Purpose

This page describes what serving on the .NET Foundation Board actually involves — the work, the time commitment, and what to expect if you're elected. It's written for candidates evaluating whether to run.

If you're considering running, please also read Nomination Process and Expectations.

What the Board Actually Does

The Board runs the .NET Foundation. That means setting direction, making decisions, and being accountable for the Foundation's health and growth.

Strategy and Direction
Set the Foundation's priorities, programs, and long-term direction. Decide what initiatives the Foundation takes on, what it sponsors, what events it runs, and what it doesn't.

Financial Stewardship
Approve budgets, oversee spending, and ensure the Foundation operates within its means. Board members have fiduciary responsibility for the organization.

Sponsorship and Partnership Development
Identify potential sponsors, develop sponsorship packages, cultivate relationships, and secure financial support. This is one of the most important and underserved areas of board work today — and a primary reason we're recruiting candidates with sales, BD, and partnership backgrounds this cycle.

Decision-Making and Governance
Vote on Foundation policies, project applications, member matters, and budget items. Ensure decisions align with the Foundation's bylaws and mission.

Communication and Representation
Represent the .NET Foundation publicly — at events, with partners, with the broader industry, and with the community. Serve as a point of contact between committees, members, and the Board.

Mentorship and Community Development
Support committee members and volunteers. Encourage participation, develop the next generation of community leaders, and foster an inclusive environment.

Time Commitment

Board service is a volunteer role. The realistic expectation:

• Regular board meetings: Approximately monthly, typically 60–90 minutes each.
• Committee meetings: Each board member typically serves on or chairs one committee. Committees usually meet monthly.
• Attendance: At least 50% of regular board and committee meetings is required. This is a real expectation, not a soft target.
• Asynchronous work: Reviewing documents, voting on issues, responding to email, contributing to GitHub discussions — expect a few hours per week between meetings.
• Events and representation: Optional but valued. Speaking at events, attending sponsor meetings, or representing the Foundation at conferences when it fits your availability.
• Term length: Three years.

Most board members spend 5–10 hours per month on Foundation work, with more during active projects, election cycles, or events.

Committee Service

Every board member is expected to serve on at least one committee. Committees are where the operational work of the Foundation happens, and chairing one is how you have the most impact.

Available committees include:

• Outreach Committee — Event planning, meetup network management, chapter collaboration. Strong fit for candidates with community, marketing, or events backgrounds.
• Membership Committee — Member approvals, voting roster maintenance, and ongoing member engagement. Strong fit for candidates with community management or operations backgrounds.
• Project Committee — Reviewing project applications, supporting existing projects, onboarding new ones. Strong fit for candidates with open-source or technical leadership backgrounds.
• Executive Committee — Comprised of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Founding Member representative. Responsible for executing board actions between meetings and managing the Foundation's sponsor relationships — ensuring sponsors pay on time and receive the benefits they're owed.

You'll be matched to a committee based on your skills and interests. You do not need to know which committee fits you when you nominate — that comes later.

If You Chair a Committee

Committee chairs are the primary responsible party for their committee's operations, with support from the Foundation's administrative assistant. Typical responsibilities include:

• Setting committee goals and agenda
• Running monthly committee meetings (calendar invite, agenda, notes)
• Managing the committee's GitHub repository (issues, pull requests, discussions)
• Maintaining committee documentation and website pages
• Moderating the committee's Discord channel
• Responding to committee inbox email
• Reporting committee progress at board meetings

The administrative assistant provides operational support across these tasks. You don't have to be a developer to chair a committee. The work is coordination, communication, and follow-through — not engineering.

What We Expect From You

• Show up. Hit the 50% attendance minimum. Be present when you're there.
• Do the prep. Read the materials before meetings. Vote informed.
• Use your network. Open doors. Make introductions. Help us grow.
• Communicate. Respond to email and GitHub in reasonable time. If you go quiet, the work stops.
• Disclose conflicts. Be honest about potential conflicts of interest — they're normal, and we manage them through disclosure.
• Represent us well. You're a public face of the Foundation while you serve.

What You Can Expect From Us

• A clear onboarding process when you join the Board.
• Support from existing board members and the Foundation's administrative assistant.
• Reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred on Foundation business.
• The opportunity to shape the future of one of the most important developer communities in software.

Questions?

Email [email protected].

Ready to nominate yourself or someone else? Start here.