Call for Candidates for the Board of Directors to stand for elections at the Special Meeting, March 18, 2025

The Ringette Ontario Board of Directors issuing a Call for Candidates, to stand for election to the Board of Directors of Ringette Ontario to be held via Zoom on March 18th, 2025.

Positions to be filled:

• 2 Director-at-large positions (2-year terms for each)
• 2 Director-at-large position (1 year term)
• 1 Athlete Director position (2-year term)

Currently, Ringette Ontario is placing particular emphasis on candidates with the following skills:

• Accounting & Financial Management *
• Not for Profit Governance & Strategic Leadership
• Sponsorship / Strategic Partnerships
• Legal & Regulatory Compliance
• Equity, diversity, and inclusion implementation
• Organizational Change Management
• Risk Management

Candidates with other competencies are also invited to apply.

Ringette Ontario welcomes candidates within our ringette community as well as those from outside the sport.

Ringette Ontario welcomes applications from members of racialized minorities, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of various sexual orientations and gender identities, and others with the skills and knowledge to help Ringette Ontario engage productively with diverse communities and contribute to the mission of the organization.

The goal of the Ringette Ontario Board Nominations Committee is to identify and recommend individuals that have the necessary competencies and commitment to participate in the strategic leadership and governance of the organization.

About Ringette Ontario

Ringette Ontario (RO) is the recognized Provincial Sport Organization for Ringette in Ontario. Ringette Ontario is an athlete-centric and value-driven organization that oversees all ringette interests in the Province. Supported by a committed group of volunteer Directors, Ringette Ontario benefits from the incredible expertise and dedication of hundreds of volunteers who we rely upon to provide the best possible environment for our participants to enjoy the game and achieve their definition of success. 

Ringette Ontario delivers programming that focuses on athlete, coach, and official development, as well as supporting sanctioned events through Provincial and league championships and invitational tournaments.

Our Vision:

Be the leading ringette organization in the country, strengthening communities in Ontario through our sport.

Our Mission:

Delivering a lifelong sport community that promotes teamwork and leadership development in an inclusive and safe environment.

Our Values:

• Dedication
• Respect
• Teamwork
• Inclusion
• Integrity

Governance of Ringette Ontario

The governance of Ringette Ontario is the responsibility of a Board of Directors and is currently composed of:

• 5 Directors-at-Large, elected by the membership 
• 1 Athlete Director, elected by the membership
• 3 Regional Directors, each elected in their region

The Board of Directors is a “policy” or “governance” board, focused on establishing strategic direction, approving appropriate policies, and applying effective oversight to ensure the organization is advancing toward its goals. Day-to-day operations of Ringette Ontario are the responsibility of full-time staff led by the Executive Director who reports to the Board of Directors. The Executive Director and her staff work with various volunteers, committees, and technical experts and advisors to develop and implement programs that achieve the organization’s objectives while complying with the board’s policy framework.

Eligibility of Directors and Athlete Director 

To be eligible as a director, an individual must:

• Be at least 18 years old and resident of Ontario.
• Not be of bankrupt status.
• Not have been declared incapable under the laws of a Canadian province or territory, or by a court in a jurisdiction outside of Canada.
• Have the power under law to contract.
• Not have been found under the Substitute Decisions Act, 1992 or under the Mental Health Act to be incapable of managing property.
• Not be employed by or own an organization which is contracted by Ringette Ontario or Ringette Canada.
• A candidate for Athlete Director must be currently active in the sport as an athlete or retired from competition for less than one year at the time of election.

To ensure that members of the Board of Directors understand their duties and obligations, Ringette Ontario has adopted a Directors Agreement which all board members must execute. A candidate for election to the board must submit a signed Directors Agreement with their candidate documents, and the agreement will take effect only if they are elected to the RO Board. As a volunteer board member, you will be encouraged to participate in a variety of developmental opportunities. Opportunities to engage in governance training, Safe Sport, Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders, and Making Way in Sport are a few of the developmental pieces board members are encouraged to participate in.

Expectations and Commitment

Members of the Ringette Ontario Board of Directors typically spend an average of 5-8 hours per month on board-related activities, but this may increase if they hold a position such as the Chair of the Board or Chair of a Board Standing Committee.

Regular meetings of the Board of Directors take place in January, May, August, and October of each year. The meetings are generally held on a weeknight, via Zoom and may last up to two (2) hours. However, there may be an opportunity to have an in-person meeting tied to an RO Event. Briefing materials are distributed one week in advance of the meeting and members are expected to have read and considered the material in advance of the meeting.

