Bnai Torah Youth Board Election Packet

2014-2015

April 29 , 2014

th

Dear BTY Board Candidate, Thank you for your interest in the 2014-2015 BTY Board. Being a BTY Board member gives you the opportunity and responsibility to guide and organize amazing events which are open to all of Temple Bnai Torahs high school aged youth. It is important that you understand the many responsibilities of being on BTY Board. As a BTY Board member, you will be an example among your peers at all BTY, NFTYNW regional events and North American events. BTY elections will be held on Tuesday, May 13th, 2014 at TBT. In order to officially run for a BTY Board position you will need to: Submit a signed copy of the BTY Board Application by Noon on Friday, May 9th. It is mandatory that you and your parent/guardian sign this contract that will be in effect throughout your term. Submit your letter of intent by Noon on Friday, May 9th. Give a short speech outlining your qualifications and ideas at the BTY election. All speeches must be submitted to me by Noon on Friday, May 9th. Elected officers are expected to attend BTY Old Board/New Board Bonding, an opportunity to learn about your position and get to know your other board members. This will be held at TBT at a time yet to be determined. Further details will be given if you are elected. If you are interested in becoming a BTY Board member but are unsure if you can make the commitment please consider the following: Each BTY Board member is expected to carry out the duties of their position in a timely manner, either by completing the work themselves or delegating it to another responsible BTY member. The BTY Board typically meets every Sunday after Sunday school and each BTY Board member is expected to attend unless there is a significant conflict. BTY usually has about one event planned for each month and BTY Board members are expected to help organize and attend these events unless there is a significant conflict. BTY Board members are strongly encouraged to attend NFTY-Northwest Regional events and are required to attend the NFTY-Northwest Leadership Training Institute. It is the responsibility of BTY Board members to meet their responsibilities in a timely manner. These responsibilities are to be met in conjunction with any other commitments, including school and extracurricular activities. Serving on the BTY Board is both challenging and rewarding and requires a serious commitment. Feel free to call me if you have any questions about the BTY Board positions, responsibilities or the election process. I look forward to receiving your applications. Sincerely, Ben Phelps TBT Youth Engagement Coordinator

Attachments:

BTY Board Intent to Run - Job Responsibilities (Elected Positions Only) BTY Board Application
Temple Bnai Torah 15727 Ne 4 Street Bellevue, WA 98008 (425) 761-5615 bphelps@templebnatorah.org
th

Bnai Torah Youth (BTY) Board Intent to Run

Who is eligible? The requirements to run for the 2014-2015 BTY Board are as follows: You must be a member of Temple Bnai Torah and be enrolled in either TBTs High School program and/or our Sunday School Madrichim program during the 2014-2015 school year. You must be in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade during the 2014-2015 school year. You must have attended at least one BTY event prior to running. The BTY Advisor or equivalent TBT staff must approve your application. BTY Board Position Responsibilities: It is the responsibility of all BTY Board members: To attend all BTY Board meetings and BTY events. To communicate with the BTY Advisor and the BTY Board on a regular basis. To encourage attendance at BTY and NFTY-NW Regional events. To serve as a role model to all BTYites. To serve as a liaison between youth and adult leadership. To support other board members. To attend the NFTY-Northwest Leadership Training Institute and serve as a representative of BTY. President: To schedule, set the agenda for and facilitate all BTY Board meetings, in concordance with the BTY Advisor. To oversee the planning of all BTY events, delegate responsibility, monitor progress and make sure deadlines are met and goals are accomplished. To guide and supervise the BTY Board and take responsibility for all decisions made by them. To consult regularly with the BTY Advisor. To serve on the Temple Bnai Torah Board of Directors, attend meetings and report on the status of BTY. To participate in the mentoring program with your counterpart on the Temple Bnai Torah Board of Directors. To serve as a liaison between BTY and the BTY Advisor, Temple Bnai Torah and NFTYNorthwest. To take on any additional duties that may be necessary to fulfill any of the above responsibilities. Programming Vice President (PVP): To act as President when so required. To design programs that will educate BTY participants on a range of topics and to be a resource for materials and information on those programs. To serve on the TBT Beit Midrash Committee, attend meetings and report on the status of BTY. To participate in the mentoring program with your counterpart on the Temple Bnai Torah Board of Directors. To do the necessary research to ensure programs and events are scheduled at appropriate times. To take on any additional duties that may be necessary to fulfill any of the above responsibilities.

