Root Capital is a non-profit organization that works with small and growing agricultural businesses across Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia to build more prosperous, resilient and inclusive rural communities. Root Capital’s unique impact investment model combines its core lending work with delivery of advisory services and grant-making to address not only the need for capital, but also to help these businesses, and the smallholder farmers they support, address environmental challenges in their communities.

Root Capital seeks out enterprises whose credit needs are too big for microfinance and too small or risky for commercial banks, and provides loans ranging from about $200,000 to $2m especially tailored to harvest and sales cycles. To help businesses grow over the long-term, Root Capital also offers highly-customized training to strengthen their financial management, governance, inclusion and conservation practises and agronomic capacity.

Over the past 20 years, Root Capital has worked with 764 clients, representing 2.2 million farmers and their families, and disbursed $1.6bn to small and growing agricultural businesses. With growth, these businesses become engines of impact that can raise incomes and create jobs, empower women and young people, sustain peace, and preserve vulnerable ecosystems for generations to come.

Looking forward, given some urgent challenges – from volatile crop prices to extreme weather to the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic – Root Capital is committed to strengthening rural resilience over the next five years as part of its strategy. It will provide critical support to hundreds of agricultural businesses across the globe through access to tailored, affordable financing; tools to address the challenges of shifting climate conditions; investments in gender equity; and opportunities for the next generation, with the goal of reaching at least one million farming families per year. From its unique position as both a thought leader and a trusted implementing partner, Root Capital will influence others to adopt its successful approaches.

Root Capital looks to its Board of Directors to ensure that the organization has the necessary leadership, oversight, and resources to achieve its important mission.

The Board of Directors is responsible for upholding Root Capital's mission. It supports and evaluates the CEO, ensuring effective planning for programmatic and financial goals. It also ensures legal, ethical and financial integrity, effectively monitoring and managing organizational risk, while enhancing Root Capital's public standing and helping it to secure the resources it needs to succeed.

Each member is expected to gain a deep understanding of Root Capital, including its mission, goals, policies and services. Following trends and staying informed in the Director’s area of expertise with relation to Root Capital is also important for maximizing the Board’s impact. Each Director must be independent and committed to acting fairly and with a sense of personal integrity.

It is expected that Board members contribute to Root Capital financially in a way that is meaningful to each individual Director. Board members also serve as ambassadors for Root Capital within their professional and personal networks, and can help to identify and cultivate relationships with new funders.

Root Capital seeks new Board Members from various backgrounds, particularly those with close connections to the communities it serves, with emerging market finance experience, experience in Latin America or Africa working on Root Capital’s key areas of focus, and / or technology expertise. It is keen to receive applications from those individuals with one or more of the following experiences:

Global South identity and background: Root Capital’s current focus is on rural communities in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia reliant on coffee, cocoa, tree nuts and some staple grains. It is therefore particularly interested in Board Members who are part of – or closely connected to – one or more of the communities Root serves.

Inclusive finance: This individual will have experience with emerging market finance and risk, possibly from a banking or investment banking background, ideally with a particular understanding of financing flows in the regions in which Root Capital operates.

Other relevant expertise:This individual will have experience working in Latin America or Africa on issues relating to key areas of Root Capital’s focus, namely, smallholder agriculture, climate adaptation and gender equity.

Technology: Apart from lending, Root Capital provides technical advisory services to farmers on agricultural practices, climate adaptation or mitigation, and business matters. This individual will therefore understand and be able to advise Root Capital on the use of technology, and how its impact can be measured and increased.

Beyond their fiduciary roles, Root Capital’s Board members are expected to ask a lot of questions and challenge assumptions. The Board has a culture of interested engagement, listening and learning. While maintaining oversight of the organization, they are passionate about explaining its purpose and sharing its phenomenal story. Given Root Capital's operations in Latin America, applications from Spanish-speaking individuals would be welcome.

This role is unremunerated. Board meetings are held four times per year, with two occurring in-person in Boston, USA (full international expenses covered on a case-by-case basis), and two virtually.Board Members are expected to serve on at least one Committee, which typically meet on a quarterly basis; they include the Credit, Development, Finance & Risk, Programs and Governance Committees. The appointment is for a three-year term, which can be renewed once at the discretion of the Board.