For DesiLit right now, we're thinking about two boards. One would be strictly an Advisory Board, which would essentially be a mailing list that we would consult as needed, and would hopefully have a few major literary figures on it (such as Vikram Seth or Vijay Prashad or Chitra Divakaruni or Salman Rushdie), as well as other significant and influential people in the community (perhaps the heads of other S. Asian literary festivals, for example). This board would lend us credibility through their presence on our masthead, and also offer useful advice. I suspect we'll starting inviting folks to this soon, since I think it can only help us.
The other would be more of an administrative board, and would probably require either living in Chicago or being willing to visit annually to attend a major meeting. We're going to discuss this in more detail at the next DesiLit Chicago meeting, 1/29. That board might have fundraising responsibilities, meeting participation requirements, fiscal review responsibilities, etc. I still have a ways to go to understand all this properly, but it could be very helpful. We'll see how it goes...
Any advice y'all have on this would be welcome. I've never served on a board, so it's all new to me.
You might call them the National Advisory Board (the ones yuou consult by mail)and the Local Advisory Board, or some such names. It is important that each grouip be clear about what it is for and, more important, what it is not for. These groups tend to get the idea that they have more power than they are intended to have.
REH
You have so served on a board. You’re on the Board of Directors of the Carl Brandon Society, o fellow board member.
Oops. I guess I have. That’s very informal, though, and we all know each other moderately well. I think that’s part of my hesitation, that we’re potentially inviting people who I don’t know well, and who haven’t been coming (and can’t come) to the monthly meetings…