Social Action Vice President (SAVP): To help ensure that BTY maintains focus on helping to improve the world through acts of loving kindness, tzedakah and other forms of community service. To work with the Programming Vice President to design Social Action programs that will educate BTY participants. To be the point person for any Social Action related BTY events. To serve on the TBT Social Action Committee, attend meetings and report on the status of BTY. To participate in the mentoring program with your counterpart on the Temple Bnai Torah Board of Directors. To collect and properly disburse any charitable items gathered during BTY events. To take on any additional duties that may be necessary to fulfill any of the above responsibilities. Religious and Cultural Vice President (RCVP): To design and integrate religious and cultural content into BTY events. To oversee the planning of all worship services at BTY events. To work with the Programming Vice President to design programs that will educate BTY participants on various religious and cultural issues. To serve on the TBT Beit Tefillah Committee, attend meetings and report on the status of BTY. To participate in the mentoring program with your counterpart on the Temple Bnai Torah Board of Directors. To take on any additional duties that may be necessary to fulfill any of the above responsibilities. Membership Vice President (MVP): To help maximize the active membership of BTY. To maintain an up-to-date list of all Temple Bnai Torah youth in grades 9-12 that will be used to call prospective BTY participants. To divide the calling lists up among the entire BTY board and see that calls are made prior to BTY events to encourage participation. To track RSVPs prior to BTY events in order to determine event planning and purchases. To greet BTY participants at all events and collect contact information. To design mixers that will help BTY participants meet and get to know each other. To serve on the TBT Beit Knesset Committee, attend meetings and report on the status of BTY. To participate in the mentoring program with your counterpart on the Temple Bnai Torah Board of Directors. To take on any additional duties that may be necessary to fulfill any of the above responsibilities. Communications Vice President (CVP): To take minutes at all BTY Board meetings and publish them in a timely manner. To create flyers for all BTY events. To work closely with the BTY Advisor on maintaining the BTY website and Facebook group. To provide information to the Temple Office to be published in Dvarim (the Temple newsletter) including information on BTY events and other BTY related articles. To serve on the TBT Communications Committee, attend meetings and report on the status of BTY. To participate in the mentoring program with your counterpart on the Temple Bnai Torah Board of Directors.

To take on any additional duties that may be necessary to fulfill any of the above responsibilities.

Merchandising and Fundraising Vice President (MFVP): To handle all matters of merchandising and fundraising for BTY events and mitzvah projects. To help determine the costs for BTY events and the price that will be charged for admission to BTY events. To collect all money at BTY events and turn that money into the BTY Advisor. To work closely with the BTY Advisor to keep track of the BTY budget to make sure revenues and expenses are in line with expectations. To work with the BTY Advisor to design and produce all BTY merchandise. To keep all merchandise organized & sorted, submit an inventory and sell merchandise at BTY events. To serve on the TBT Beit Knesset Committee, attend meetings and report on the status of BTY. To participate in the mentoring program with your counterpart on the Temple Bnai Torah Board of Directors. To take on any additional duties that may be necessary to fulfill any of the above responsibilities. What is the election process? Presidential candidates will have 4 minutes and all other candidates will have 3 minutes for their speeches. Time limits will be strictly enforced. Elections will be held by a ballot count and each BTY participant present at the election will be allowed to cast a vote. Campaigning will in no way, shape, or form be allowed. Any candidate who publicizes, or has friends publicize for him or her will be disqualified at the discretion of the BTY Advisor. If you are unsure if you may do something, check with the BTY Advisor first.

Bnai Torah Youth (BTY) Board Application for 2014-2015

Name _______________________________________________ Grade in 2014-2015 _______________ Cell Phone (___________) __________________________________ Position Sought _______________________________________________________________________ Drop-down position ____________________________________________________________________ E-mail Address ________________________________________________________________________ Please be as creative and original as possible in answering these questions. 1. What are some of your ideas for new events or programs?

2. Have you ever had others rely on you to accomplish a goal? If yes, please list an example showing how others relied on you.

3. What do you do in your spare time?

4. Have you done something whereby others benefited from your time/talents? If so, please list:

5. How do you deal with people you dislike/have a hard time working with?

Letter of Intent A letter of intent is an official document stating who you are and what position you will be running for. It will be posted on our website and distributed to BTY participants at the BTY Election. This letter should include a description of your general leadership abilities, your reasons for interest in serving on the BTY Board, and your goals for BTY as they relate to the position you are applying for. Your letter of intent gives you a chance to: show people a bit of your creative side, share your experiences and/or ideas, and let us know a little bit more about you. Some things to make sure you cover in your separate one page letter of intent: What are some goals you would like to achieve as a member of BTY board? Have you held other positions of leadership before? If so, please tell us about them What will you as a board member add to the board? What are some of your leadership strengths/weaknesses? Your letter of intent should not exceed one typed page and must be signed at the bottom by the candidate. Intent to Run: I have read the job responsibilities for all of the BTY Board positions and the additional responsibilities of the position for which I am running. I understand the job requirements and determined that this is a commitment of time and energy that I am willing and able to make. _______________________________________ Signature of Candidate __________________ Date

Parental Consent: I have discussed the BTY Board obligations and the specific job responsibilities that the office entails with my son/daughter, and I hereby give permission for him/her to be a candidate for that position, or any other office to which he/she may drop down and be elected, on the BTY Board. If my child needs transportation to attend BTY Board meetings and BTY events, I will help ensure that they are able to attend. ________________________________________ Signature of Parent/Guardian ____________________ Date

This form must be signed and returned along with your letter of intent by Noon on Friday, May 9th to: Ben Phelps TBT Youth Engagement Coordinator 15727 NE 4th Street Bellevue, WA 98008 Or Faxed to: 425.603.9699