The twelve members of Midcoast Board of Directors meet once a month, generally on the first Tuesday, to set policy for the organization. Typical matters for decision include program offerings, allocation of ice time between programs, finances and budgeting, growth of the program, and the routine management of our day-to-day affairs.

However, anyone taking on a board position should expect to put in more time than the few hours required for each monthly meeting. Like the Board of any small non-profit our board is a working board with each member assigned a discreet area of responsibility. Some board positions may be policy oriented but each position has a set of responsibilities which are task-oriented and most often time sensitive.

For instance, the Director of Coaching must assure that each of our coaches is properly trained, credentialed, and has passed a background check based on a series of external deadlines imposed by our governing bodies, USAHockey at the national level, and MeAHA at the state level. This requires familiarity with the four levels of live coaching certification classes required, the schedule of available courses in Maine and nearby. Working with this schedule the Coaching Director then endeavors to get each of our volunteer coaches properly credentialed each season. There are series of deadlines beginning before the first coach can put on skates in the fall running straight through to December 31st. Our registrar, working with the state registrar, helps the coaching director track the information.

Likewise the registrar faces a series of external deadlines in registering all of our members from the newest Learn to Play skater up through the travel teams. The register also facilitates the collection of membership fees (tuition) for the treasurer through our website. In addition to being responsible for paying bills and collecting fees the treasurer is responsible for filing tax returns and compliance with all regulations related to maintaining our status as a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

So each position requires work outside of the board meeting schedule and the work often requires facility with the tools of business: spread sheets, budgets, basic computer skills, and comfort working within the administrative parts of this website. Many of the positions require the ability to adhere to deadlines and work on a tight schedule.

It's not uncommon for board members to move between positions during their three year terms so there is plenty of opportunity for mentoring and on the job training.

The board always needs new members as new blood promotes vigor and enthusiasm. The by-laws anticipate an annual turnover of about one third of the board membership. A board member commits to the three year term, but the officers—President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary—are elected by the board once a year at our annual meeting.

So if you’d like to help please reach out to the current board members or our president to learn more about it.