we’d love to do it! We can do this work because of generous community support, so thank you! We can’t do this without you!

  • Due to the nature of our event and the work it requires, we need board members to be at least 21 years old.
  • All board members are volunteers and no board member is paid or receives any type of compensation.
  • Board members sign up for a two-year term, and may seek to renew their position for an additional two terms before having to step down for at least a year.
  • TriPride’s board meets monthly. Usually, the 2nd Sunday of each month. We prefer to meet in person as that facilitates the best conversations. We require members to join at least 9 out of 12 meetings, with the last three meetings before the Parade and Festival mandatory and in-person (unless some emergency pops up, then we will make it work). We also encourage board members to join our additional monthly Planning Committee meetings, where we work with the community on ideas, volunteer opportunities, building connections, and more!
  • TriPride tries to host monthly events, we table at other pride festivals, festivals and other events throughout the year. We do ask that everyone tries to help with those events as well. It takes a village so we need everyone to help out the best they can.
  • The President and the Vice President will always be the Festival Committee Chair or the Parade Committee Chair. Other board members may be, and are encouraged to be, co-chairs of those two primary committees.
  • Other large endeavors/committees, such as Entertainment and Fundraising, are encouraged to have co-chairs, though are not required. Board members should anticipate a larger workload of 15-20+ hours per week during the two-three weeks leading up to our annual TriPride Parade & Festival. On the day before the event and the day of the event, board members are required to be present and working. It’s two very long but worthwhile days. It takes all of us, plus our incredible volunteers, to make the event successfully happen.
  • If you have been convicted of a felony or a serious misdemeanor, you are required to disclose that to the board upon your application. We don’t care about a parking or speeding ticket. We do care about other things. Use common sense and if there is a doubt, just let us know.
  • A major part of being on the Board of Directors is creating community and fundraising events. Board Members see their impact on the community by creating and attending these events throughout the year. Participation is key to TriPride’s continued success.
  • Creating the Parade and Festival, and the community events throughout the year, is a team effort. Everyone has a role to play and is expected to bring thoughts, actions and resources to the table. Everyone works together on these creative endeavors to make TriPride happen. Being a responsible member of a non-profit means being responsible for all aspects of the non-profit. We work to ensure egos don’t get in the way.
  • As a board member, interaction with the public means interacting with our community. All board members are expected to do so with respect and responsibility. Although public speaking may not be a personality trait for all, as an organization supported by, for and of the community, we all need to be able to publicly represent the organization to the best of our abilities.
  1. I will interpret the organization’s work and values to the community and promote the organization and events.
  2. I will attend 9 out of 12 monthly board meetings (to be held on the 2nd Sunday of each month from 3 – 5pm).
  3. I will attend the monthly Planning Committee meetings as they are organized to the best of my ability.
  4. I will actively participate in at least one fundraiser.
  5. I will actively participate in at least one subcommittee.
  6. I will actively participate in TriPride events.
  7. I will act in the best interests of the organization, including on personal social media, and will excuse myself from discussions and votes where I have a conflict of interest.
  8. I will stay informed about what’s going on in the organization. I will ask questions and request information. I will participate in and take responsibility for making decisions on issues, policies, and other board matters.
  9. I will work in good faith with board members and volunteers as partners towards achievement of our goals.