Chapter Bylaw updates

Hello CES Ontario Chapter members,

As advised at the last Annual General Meeting on May 11, 2021 CES Ontario was to purse incorporation as a fully fledged nonprofit corporation. It is with great pleasure that the Board of Directors shares that as of February 1, 2022, CES Ontario Chapter incorporated federally under the Canada Nonprofit Corporations Act with guidance from our legal team at BIG Charity Law.

In the three months since, the Board of Directors has been busy providing guidance to our legal team on the preparation of the first set of Bylaws for the Chapter. Every clause has been discussed in detail and arrived at after much deliberation.

As per the Canadian Nonprofit Corporations Act, CES, Ontario Chapter members have to approve the Bylaws at the first Annual Meeting held after incorporation and to be submitted to Corporations Canada within 12 months. We are providing them to you 30 days in advance of the next Annual General Meeting on June 22, 2022.

We now invite you to review the bylaws document and offer your feedback via this survey.

Some notes to better understand/ interpret the Bylaws are enclosed, along with key differences with our unincorporated Chapter’s previous Bylaws:

1. Nonprofit corporations can have more than one set of Bylaws, so while these are the foundational documents, additional ones can be prepared in the future based on member or Board of Director requirements.
2. Some clauses from the previous Bylaws such as nominations and elections processes, details of how to run the AGM, detailed roles and responsibilities of each director, have been removed, as lawyers have recommended these be put into procedural documents such as a Board Manual or subsequent Bylaws.
3. Banking arrangements and Borrowing Powers remain the same as before.
4. Membership has been outlined for two classes: Regular Voting Members (Class A) and Non-Voting Members (Class B) with the latter allowing for flexibility and growth of the Chapter. The Nonprofit Corporation was formed with these two classes as recommended by our lawyers.
5. Members meetings are Annual General meetings (sometimes the terminology can sound confusing!) Members can still call special meetings as they could in the previous Bylaws.
6. Previously Bylaws set quorum for the AGM to be 10 members. Considering the size of the membership, the Board chose to set a percentage limit (10%) instead of a small number, to ensure that as the Chapter grows, more members are expected to be present in order to hold a legitimate AGM. This increases accountability for members as well.
7. The Number of Directors remains the same, with a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 13.
8. The Term of Directors is split ONLY for the first meeting of the Bylaw so that we don’t have directors retiring at the same time.

If you have any questions, please feel free to send them to us in the survey and we will do our best to respond to them once the feedback cycle closes.

Thank you,

CES, Ontario Chapter Board of Directors

2022 Board of Directors: call for nominations

We are currently seeking to recruit one (1) new director for a three-year term (2022-25). We are seeking to fill the key of Professional Development Committee (PDC) Co-Chair. Officers typically serve a 2-year term. 

Who should apply?  

We encourage evaluators who identify as Black, Indigenous, Afro-Indigenous, and People of Colour to apply. Graduate students and new practitioners/ emerging evaluators are also encouraged to apply.  

Applicants are required have some experience and/or education in program evaluation; be a member of CES-ON in good standing and have leadership experience of serving on a non-profit or university/ college committee for at least one year. Please contact us if you are interested in serving on the Board od Directors but are not a member of the association due to financial or other barriers. 

Prospective candidates can be located anywhere in the province, except within a 50 km radius of Ottawa, as they are considered current or prospective members of the National Capital Chapter (CES-NCC). 

Is the Board recruiting for specific skills? 

As we are recruiting for the PDC Co-Chair role, we are seeking evaluators with interest/ experience in the following streams: marketing and event planning; e-learning/ professional development. The full Terms of Reference for the committee are available here.

The Co-Chair responsibilities are:

• Ensure that the CES-ON Professional Development Committee carries out its responsibilities to CES-ON to plan, develop and implement professional development for evaluators across Ontario.
• Ensure that the committee works in a participatory manner with the Board and other Board committees and that the results of its work are transparent and responsive to the membership.
• Oversee the work of the committee as described under Role and Principles of Operation.
• Ensure the Strategic Plan of the CES – ON is carried out as it pertains to the PD Committee.
• Maintain a productive PD Committee membership that consists of 5 to 8 members including at least two members of the Board of Directors.
• Hold 8 meetings per year more if required, and encourage working groups to be set up to work on specific projects.
• Prepare reports to the CES-ON Board of Directors at regular Board meetings and to the membership at the Annual General Meeting.
• Works with all Board Committees to ensure the strategic plan of the Board is carried out.
• Collaborates with other chapters, particularly the National Capital Chapter.

Why should I apply? 

Joining the Board is an opportunity for interested evaluators to build an inclusive organization that can meet the needs of their professional community and contribute to a world in which evaluative thinking and evaluation practice empowers individuals and enhances community wellbeing. It is an opportunity to network and build transferable skills. Directors attend monthly meetings, participate in cross-functional teams and committees, and lead special projects. As CES Ontario grows in influence, there are opportunities to build external partnerships. 

CES-ON recognizes the criticality of its volunteer leadership and provides a number of training and development opportunities for all directors. In 2022/23, the association will cover membership fees for all directors (in lieu of a training bursary usually offered). 

What am I committing to? 

The Board meets virtually ten times per year except July and December and committees/ working groups meet as per their own schedule. As CES-ON is a volunteer-run working board, directors typically spend 8-10 hours per month on board and committee work. We recognize that reliable internet access may be a barrier for some applicants. Directors have the option of attending meetings by phone on a local number. As much of the Board’s work is conducted over email and uses online storage, at least bi-weekly access to the internet is recommended.  

This year’s big projects include the continuation of our chapter’s incorporation as a non-profit; operationalizing the anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion statement that the association committed to in January 2021; and building our roster of professional development events.  

I’m interested. How can I apply? 

Qualified individuals are invited to submit the following to nominations@evaluationontario.ca: 

• completed nomination form (requiring two current members to support your nomination), 
• personal statement (750 words or less),  
• current resume with two references 

If you are new to evaluation and/or do not know current CES members who can support your nominations; to request more information about Board officer roles, or if you have any questions, please email nominations@evaluationontario.ca.  

When do Nominations close?  

Nominations will be accepted until June 12, 2022, or until the position is filled.  

How are Board positions filled? 

The Nominating Committee reviews applications for eligibility and determines if an interview is required. The Board of Directors approves a Slate of Nominees that will be presented to Chapter members at the Annual General Meeting on June 22, 2022.