NASW Chapters Find a chapter Select Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut DC Metro Delaware Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana International Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York New York City North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

• Special Features
  • Call for Nominations for FY 2014-15 National Elected Leadership Positions
  • Online Application
  • Vacancies For Elected Positions
  • Position Descriptions
  • Desired Qualities And Skills
  • Electorial Regions Map
  • NCNLI Contact Information

Desired Qualities And Skills For NASW Board Members And Volunteer Leaders 

Prospective NASW Leaders should:

• Want to make a contribution to the Association and society.
• Know and relate strongly to the organization’s mission, purposes, goals, policies, programs, services, strengths, and needs.
• Have expertise or knowledge in organizational and financial management.
• Have expertise in a particular method or field of social work practice.
• Have expertise or an interest in fundraising and a willingness to support fundraising efforts.
  • Commit to perform duties of Board membership responsibility and conform to the level of competence expected from Board members as outlined in the fundamental duties that apply to nonprofit Board members:
  • To serve the organization as a whole rather than any special interest group or constituency and to exercise power in the interest of the Association and not in their own interest or the interest entity or person.
• To participate in the decisions of the Board and be well informed as to data relevant to discussions.
• Exercise leadership and undertake special assignments willingly and enthusiastically
• Maintain confidentiality of the Board’s executive sessions, and speak for the Board or Association only when authorized to do so.
• Maintain independence and objectivity and execute responsibilities with a sense of fairness, ethics, and personal integrity, even though not necessarily obliged to do so by law, regulation, Code of Ethics, or custom.
• Demonstrate:
  • Sensitivity to member/stakeholder views
  • Foresight about the Association/profession/issues areas.
  • Insight into the capacity and strategic position of the Association.
  • Awareness of ethical implications.
  • Be visionary and analytical; bring a broad perspective; motivate others; and provide a spirit of collaboration and teamwork in furthering the goals of the Association.

Nominees for Leadership Must be Prepared to:

• Devote the necessary time for meetings
• Travel to essential NASW activities
• Speak to media (or learn to do so)
• Recruit members for the Association
• Read and respond to materials, reports, analyses of the Association
• Work with people with diverse points of view and life experiences

Adapted from the Guidebook for Directors of Nonprofit Corporations, Section on Business Law/American Bar Association, Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards (NCNB), and materials by Ellen Cochran Hirzy and Glenn Tecker made available by NCNB.

• 
• 
• Search