Board of Directors Manual

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MANUAL

The mission of Wrestle Like A Girl is to empower girls and women through the sport of wrestling to become leaders in life.

WRESTLE LIKE A GIRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MANUAL The members of Wrestle Like A Girl’s (WLAG) Board of Directors are our standard bearers, foundation fortifiers, financial cultivators and strategic planners. In addition to Sally Roberts as Founder and Executive Director, you are the public face of WLAG and serve as our chief cheerleaders and fundraisers. As the Board, you are also responsible for steering the organization towards meeting its mission and ensuring its financial stability.

Board Member Requirements and Expectations 1. Believe in and be an active, passionate advocate and ambassador for the mission, vision and goals of WLAG. 2. Commit to serving, at minimum, a two-year term.

3. Commit to helping support the charitable contributions operation of WLAG by personally donating and fundraising a minimum total of $15,000 per year ($5,000 personal donation is due by the end of the first quarter of each year served and then raise or donate an additional $10,000 by the end of each year served – this is a per member requirement).

4. Attend, come prepared and proactively participate in quarterly Board and bi-monthly or monthly committee meetings as scheduled.

5. Actively serve on at least one standing committee.

6. As appropriate, use personal and professional contacts and expertise to benefit the organization.

7. Keep informed about WLAG, its issues and its connection to the community.

8. Work in partnership with and respect the authority of the organization’s leadership staff.

9. Sign a non-disclosure agreement and a conflict of interest policy agreement.

10. Agree to step down from board position if unable to fulfill these expectations.

11. Understand that this position is not a compensated one and that committing to serve on the WLAG Board of Directors is a volunteer scenario.

Mission, Vision and Goals The mission of Wrestle Like a Girl is to empower girls and women through the sport of wrestling to become leaders in life.

Our vision is to increase the opportunities for girls and women, who either wrestle, want to wrestle, or simply want to participate in a movement to own their personal space, own their voice and own their sense of self.

Our view is that girls can do anything - especially wrestle. When we talk about wrestling, the benefits that participants get out of this sport are profound. Our impact is helping girls and young women learn where their self-confidence is, learn what resilience means, learn about healthy choices both physically and mentally, and learn how to dig deep within themselves so that they can become whoever, whatever they want to be both on and off the mat.

We work to Empower, Advocate, Educate, Support and Grow.

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Our goals are to: 1. Empower girls ages 5-18 through the sport of wrestling.

2. Develop in girls the championship life skills such as goal-setting, confidence building, resilience and how to be healthy.

3. Provide camp scholarships to under-served/under-resourced girls.

4. Support the start-up of new high school wrestling programs and increase the number of sanctioned girls high school state tournaments across the U.S. 5. Champion initiatives to bring women’s wrestling to the collegiate landscape and enable more athletic opportunity in combination with great academic opportunity.

6. Impact and grow women’s wrestling internationally.

Organization History and Key Programming Elements Wrestle Like A Girl was founded in mid-2016 by Sally Roberts, a U.S. Army combat veteran and 2x World Bronze Medalist in women’s wrestling on the premise that girls and women across the United States should be afforded opportunities to participate in the sport. Based in Colorado Springs, CO, WLAG is the only advocacy organization in the world working to empower girls and women through the sport of wrestling.

Our key programming initiative is our Empowerment Camps that we hold across the country. The philosophy of our camps is to provide a fun, supportive, engaging and positive environment for girls ages 5-18 to learn both the fundamentals and more advanced techniques of wrestling paired with the curriculum in our WLAG Handbook which provides lessons on nutrition, hydration and sport psychology. This combination of a deliberately positive environment, a focus on developing the entire individual, a carefully cultivated curriculum and bringing in some of the best women’s wrestling clinicians in the country to pass along not just elements of wrestling as a sport but how they have been successful in life, allows for a unique way to reach girls; both to empower them and to cultivate the next generation of female leaders.

In addition to our Empowerment Camps, our other main key programming element is our advocacy work that crosses the high school, collegiate, national and international landscape.

Bylaws Each member of the Board of Directors will be given a copy of the WLAG Bylaws once their appointment is confirmed by vote. The Board Chair will set an annual review for the Bylaws to ensure they are still relevant, current and support WLAG as it continues to grow as organization.

Board Membership, Officers, Meetings and Responsibilities Membership • The Board will consist of no less than four and no more than 15 members (not including Sally Roberts, the Founder and Executive Director) • Each member will be elected, commit to a two-year term and may serve a maximum of five consecutive terms

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The Board will specifically recruit for and ensure at least one member has the following background/expertise: finance, legal, sports administration, marketing, fundraising and youth development One additional Board seat will be allocated to the Chair of the WLAG Athletes Advisory Council (AAC) which is comprised strictly of WLAG participant athletes; this seat will represent and be the voice of the WLAG participants and will be a non-voting seat

