At AlmaLinux Day: Vancouver a couple weeks ago (videos coming shortly!) I announced the opening of nominations for this year’s election. I’ve been on the board for more than 3 years, so I can speak with some authority about it when I say: non-profit boards, especially those in the open source space, need you.
3 reasons you should join the AlmaLinux OS Foundation’s (or any other non-profit) board
There are many reasons for joining the board for a non-profit, but they aren’t always easy to articulate. I wanted to take a second to explain why I think it’s important.
1 - Ensure you (and your industry) are considered in the future of AlmaLinux.
The number of companies, industries, and people that AlmaLinux touches every day is ever-increasing. Joining the board ensures that there’s at least one voice from your industry and with your experiences involved in the conversation.
2 - Build your reputation in the open source and tech communities.
The board for most non-profits is diverse and can connect you to new experiences and new points of view. With AlmaLinux specifically, you get to collaborate with a diverse group of brilliant developers, maintainers, and industry representatives as we build this hugely impactful community.
3 - Take advantage of professional and personal growth opportunities.
Being on a non-profit board gives you ample opportunities to develop leadership and governance experience. In the ever-changing landscape of the open source, Linux, and enterprise Linux communities, there are never-ending problems to solve and questions to be answered.
Bonus - Help AlmaLinux in a time when we NEED you. Yes, YOU.
The board of directors has different responsibilities and expectations at different organizations, but it basically boils down to - show up with informed opinions, show support by spreading the word, and use your voice and expertise to shape the organization as a whole.
What’s expected of AlmaLinux OS Foundation board members.
So many people see joining the board of anything as a big, scary, and overwhelming thing. The reality is, as with most things, it is what you make it - but there are some minimal expectations.
Time, and effort
Board members can anticipate between 2 and 10 hours of time commitment every month, depending on things you can impact (projects you commit to, for example) and things you cannot (when big changes happen in the ecosystem and we need to collaborate on an answer). You are expected to stay current on what’s happening with the project, so that you can accurately represent the project to the public.
Financial, Governance, and Strategic Oversight
The foundation board is responsible for the financial stability of the project, and its overall governance. We do not make the technical decisions (that’s left to ALESCo and the SIGs), but we often provide our input into them. We get monthly updates from the SIGs about activity, and talk to ALESCo whenever we need to.
Nominations are open until August 30th! Join
This is the last week to get nominated to the board. While we have a number of people nominated, we still want to see you! In order to be nominated, you must:
- Be an AlmaLinux OS Foundation member for at least 3 months by August 31st, 2025
- Be nominated by an AlmaLinux OS Foundation member in good standing
To be nominated, you just need a current member of the foundation to send an email to the election committee nominating you! You can find the details all laid out on the wiki: Election 2025
Last chance to have a voice in this year’s election
Elections will be held from August 31, 2025 through September 14, 2025. Foundation members will be sent the directions to vote directly. If you want to be able to vote, this is your last week to join as well! The membership committee will meet this Friday - so apply to join by August 28th! https://almalinux.org/members/
If this isn’t the right way for you to give back right now, I sincerely hope you will still join us at chat.almalinux.org and get involved by answering questions or helping out in one of the SIGs. There’s a lot going on, and we can’t wait to see you!
