Board of Directors Recruitment:
🌟Applications Open Until Friday, October 16th🌟
Looking for your next meaningful leadership opportunity?
AVI Health & Community Services (AVI) is seeking new members to join our Board of Directors. This is an opportunity to use your lived experience, professional expertise, skills, and community knowledge to help shape the future of health equity, harm reduction, and community wellbeing across Vancouver Island and beyond.
At a time when communities continue to face the impacts of the toxic drug crisis, housing instability, and health inequities, strong and compassionate leadership is more important than ever. As a member of AVI’s Board of Directors, you will help guide the organization’s strategic direction, provide governance oversight, and support the long-term sustainability of services that make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
Whether you are an experienced board member or looking to contribute your expertise in a new way, we encourage you to apply.
Why Join the AVI Board?
- Contribute your knowledge and lived experience to strategic decisions that affect thousands of community members each year.
- Champion evidence-based, community-led solutions to some of the most pressing health and social issues facing our communities.
- Help shape the future of community health and harm reduction services across Vancouver Island and British Columbia.
- Develop governance and leadership skills through board-level experience in a respected nonprofit organization.
- Collaborate with passionate community leaders who are committed to creating positive social change.
About AVI Health & Community Services
AVI is a respected and innovative not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing health equity through responsive, evidence-informed, harm reduction-based services. Our work is guided by the voices and experiences of the people and communities we serve.
AVI provides HIV, hepatitis C, substance use, sexual health, mental health, and other community health services throughout Greater Victoria, Nanaimo, the Comox Valley, and Campbell River.
Our programs include overdose prevention services, Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT), pharmaceutical alternatives, safer substance use supplies, safer sex supplies, harm reduction education, advocacy, health promotion, and peer-informed support services.
We work alongside diverse communities, including people who use substances, people living with HIV and/or hepatitis C, unhoused community members, Indigenous peoples, LGBTQIA2S+ communities, sex workers, racialized people, and people living with disabilities.
Who Should Apply?
AVI is committed to building a board that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We welcome applications from individuals with diverse identities, perspectives, professional backgrounds, and lived or living experience.
We recognize that strong board members bring many different forms of expertise. While not required, experience in areas such as governance, finance, accounting, law, healthcare, fundraising, grant writing, communications, human resources, information technology, or nonprofit leadership is valuable.
Most importantly, we are looking for people who are committed to health equity, community wellbeing, and AVI’s mission and values.
Ideally, applicants will reside on or have a strong connection to Vancouver Island and must have access to a computer and reliable internet connection. Applicants who reside elsewhere in British Columbia will also be considered.
Help shape the future of community health. Apply to join AVI’s Board of Directors today.
(Jump to the end of this page to go directly to our application details.)
Board Responsibilities
As a Director on the Board, you will be responsible to:
● Attend all board meetings (approx. 8 per year);
● Prepare for meetings and review and comment on minutes and reports;
● Become familiar with the society’s bylaws and policy documents;
● Participate in annual evaluation and planning efforts;
● Participate in monthly committee meetings and work;
● Support community activities such as attending or participating in events;
● Develop collegial working relationships with board members, staff, and stakeholders; and
● Adhere to the AVI Health & Community Services Board Code of Conduct.
Director Qualifications
● Knowledge and understanding, or willingness to learn about HIV and hepatitis C, substance use and harm reduction;
● Knowledge and understanding of the issues faced by our service users;
● Willingness to develop skills and knowledge regarding the governance and operation of a registered not-for-profit society; and
● Ability to work collaboratively on a team including volunteer and staff members.
Commitment Expectations
● Participation in 8 board meetings throughout the year;
● Serve on one of our three (3) sub-committees for Governance, Advancement, or Finance;
● The ability to serve for a minimum 2-year term (or up to 3 terms in total); and
● Volunteer commitment of 2-4 hours average per month depending on activities.
Application Process
Please send an expression of interest (cover letter, resume, and references) and/or an email inquiry to the attention of Tammy Khanna at tjk1935@gmail.com, Chair, AVI Governance Committee and AVI’s Executive Director, Katrina Jensen at katrina.jensen@avi.org.
The committee will review your submission upon receipt and contact you to arrange a preliminary interview to answer questions and talk about the role. After the interview, candidates may be invited to attend a Board meeting to learn more about the work of the Board. The last step includes a recommendation by the committee and vote by the Board to appoint the candidate.
Thank you for your interest in being a part of the AVI Board of Directors. Applications open until Friday, October 16th at midnight!