Join our Board!

Shared Support Maryland, Inc. is a small nonprofit providing completely personalized supports to more than 145 people with disabilities. Our objective is not to run the lives of people with disabilities but to support people to run their own lives. People live in their own homes, alone, or with people whom they choose. People hire, are the employer of record and are in charge of their own support staff, hold jobs that pay a living wage, and spend their time in activities of their choosing. We are one of fewer than 75 agencies in the country that provides this kind of person-directed, customized support and services to people with any level or multiplicity of disability, without exception. 

In everything we do, the intent is to support people to make decisions for themselves -- to live truly self-directed lives -- and we do this well. We know we provide quality, individualized assistance because the people we support tell us that they accomplish more than they ever have in their lives. With this kind of support, people’s capabilities, contributions, and quality of life grow in ways no other kind of service allows. 

Shared Support Maryland’s defining characteristic is our ability to balance rigor and flexibility. Because life can sometimes be achieved in surprising and unplanned ways, we seek to balance: 

  • The discipline of person-directed planning and our commitment to be fully responsive to people’s changing needs; 

  • The importance of the dignity of risk and human rights; and, 

  • Transparency and accountability with the determination to support people in creative ways. 

Shared Support Maryland is at the top of the list in providing services in the degree of our commitment to personalized, respectful supports. The way in which we carry out that commitment is the key to our being able to do things differently. When, as inevitably happens, there are gaps between what people need and we want to do, and what public systems can support, we pursue additional resources and grants that allow us to be responsive to the needs of people with disabilities we support. We stretch our boundaries and share our person-centered values, tools, and practices with other agencies that provide services to people with disabilities by providing training to professionals, family members and people with disabilities across Maryland and in other states. 

What it Means to Be a Shared Support Maryland Board Member 

Our board of directors, like all non-profit boards, provides governance to the organization, represents it to the community, and accepts the ultimate legal authority for the organization. Our Board Members:

  • Attend Board meetings four times a year typically in March, June, September and December. These meetings are web and/or in person and are 2-3 hours in length;

  • And attend 30 - 45 minute check in meetings during months without a Board Meeting;

  • Take on work assignments between meetings so we can move forward on our actionable ideas;

  • Work with other Board members so we can make decisions in a spirit of openness and teamwork; 

  • Contribute or raise (by seeking donations through your contacts and relationships) $1,500 annually; and 

  • Support additional fund raising efforts throughout the year.

What it Takes to be a Great Shared Support Maryland Board Member

We are seeking new Board Members that have a commitment to social justice and the fact that people with disabilities direct their lives. Our determination to be innovators and change agents makes ours an exciting Board to join. We work to assure a fit between our approaches and the federal and state systems that provide resources to the people we support. Current Board Members report that taking on these challenges have the happy effect of deepening feelings of accomplishment and increasing their affection for the organization, its staff and other Board members. 

Interested in learning more about being a Board Member?

Please share your interest with us by filling out the form below.