TADA! Board Member Job Description,
Requirements & Responsibilities

History & Mission

TADA! Youth Theater’s mission since 1984 has been to provide young people from different social, racial, economic, and cultural backgrounds with musical theater programs that inspire them to learn, be creative, and think differently through high-quality productions, positive youth development, and education programs. TADA!’s vision is that all young people grow up feeling successful, creative, confident, accepted, and accepting of themselves. Through the ability of people learning to express themselves well we can break down barriers of racism and inequality and create positive, active citizens. TADA! is an unique Drama Desk award-winning nonprofit youth theater that produces original musicals for children, teens, and family audiences. TADA! offers a free, year-round, pre professional training, performance and a positive youth development program for the Resident Youth Ensemble of TADA! (RYET), youth ages 8-18; musical theater classes/camps for the public; as well as musical theater residencies in NYC schools, community centers or on Zoom. Through TADA!’s high quality work, young people’s self-confidence and creativity are enhanced, which develops advanced SEL (social emotional learning) skills in leadership, communication, responsibility, collaboration, and problem solving – skills that help with growing up and are essential to their success both in school and in life.

Anti-racist Statement and Resolutions

TADA! is examining what it means to be an antiracist, multicultural organization and a leader within the youth theater and arts education fields. TADA! is committed to providing every child an opportunity to create, imagine, learn, and experience the joy of musical theater, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ability, nationality, and immigration status. We admit that we don’t have all the answers right now, but what we do know is that we must embrace change to reflect the mission, vision, and values of TADA! as it stands today. We are committed to ensuring that at least 50% of the Membership on the Board of Directors are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color) by FY23 and to maintain if not improve that percentage from that time forward. Board members can be from any race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or veteran status and as such there is no room on the board for racist, prejudiced and/or biased behavior, and those who exhibit such behavior will be removed immediately. The following bullet points are what TADA! has identified as some of the goals and actions for the organization pertaining to EDIJ (equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice) and are important to state here for the Board’s knowledge and agreement:

• It is the responsibility of TADA!’s Board of Directors to oversee that TADA!’s annual budget reflects the institution’s mission and values with respect to EDIJ work.
• When possible and applicable, TADA! will raise additional funds to give to BIPOC communities impacted by or represented in the musicals TADA! produces.
• If or when there are public questions made for the Board regarding EDIJ issues, a member of the Board will give a public response agreed upon by the Board. Being transparent with the public is important.
• If TADA! is going to hire a security agency, the agency must not be affiliated with or founded by police or ex-police officers.
• If TADA! ever invests in securities or other corporate instruments, we will not invest in companies that build oil pipelines through the land of American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Tribal Nations in the US and Indigenous communities globally that continue to poison the water, air, land and livelihoods of Indigenous peoples and contribute to climate change that is disproportionately affecting BIPOC communities.
• It is the goal of TADA! that the staff working on each production will be at least 50% BIPOC as well as a goal of the Board and the entire company. We are actively working toward this goal and realize that this will not happen overnight. We plan to have this in place by FY23.
• TADA! agrees to not exploit BIPOC work with BIPOC communities and community members; nor will TADA! extract their artists; forcing them to raise money and produce the project for TADA!.
• TADA! will not make BIPOC artists pay TADA! rent for a show and then take credit for that show as part of TADA!’s season.
• We recognize that BIPOC artists bring cultural authenticity and value to our seasons. If TADA! chooses to collaborate with BIPOC theatres, it must be an equitable partnership for both organizations.
• TADA! will have a succession plan in place for all Executive Leaders.

