To Protect and Enjoy— Become a Chapter Leader

Calling all conservation-minded lake lovers and freshwater recreationists! The Surfrider Foundation Niagara Frontier Chapter is currently looking for dedicated team members who have the time and passion to lead coastal protection efforts in greater Buffalo. We are looking to fill open roles on the Executive Committee as well as other leadership roles in early 2026.

Chapter Chair: The Niagara Frontier Chapter seeks a volunteer Chair to serve as team captain of our growing team of dedicated of do-gooders. We’re looking for a dynamic leader connected in community to build and lead a powerhouse team, keep the ball rolling, and make things happen. The Chair will work in conjunction with fellow Executive Committee members to develop and execute a vision for protection and enjoyment of our waves, waterways, and lakeshore.

Who You Are:

• A Natural Leader: You know how to inspire and motivate a team to achieve amazing things.
• A Master Planner: You can juggle multiple tasks while keeping things organized.
• A People Connector: You thrive on building relationships, whether it’s uniting people with different skill sets or creating a strong sense of camaraderie.
• An Execution Pro: You’re not just about ideas – you roll up your sleeves and make things happen, ensure work is distributed across the team, and keep track of the details so that everything moves smoothly.
• A Positive Force: You bring energy and a “can-do” attitude to everything you do, helping others stay motivated and on track.
• Lake Lover: You love spending time in, on, or near the water and want to turn that passion into action by advocating for and building a community of like-minded people dedicated to protecting and enjoying our coastal resources.

What You’ll Do:

• Build & Lead: Inspire your team, driving collaboration and results.
• Plan & Execute: Work with your team to turn vision into reality with collaborative planning and execution.
• Keep Things Moving: Ensure priorities stay clear, that the team stays on task, and progress toward mission-driven goals continues.
• Connect & Celebrate: Foster communication, rally the team, and celebrate successes.
• Time commitment: roughly 5 hours per week

Executive Committee positions - voting decision-makers for the chapter. Volunteer positions. Roles recruited presently will be interim, with the aim of electing people into the roles for two-year terms in early 2026.

• Chair – Responsible for leading the team, facilitating meetings, serving as local figure-head and primary point of contact with Surfrider Foundation HQ. Keeps chapter organized and moving forward. Lead organizer for chapter general membership meetings and Executive Committee meetings. Time commitment: ~4-6 hrs per week
  
• Vice Chair – Supports the Chair and acts as Chair in the absence of the Chair. Leads a chapter mission-based project (i.e. campaign or program as selected by the chapter.) Time commitment: ~4-6 hrs per week
  
• Executive Coordinator – Responsible for organizing chapter meetings and keeping meeting minutes and transmitting those to Executive Committee members, chapter members, and Surfrider Foundation HQ.  Time commitment: ~2 hrs per week
  
• Treasurer - Responsible for administering the chapter's finances including deposits, disbursement of payments, budgeting, tracking expenses and receipts, and quarterly financial reporting. Time commitment: ~ 2 hrs per week
  
• Volunteer Coordinator - Responsible for fielding incoming volunteer inquiries and helping to recruit volunteers for chapter priority projects. Maintains a list of volunteer opportunities on the Golden platform. ~4 hrs per week
  

Other leadership roles

• Communications Coordinator - Leads on chapter marketing efforts via email newsletters (Hubspot), chapter website (Hubspot), social media accounts, and elsewhere if/as needed. Maintains a marketing calendar. Works with project leads and Volunteer Coordinator to identify and coordinate timely marketing needs. Creates or curates written copy and marketing graphics. Time commitment: ~4 hrs per week
• Beach Cleanup Coordinator - Leads chapter beach cleanups ~once per month during cleanup season. Secures permission/permits and completes insurance request form. Brings chapter supplies to cleanups and sets up tent and table. Provides orientation to the beach cleanup to volunteers. Guides litter data collection efforts and enters data in beach cleanup database to track trends and impact. ~10 hrs monthly
• Great Lakes Friendly Restaurants Coordinator - Builds and manages a team of restaurant scouts and ambassadors to help identify and support restaurants in their journey to implement Great Lakes Friendly practices
  

To learn more about a role and let us know you're interested, please fill out this Executive Committee Interest Form or email sdamron@surfrider.org. We look forward to hearing from you!