Trustees are expected to:

1. Understand SPACE’s mission, values, and goals, and commit to upholding them.

2. Attend all quarterly meetings of the Board of Directors, bringing their expertise, curiosity and passion to Board discussions and deliberations.

3. Serve on at least one Board committee, attending all committee meetings throughout the year (typically four annually).

4. Read and be familiar with materials sent in advance of Board and committee meetings. Doing so will support productive meetings and clear communication and ensure that both staff and board time is respected.

5. Make at least one visit to the farm property annually. While SPACE is more than the land it currently resides on, a connection to the physical place is essential for all Trustees.

6. Act with care and loyalty to the long-term interests of the organizations as a whole, rather than the specific interests of a particular resident or constituency.

7. Keep Board deliberations, decisions and materials strictly confidential. Every Board member deserves to feel secure and safe in their work together.

8. Contribute direct financial support to the organization. All Trustees contribute an annual gift that is individually meaningful, based on their personal resources and discretion. 100% Board participation in giving, regardless of individual amounts, is necessary for SPACE to make the case for support to major donors and grantors. Trustees are expected to make supporting SPACE one of their top philanthropic priorities, both through direct giving and cultivating/soliciting partnerships with organizations, foundations, or individuals aligned with SPACE’s mission.

9. Be a true ambassador for SPACE by being familiar with the organization’s programming and event calendar and invite colleagues, friends, and professional contacts to visit the farm and/or attend SPACE events.

a) Attend or support SPACE events each year in person. Encourage relevant contacts to purchase tickets as well.

b) Serve as key resources for access to other individuals, foundations and corporations where they have influence. Assist staff in identifying, cultivating, and soliciting those relevant contacts.

10. Treat fellow Board members and all staff with care, courtesy, and respect. This includes an expectation of timeliness in communication, an understanding of SPACE’s staff structure and responsibilities, a respect for the power dynamics between Board and staff and respect for lived experiences and identities of all.

Thank you for your time, talents, and expertise. SPACE is grateful to have you.

Just as Trustees have responsibilities to the Board and to SPACE, they also have the right to expect that SPACE will fulfill its responsibilities to its Trustees:

1. Trustees can anticipate a judicious and conscientious use of their time and respect for their lived experience.

2. Trustees will receive, in a timely manner and, whenever possible, in advance, important information, including meeting agendas, minutes, financial reports, committee and task force updates and reports requiring action. Board leadership will keep Trustees informed about any critical events/concerns that may arise between meetings.

3. New Trustees will receive a thorough orientation to the Board of Directors and SPACE.

4. SPACE provides Trustees and Officers insurance, which protects the Board of Directors’ personal assets from lawsuits in the event that SPACE were to be sued for wrongful acts of managing the business.

[revised February 2024]

SPACE on Ryder Farm is a New York 501(c)(3) nonprofit artist residency and organic farm founded in 2011.

SPACE’s mission is to create an environment singular in its ability to invigorate artists and innovators and their work, and to contribute to the sustainability and resourceful preservation of one of the oldest organic family farms on the East Coast.

SPACE’s Board of Directors provides governance to the organization by stewarding and upholding its mission. The Board of Directors is responsible for the fiscal health of the organization, along with its representation both in the local Putnam/Westchester community and in the larger sectors of arts, agriculture and nonprofit work. The Board accepts ultimate fiduciary responsibility for the organization.

Directors are expected to attend all quarterly meetings of the Board and participate fully in discussions and deliberations (their health and safety permitting). Directors are also expected to join at least one committee (such as Finance, Nominating or Development)* based on their expertise and/or interest and attend all committee meetings throughout the year (typically four meetings annually per committee). This should come out to approximately four to six hours per month. If a Board member misses two quarterly meetings over the course of a calendar year, a conversation with the Executive Director, the Board Chair and the Head of the Nominating Committee will be had to discuss the member’s involvement and continuing interest.

The Board of Directors is currently led by the Executive Committee of the Board, which is composed of a Board Chair, Vice Chair(s), Treasurer, Secretary as well as the heads of committees that don’t hold another Officer position.

The Term of Office is three years and members can be elected at any meeting of the Board. Any Director may be re-elected and serve three successive terms as a member (for a total of nine years), after which they must step off the Board for one year before being eligible for further terms.