TADA! Key Programs 

• Two to four annual original main stage or streamed musicals professionally produced for family audiences at affordable prices and performed by members of…
• The Resident Youth Ensemble; a completely free year-round pre-professional theater training, performing and positive youth development program for 50 – 75 New York City and nearby areas youth and teens ages 8-18. As of FY21, over 70% of the Ensemble is comprised of BIPOC members and at least 40% of the families indicate that they live at or below NY self-sufficiency standards. Positive Youth Development programs are: Teen-led Forums; HOTS; AMP, Tips; Youth Council; All Ensemble Meetings; JobRAP; Excursions and other family get togethers to name a few;
• Renowned in- and after-school arts education residencies that enhance curriculum and community ideals at schools, community centers and on Zoom; and
• On-site theater classes and camps for children ages 3 to 14, taught by seasoned theater Teaching Artists. The Arts for All Initiative allows for equity in the pricing structure for both on site and on-line theater classes and camps.
• On-line theater classes and camps bringing the teaching talent, quality and diversity of New York City’s TADA! Youth Theater to children anywhere in the world.

Board Member Responsibilities

A Directorship on the TADA! Youth Theater Board of Directors is a significant responsibility. Board Members shall act in the best interest of the organization, recuse themselves from discussions/votes where they have a conflict of interest, and stay informed about what is going on with the organization by asking questions, requesting information, and responding in a timely manner to each other and staff; commit to, understand, and believe in TADA!’s stated mission and programs; fully support the founder, founder’s vision and other key staff; and understand TADA!’s marketing and fundraising goals and plans, and participate in implementation and fulfillment.

In addition to a fiduciary responsibility to the 501(c)3 corporation as required by New York State law each Board Member has their own yearly plan to fulfill. In order to ensure that each Board member has a clear roadmap to meeting their individual requirements and expectations, and to provide Board and Staff leadership with the information necessary to plan for the fiscal year, each Board Member is required to construct and commit to a Board Service Plan that outlines a commitment that is personally significant, meets minimum requirements across the dimensions outlined below, and represents an overall material contribution to the health, growth, and/or stewardship of TADA! Through:

