The League of Canadian Poets is always interested in conversations with volunteers who would be a great fit for the work that we do. Reach out to [email protected] if you are interested in volunteer opportunities not listed!
Any open positions; salary, contract or volunteer; will be posted to this page. If no positions are posted, then we are not actively seeking candidates.
We want to remove barriers that may limit you from joining our team. Email us at [email protected] to let us know how we can provide you with reasonable accommodations through our application process.
Open positions
Board of Directors: Secretary
The League is seeking a Full Member of the organization to fill the volunteer role of Secretary on the Board of Directors.
Unfortunately, active Board members are not eligible to participate in any paid League programming, including receiving funding through our event funding streams or other microgrant programs (eg. Workshop and Consultation Fund, PK Page Mentorship Program, awards and contests, etc.). We are so grateful to the members who set aside these membership benefits for sometimes years at a time in order to volunteer their time, energy, and expertise to the governance of the organization!
Board members of the League of Canadian Poets will learn a unique set of skills in policy, governance, and finance, as well as other industry tools that provide insight into funding, program development, and community organizing. Contributing to the League of Canadian Poets with a term on the Board of Directors is an incredible community service for which we are tremendously grateful.
Interested members should email a brief CV and statement of interest to Lesley Fletcher, [email protected].
About the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of the League of Canadian Poets is responsible for overseeing organization programming and finances, human resources, the annual audit, Executive Director and overall direction of the League of Canadian Poets. This oversight and guidance is intended to ensure the League is operating in line with its mission, mandate, vision, and values:
- Mission: The League of Canadian Poets supports Canadian poets and poetry in Canada.
- Mandate: The League of Canadian Poets’ mandate is to enhance the status of poets and foster professional poetry communities. The League works to enlarge the audience for poetry by encouraging publication, performance, education, and recognition of Canadian poetry locally, nationally, and internationally, and supports equitable and inclusive freedom of expression in Canada.
- Vision: A representative and thriving culture of poets and poetry lovers.
- Values: Inclusiveness, representation, accessibility, innovation, and professionalism.
The Board of Directors meets several times per year over Zoom to address organizational business and receive reports on membership, finance, and programming from the Executive Director. Additionally, Board members are encouraged to attend Poets Advisory Council meetings where possible to join in discussion with the Chairs of LCP Community Committees.
It is important to note that the League Board is a governance board: the oversight and leadership provided by the Board is largely in relation to policy, compliance, and long-term strategic planning. Board members do not become closely involved in programming.
Responsibilities include:
- Approving policy documents and the strategic plan
- Monitoring the League’s compliance with policies and reviews policies as needed
- Participating fully in meetings and e-mail discussions while respecting the time and opinions of their fellow Board members
- Supporting connection with the poetry community through the Poets Advisory Committee
Board members are welcome to join committees should they wish to be involved in a more specific area of League business or community.
About the Secretary role
The Secretary must attend at least 4 Board of Directors meetings per year, in addition to the Annual General Meeting. As a member of the Executive Committee, the Secretary should also commit to attending Executive Committee meetings as needed.
- Board meetings are typically held on a weekday between 11am and 2pm EST, and last 60-90 minutes, in the months of October, January, March, May, and June
- Executive Committee meetings take place as needed; additional correspondence will largely take place over e-mail.
The Secretary works collaboratively with the President to support the Board in fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities. The Secretary will support the President in maintaining a high standard for Board conduct and uphold policies and the By-laws regarding Directors’ conduct, with particular emphasis on fiduciary responsibilities, compliance, and record-keeping.
The Secretary should be prepared to commit to the following:
- Meeting attendance (1-2 meetings in a month, often with a month or two between meetings)
- Reasonable e-mail response times (3-6 days)
- Moderate additional training in the areas of governance, equity, finance, and accessibility
The role of Secretary is a two-year term, starting in June 2025.
This role is open to Full members only.
National Poetry Month volunteers
The League is seeking reliable, independent volunteers to assist with an increased volume of work throughout March, April, and May in support of National Poetry Month. We welcome support in the following areas:
- Outreach to regional organizations and media
- Researching community events and goings-on
- Researching open calls for submissions
- Inputting and checking crowd-sourced data
If you are interested in volunteering, email [email protected] with a CV/resume and brief cover letter.
Research and data input
The League's small team has big dreams for gathering and reporting on statistics important to our community, and volunteers are a crucial part of gathering that data. We are interested in assistance from folks who would be interested in researching any of the following:
- Literary and poetry groups across Canada
- Regular poetry events and/or festivals across Canada
- International poetry organizations and initiatives
- Physical venues for poetry events
- Open calls for submissions and opportunities for poets
Research volunteers should be confident using cloud-based software for shared documents (such as OneDrive and Google Sheets), and have a capacity for organizing information in a clear and systematic way. Research volunteers may also need to make calls to organizations or venues from time to time to verify information.
Outreach
Our goal is to have as many towns, schools, libraries, people, businesses, and organizations diving into poetry each April, and volunteers can help us make connections that will take poetry as far as possible.
Outreach volunteers would be responsible for taking a pre-prepared "pitch" to regional or provincial literary organizations, bookish businesses, BIAs, and media (such as newspapers or community-oriented social media accounts).
Outreach volunteers will not need to provide additional information or follow-ups.