Pain BC is looking for new board members Pain BC exists to enhance the lives of all people living with pain through empowerment, care, education and innovation. We’re looking for people to join our board of directors and help advance our mission by providing objective oversight, thoughtful guidance, constructive challenge and a diversity of perspectives. The organization is in an exciting period of growth with Pain Canada, our national action network.
About you
You have an affinity for Pain BC’s mission: perhaps you live with pain, love or care for someone who does, or are excited to contribute to our work. You will help our board reflect the communities we serve and work with, including Indigenous and racialized people, newcomers to Canada and refugees, people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds, people with varied abilities, and people living with addiction and mental health conditions. You share our passion for ensuring a diversity of ideas and thinking around the board table. You might be a seasoned board director with deep governance experience. Or you might be new to board work and ready to learn and contribute your own passion and expertise. You’re a team player and collaborator who is energized by constructive dialogue and discussion. You’re also a critical thinker and clear communicator.
About us
Pain BC’s board is a group of individuals from across the province. We come from diverse backgrounds - professionally and personally - and many of us live with chronic pain. Collectively, we have expertise in the health care sector, in organizational leadership and strategy, in finance, communications, fundraising and much more. You can find our bios here.
We are especially looking to bolster our collective expertise in human resources & equity, fundraising or philanthropy, and/or the legal sector - but we are interested in hearing from anyone who would like to contribute to our mission and governance.
Pain BC aims to:
- Prevent persistent pain and intervene early to reduce its impacts
- Empower people who live with pain to enhance wellbeing
- Educate health care providers to better assess and manage pain
- Improve the systems that impact people in pain, communities and society
- Combat stigma and its negative effects
- Foster research on pain and pain-related disability
What it's like on the board
Our board meets six times a year, in the evenings. Meetings are a mix of virtual and in-person. Board directors are expected to prepare for and attend meetings, and to join at least one of the board’s committees or working groups. Committees and working groups usually meet virtually between four to six times per year. We will work with you to make sure that you can focus on those areas in which you have interest and expertise; and to make sure you have the training and resources you need to contribute. The board’s key responsibilities include:
- Developing and approving the organization’s strategic plan, including the vision, mission, core values and priorities
- Monitoring and evaluating the progress of the organization in achieving its mission and strategic plan, and making changes to the strategic plan when required
- Approving the annual operational plan in alignment with the strategic priorities
- Developing and approving Board policies to ensure good governance, and to guide the actions of Board members, committee members and the Executive Director
- Hiring, supporting, continually and annually evaluating the performance of the Executive Director
- Actively helping to build diverse and sustainable revenue that can adequately support the work of the organization
- Approving the annual budget of the organization and longer-term financial forecasts
- Regularly reviewing the organization’s financial performance and position Facilitating relationships and building external connections that are key to furthering Pain BC’s vision, mission and key strategies
- Being an ambassador for Pain BC in many different settings, including local communities, public agencies, other non-profit organizations and private businesses
- Assessing and helping to address significant risk issues that may impact Pain BC
Our core values
Pain BC is committed to:
- Compassion: Recognizing that access to pain treatment is a human right and that people living with pain must be treated with compassion
- Collaboration: Working in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders to mobilize action and resources to reduce the burden of pain
- Excellence: Committing to achieving excellence in all of the activities of the organization
- Innovation: Creating new ideas, behaviours, technologies, and approaches to reduce the burden of pain
- Integrity: Acting with and valuing honesty, trustworthiness, transparency, and accountability
- Respect: Respecting the dignity and rights of all people served by the organization, including donors, volunteers, staff, Board members, and partners
- Equity: Recognizing that pain disproportionately impacts people who experience various forms of marginalization and advancing an equity oriented approach
- Inclusivity: Actively working towards inclusivity and welcoming all people regardless of age, gender, disability, race or cultural background, language, gender identity and sexual orientation
Next steps
For more information, please contact us at info@painbc.ca. We look forward to hearing from you!