• Personal giving
  • Every Board Member must participate in personal giving in every fiscal year. 100% Board participation in personal giving is an important data point when TADA! applies for institutional grants.
  • Board Members are expected to give according to their means, at a level that is both personally significant and that makes TADA! one of the top 1-3 charities that individual donates to.
• Network fundraising 
  • Every Board Member is encouraged to solicit their personal network for donations to TADA! in every fiscal year.
  • While there is no minimum “get”, Board members are expected to demonstrate a concerted effort to obtain support for TADA! from their personal network, as this is part of demonstrating support for the organization’s mission and programs and representing TADA! in the community.
  • Be willing to participate in fundraising (individual, corporate, events, government and foundations) and other appropriate areas as needed 
• Board service time 
  • Board membership entails a commitment of time to TADA!. The minimum baseline commitment is attendance at our scheduled annual events. While Board members should strive for 100% attendance, we understand that sometimes there are unforeseen circumstances or scheduling conflicts that prevent you from attending a meeting. Board members should strive for attendance across:
    • Board meetings (4-6 per year) help ensure that at least a quorum of the Board Members are in attendance at meetings and all special events. Prepare for Board meetings by reading background material. Each member needs to make at least 75% of the meetings yearly. NOTE: Two most important meetings are the Annual Meeting and the Annual Retreat, therefore, all Members are highly encouraged to make attendance at these two meetings a priority. 
    • Seeing new Productions (2-4 per year) and watching old productions on YouTube 
    • Education programs: classes and camps on-site and remote and residencies in and after school. 
    • TADA! Fundraising, cultivation and community events (1-5 per year) 
    • Identifying and help cultivate new Board Members
  • Most Board members take on additional time commitments as part of their annual service plan. Examples include:
    • Officerships/Executive Committee: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary 
    • Committee memberships: Audit, Board Development, Ad Hoc temporary/special purpose committees, EDIJ planning committee, Strategic Planning Committee, Fundraising Committee
    • Help create and maintain an ongoing EDIJ and/or BIPOC Alliance Committee made up of BIPOC staff, artists and community members to evaluate the mission and vision of the theater and collaborate with executive leadership and the board to build a strategic plan designed to move the theatre toward anti-racist practices. 
    • Participating in or organizing corporate “day(s) of service” to benefit TADA!
    • Participating in or organizing personal fundraising events or community events that feature TADA! 
    • Personalizing annual or special campaigns through snail mail, social media platforms and/or e-blasts
    • Be available to TADA!’s staff when needed for HR issues by checking and responding to [email protected]
    • This is not a fully comprehensive list and can be added to at any time.
• Representation
  • The Board of Directors recognizes that representation of the various communities that TADA! serves and operates within is a critical function of the Board. Board members who can contribute the perspectives and aspirations of one or more communities otherwise under-represented on the Board fill an integral role in the informed decision-making and public credibility of the Board. These communities can include, but are not limited to, current Ensemble members and their parents, Ensemble alumni, Education students, school administrations, audiences, artists, and/or the various communities of empowerment within or across those groups, such as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, etc. In the context of Board service, to fulfill the community representation responsibility, a Board member must be explicitly willing to:
    • Actively solicit opinions and perspectives across that community, so that they can speak for and faithfully represent the varied interests and aspirations within that community in addition to their own 
    • Conduct and/or help to direct TADA!’s ambassadorship to that community, including the curation and caretaking of TADA!’s relationship and reputation with both the internal and external manifestations of that community ■ Lead efforts to engage the community in the nonprofit enterprise and mission of TADA!, as an active fundraiser, marketer and ambassador, including: introducing new people to the organization and making them aware of the various education, performance and Ensemble programs, identifying community partners for TADA!, and advocating for TADA! by endorsing the organization’s work and values to the community as well as representing TADA! as a positive spokesperson. ● Pro-bono professional contributions ○ Some Board members have professional qualifications or expertise that bear directly on TADA!’s operational needs, or are able to solicit donations of time/services by qualified people in their network. These are categorized separately from more general Board service time contributions when they are donations of billable hours or services based a specific qualification or expertise that is not available in the general volunteer pool, and that TADA! would otherwise have had to pay a professional to perform in the absence of the pro-bono contribution.These services would reduce the expenses in TADA!’s budget. Examples include: 
    • Legal work by an attorney licensed to practice in the State of New York with specific knowledge in theatrical, real estate or business contract law 
    • Real estate consultation or services by a licensed broker or otherwise qualified real estate professional
    • Human resources legal consulting by an attorney with HR-specific experience and knowledge of New York and Federal labor laws
    • Information Technology consulting or services resulting in reduced IT expense and/or enhanced IT functionality at no or below-market cost to the organization.This includes Salesforce database knowledge 
    • Financial expertise with the ability to be hands on to assist the Managing Director and Business Manager Consultant help obtain an auditing firm 
    • Institutional or Individual Fundraising Expertise and hands-on assistance
    • Corporate Contacts
    • Fundraising Event Expertise EDIJ expertise and ability to train and work with staff, artists, Board and/or Ensemble 
    • This is not a comprehensive list and can be adjusted as needed 

The Board Plan Review Process 

Upon joining the organization, the new Board member will work with the Executive Director, and Board President to construct their initial plan using the form provided which has been created by TADA! Staff and approved by members of the Board, representing their commitment for the remainder of that fiscal year. For each subsequent year of service, the Board Member will prepare for the Board Plan Review by:

• Reviewing their past-period performance against the committed plan (this will be provided to them by the TADA! staff). 
• Preparing a new plan that they can commit to for the upcoming fiscal year (blank form to be provided by TADA! Staff). 
• Discussion and approval by Board Member, Board President and TADA!’s Executive Director. This will take place before the following year’s budget is approved. The Board Member and the Board President will each sign the plan and have copies of the plan. The plan will also be in TADA!’s Board Drive.
• The plan is just that, a plan, and therefore, It is understood that changes can occur throughout the year. It is asked that if a Board Member experiences life changes that causes them to make changes to their Board Plan that they communicate those changes as soon as possible to the Board President or the Executive Director. These can be additions to your plan or changes that mean you need to do less.
• The Board President’s Board Plan review will be conducted by another member of the Executive Committee, usually the Treasurer, in consultation with the Executive Director.