TL;DR: We’re a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 99-1838037) making animated videos about AI safety and other topics. The IRS made its tax-exemption determination in October 2024. Our current three-person board is all staff and two of us are romantic partners, which is not ideal. We want at least two independent board members (not current staff and not expecting to be). Expect 10-30 hours per year of effort. The work consists mainly of quarterly meetings, high-level approvals of strategy and budget, review of company performance, and decisions where staff have a conflict of interest, such as compensation. If interested, email  business@rationalanimations.com with the subject “Board - <Your Name>”.

Who we are

Rational Animations is a fully remote nonprofit studio producing animated videos about various topics, with a strong focus on AI safety. At the time of writing, the YouTube channel has 450k subscribers and 32 million views. RA was co-founded by Emanuele Ascani (me) and Michela Biancini, who has also been my romantic partner since 2016. 

Current board:

• Emanuele Ascani - President & Treasurer
• Michela Biancini - Board Member
• Kristy Steffens - Secretary

All three of us are employed by Rational Animations.

Why we’re expanding the board

We’d benefit from additional board members in two main ways: 

1. All current board members are also staff and two of us are partners. We need unconflicted directors for compensation and other COI-sensitive decisions.
2. Additional strong judgment about how best to pursue our mission and conduct our operations.

What you’ll do

Here are some things you’ll likely do as a board member. These aren’t set in stone, and we'll figure out the best ways to coordinate as we go: 

1. Quarterly 30-90 min remote meetings plus occasional short async votes.
2. Review and approve high-level strategy, key policies, and our performance as a company.
3. Handle COI-sensitive decisions (e.g., compensation of employed board members).
4. Occasionally coordinate informally about organizational strategy via Discord or email.

We expect the total effort to be about 10-30 hours in a typical year, more if something unusual demands the board's attention. This is an unpaid position with a renewable 1-year term.

Note on responsibilities: directors have the standard fiduciary duties of care and loyalty (informed decision-making, acting in RA's interest, and recusing when conflicted). We carry Directors & Officers (D&O) insurance covering board members for claims arising from their board service. 

Who might be a good fit

Mainly, we’re looking for two things:

1. You are not currently employed by Rational Animations, and do not expect to be in the future.
2. Strong signals include involvement in AI safety, Effective Altruism, or media production, as well as experience with non-profits (e.g., board membership, governance, finance, or ops roles).

How to apply

Just email business@rationalanimations.com with the subject “Board - <Your Name>”. We’d like to know about your background and why you’re interested in being a board member. Links to your LinkedIn profile, a personal site, or CV are welcome.