The rebuilding of SND has been a process, but I am here to tell you that we are in much better shape than we were coming out of the pandemic.
Over the past year, SND’s membership has continued to grow (especially internationally), the Society is profitable as revenue continues to rise, and the Board has challenged itself to think about where SND needs to be in the next 3-5 years.
That’s where you come in. We need you. We need makers, innovative thinkers, leaders, creators, connectors, motivators and people dedicated to making a difference in the visual journalism industry and the many professions within it. No one person is all of those things, and you don’t need to be either to become a leader within SND. Just one of those labels will do – whether you’re an innovator, or just someone who cares about naturing our society and work.
In 2025 SND will add four new Directors to its 12-person Board of Directors. Members will also vote on new bylaws for the Society that the current Board has put together.
All Board roles have 2-year terms. The only requirement to run for the Board is you must be a member of SND. We have made a lot of progress on the foundation of SND this year and will soon be announcing a large initiative that will happen next year round the annual design competition.
Below, you’ll find more details about SND’s Board. And, if you’re not quite ready to commit to running for office, we have so many other you can get involved with SND. Our Society runs on volunteers, and we’re always looking for collaborators.
If you’re interested in running, just fill out this form and we’ll contact you. If you have questions, or want to chat about SND’s Board, feel free to reach out to me at president@snd.org, or to any of other Board members. We’d be happy to talk.
Thanks for reading,
Jon Wile
President of the Society for News Design
About SND’s Board of Directors
The Board of Directors consists of seven (12) members. Four (4) of these are the Officers of the Board-President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Eight members are Directors serving 2-year terms each.
As you consider your interest and potential positive impact on the new board, there are many strategic initiatives in progress that new Board of Directors members will be involved in. Over the next term, the Board will continue building on a slate of topics and goals to strengthen and grow the Society, and improve visual storytelling across our industry. Key topics will include:
- Evolving our Society
- Membership growth and outreach
- Making SND a go-to destination for expertise, industry trends and inspiration
- Events and training
- Recruitment and volunteers
- Growing competitions
- New revenue opportunities
Other areas of opportunity for future board members: expanding our membership pool, plotting a course for reporting/celebrating/highlighting/archiving annual results, growing our digital platforms, and increasing our day-to-day engagement. And, of course, the Board also is excited to hear fresh ideas and perspectives from newly-elected members.
Time commitment: Directors spend an average of 2 to 5 hours a week dedicated to SND, depending on the projects you choose to take on.
Who can run? All members in good standing as of the date specified in the yearly election notice are eligible to apply for the Board of Directors.
Who can vote? All members in good standing as of the date specified in the yearly election notice are eligible to vote in the election.
Timing
- August 5 – Board nominations are open to eligible SND members
- August 30 – Candidate applications due
- September 1 – Bios and position statements are published on snd.org
- September 18 – Scheduled full membership session with all candidates. Each will be invited to give a 5-minute presentation on their merits and vision for the Society, then join\ in a moderated panel discussion and Q-A with members.
- September 23 – Voting opens
- October 7: – Voting closes
- October 9: – Results announced
- October 14: – New board members join the current board. The official board terms begin January 1, 2025. We use the final weeks of 2024 to onboard new board members.