Officers • Board leadership positions are for a two-year term and there is a limit of three consecutive terms for each position • Board leadership will consist of a Chair, Vice Chair, a Secretary and a Treasurer: o Chair – ▪ Oversee the work of the board and organization's senior management team ▪ Work closely with the Executive Director to make sure board resolutions are carried out ▪ Appoint all committee chairs, recommend committee members ▪ Lead the Executive Committee ▪ Assist the Executive Director in preparing agendas for board meetings ▪ Assist the Executive Director in conducting new board member orientation ▪ Coordinate the Executive Director's annual performance evaluation ▪ Work with the governance or nominating committee to recruit new board members ▪ Serve as an alternate spokesperson for the organization ▪ Help board members assess their performance o Vice Chair – ▪ Serve on the Executive Committee ▪ Carry out special assignments as requested by the Chair ▪ Fill in for the Board Chair if necessary ▪ Lead the Development Committee ▪ Participate as a vital part of the board leadership o Secretary – ▪ Serve on the Executive Committee ▪ Attend all board meetings ▪ Maintain complete and accurate meeting minutes ▪ Monitor compliance with the organization's bylaws ▪ Assume responsibilities of the chair in the absence of the board chair, chair-elect, and vice chair ▪ Provide notice of meetings of the board and/or of a committee when such notice is required

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o Treasurer – ▪ Serve on the Executive Committee ▪ Keep track of the organization's financial condition ▪ Lead the Finance Committee ▪ Understand financial accounting for nonprofit organizations ▪ Work with the Executive Director to ensure that appropriate financial reports are made available to the board on a timely basis ▪ Review the annual audit and the IRS 990 document; answers board member questions Meetings • As a full entity the Board shall meet quarterly in January (Q1), April (Q2), July (Q3) and October (Q4) (see Committee section for additional meeting information) • Quarterly meetings will be comprised of two in-person sessions and two video conference or phone sessions • The Q4 meeting shall be when the budget for the next fiscal year is reviewed and passed • Quarterly full board meetings shall be chaired by the Board Chair; the Board Vice Chair will serve in this capacity should the Chair not be available for any reason (e.g., personal emergency, illness) • The Executive Director, in partnership with the Board Chair, shall have agenda development responsibilities Legal and Fiduciary Responsibilities • Become familiar with non-profit board fiduciary and legal responsibilities, as well as governance principles and issues • Ensure budget and financial controls are in place and approve annual budget • Ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations • Avoid and fully disclose potential conflicts of interest Organizational Responsibilities • Annually evaluate performance of WLAG toward achieving its mission • Annually participate in Board self-assessment Committee Membership, Groups and Meeting Information 1. Each Board Committee must have at least three members and no more than five members.

2. Committees shall meet every two months or as required to complete its responsibilities and not in the month where a quarterly Board meeting has been scheduled. The exception is the Executive and Finance Committees which will meet monthly.

3. Each Committee Chair will be responsible for setting the schedule for meetings, either by phone or video conference, that best accommodates its members to ensure maximum attendance.

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4. The Chair of each Committee will submit a report detailing its activities, plans and results to the Executive Committee in writing one week in advance of each monthly Executive Committee meeting. The Executive Committee will forward reports to the full Board for information as appropriate.

5. Committee members shall regularly attend the Committee’s scheduled meetings; proactively contribute to Committee discussions and activities; volunteer for and accept assignments to further the work of the Committee.

The WLAG Board Standing Committees are: •

Executive Committee Chaired by the Board Chair and consists of the Board Vice Chair (who also chairs the Development Committee), Treasurer (who also chairs the Finance Committee), Secretary and the Executive Director. The Executive Committee acts on behalf of the entire Board of WLAG between Board meetings; recommends policies and action for full Board approval; develops performance objectives for the Executive Director; provides input to quarterly performance reviews of the Executive Director by the Board Chair; works with the Executive Director to develop the 5-year strategic plan; oversees and coordinates long range and annual plans.

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Finance Committee Chaired by the Board Treasurer and consists of the Chair of the Development Committee plus one additional Board member. Reviews, recommends for approval and monitors implementation of the annual budget; provides oversight for WLAG’s financial matters and works closely with the Development Committee to ensure that revenue generation is aligned with budget requirements

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Development Committee Chaired by the Board Vice Chair and consists of two additional Board members. Ensures Board member compliance with annual donation and fundraising requirement; develops, prioritizes, organizes and spearheads fundraising events, opportunities and campaigns for WLAG; identifies fundraising sources including potential grants, high net individuals and award opportunities; works with the Deputy Director and Executive Director to develop and track giving pipeline; collaborates with grant writing staff and consultants

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Women’s Wrestling Festival Committee Consists of a Committee Chair, at least one Board member, and a maximum of three additional members (who may or may not be on the Board). Coordinates the annual WLAG Women’s Wrestling Festival and all associated events including but not limited to collaboration with the hired event planner, assigning chairs for the Summit and Gala Committees, work with the Development Committee to cultivate sponsors, oversee marketing, outreach and ticket sales

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Coaches, Athletes and Curriculum Committee Consist of a Committee Chair, the WLAG Athletes Advisory Council (AAC) Board representative and one additional Board member. This committee may also include up to two non-Board members who specialize in coaching, athletes or curriculum. Lends expertise around curriculum, developing coaches and athletes, helps gather data on WLAG Camps and makes recommendations.

At any time, the Board Chair, in collaboration with the Executive Director, may stand up an ad hoc committee, working group or task force to tackle a discreet and specific issue or item that is not within the purview of the Standing Committees. These ad hoc teams may include but would not be limited to Outreach, Board Recruitment, Strategic Planning, Marketing & Communication, Merchandise, etc.

Wrestle Like A Girl, Inc. Š2018