Occasionally, special board meetings may be called if warranted.

Some roles, such as the role of Chair or Chair of a standing committee, will from time to time require engagement during business hours and candidates for these roles should have this flexibility in their schedule.

Board members are not compensated for their position on the board but will be reimbursed for pre-approved expenses directly related to board activities, including, but not limited to, accommodation, travel, and meals.

Qualifications and Competencies

Effective Board and Committee members will be those whose life and work experience and background equips them to contribute in a meaningful way to setting Ringette Ontario’s strategic direction and priorities, evaluating, and adopting appropriate policies, overseeing financial performance relative to expectations, and delegating operational responsibilities to others while holding them accountable for achieving results while complying with policy.

GENERAL COMPETENCIES

• Minimum 3 years of Not-For-Profit volunteer experience.
• Awareness and understanding of the duties and responsibilities of a director of a governance board.
• Experience working in an executive, managerial, or oversight capacity.
• High standards for personal integrity.
• Collaborative, constructive working style.
• Good communication skills.

BOARD SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES

The Nominations Committee of the Board of Directors has assessed the skills and competencies that would be of value to Ringette Ontario at this time. These skills are:

• Not for Profit Governance & Strategic Leadership
• Accounting & Financial Management
• Sponsorship / Strategic Partnerships
• Legal & Regulatory Compliance
• Equity, diversity, and inclusion implementation
• Organizational Change Management
• Risk Management

Other competencies of value to the board are enumerated on the candidate information form, and candidates are encouraged to document their qualifications on each of these dimensions.

EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION

Ringette Ontario works to promote Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the sport of ringette, and we also seek to make the leadership of Ringette Ontario diverse and inclusive. We welcome candidates from members of racialized minorities, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of various sexual orientations and gender identities, and others with the skills and knowledge to help Ringette Ontario engage productively with diverse communities and contribute to the mission of the organization.

Ringette Ontario is dedicated to ensuring open, accessible, equitable and respectful environments, and is committed to reflecting on the diverse communities it serves. We encourage applications from members of our diverse communities, including Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, women, persons from racialized groups,2SLGBTQ+ persons, those who can speak fluently in another language(s), and anyone committed to a rewarding experience as a Board Member with Ringette Ontario. Ringette Ontario supports equality, diversion, and inclusion and will provide accommodation in all stages of the selection process, as necessary. If you require accommodation to apply to this advertisement, please advise the Ringette Ontario Executive Director via email at executivedirector@ringetteontario.com when you apply.

Nominations Process

Anyone seeking to be a candidate for election to the Board of Directors of Ringette Ontario must submit a fully completed Candidate Package no later than Friday, January 31st, 2025, at 6:00pm.

• A complete Candidate Package includes:
• A completed online Candidate Profile Form outlining the candidate’s professional experience. The information on this form will be made available to the membership in advance of the Annual Meeting.
  • Director At Large Candidate Form
• An Expression of Interest & Resume uploaded with the Candidate Profile Form
• A signed Directors Agreement which will be provided to you once you have submitted a completed Candidate Profile Form. The Agreement must be signed and emailed to executivedirector@ringetteontario.com with subject line: Candidate Directors Agreement. Submission of a signed Directors Agreement indicates your willingness to stand as a candidate, and your agreement to comply with the duties and obligations of a director if you are elected.

Please note that all incomplete Candidate Packages will not be placed for consideration by the Nomination Committee.

To ensure that there are sufficiently well-qualified candidates for consideration by the membership, the Nominations Committee may seek out and nominate candidates in addition to those who are self-nominated.

A candidate’s nomination by the Nominations Committee merely admits them to the process of evaluation by the committee, it does not represent an endorsement of the candidate. The nominating committee’s report to the Membership reflects the Committee’s final recommendations following careful evaluation of all the candidates eligible to stand for election at the close of nominations. The purpose of the Nominations Committee evaluation process is to identify those candidates that are best suited to meet the needs of Ringette Ontario, given their knowledge, skills and experience, and other attributes and their understanding of the duties and obligations of a member of a governance board.

Following the closure of nominations, the Nominations Committee will evaluate the nominees and select a short list of nominees to be interviewed. Following deliberations, the Nominations Committee will develop a list of candidates to be recommended to the membership at the Annual Meeting.

The Nominations Committee will advise all nominees on the list of those recommended by the Committee at least 14 days prior to the date of the Annual Meeting and at least 3 days before the committee’s recommendations are published to the members. 

Timelines: 

Questions

Questions about this nomination process should be directed to executivedirector@ringetteontario.com