Standing Committees
Executive Committee
Role
The Executive Committee will foster the development of the NDF Board so that it can most effectively and efficiently shepherd NDF’s mission: to support the transmission of dharma.
Responsibilities
Support and nurture the Board by planning meeting agendas, retreats, strategic planning and other Board development efforts
Report to the NDF Board.
Members
Kathe McKenna (Chair), Maureen McGee, Susan Malloy, Jane Moss
Ethics
Role (Charge)
Articulate what constitutes ethical (including sexual) misconduct by any NDF staff (including Board Members, Lamas and Teachers, employees). Establish appropriate procedures to address any complaints and manage the process.
All recommendations by the Ethics Committee must be approved by the Board.
Responsibilities
- Establish ethical (including sexual) misconduct policies – an NDF Code of Conduct
- Ensure that NDF personnel sign the NDF Code of Conduct, kept in the Wonderwell office
- Establish procedures to address misconduct (including determination of whether misconduct has occurred)
- Resolve the concern(s) within an Ethics Committee discussion with the party or parties involved, or move forward with the complainant’s request for a Formal Grievance process as outlined in the NDF Complaint Procedure
Composition
At least one teacher or board member and at least one person not a teacher or board member; at least one member should have some background and/or experience addressing issues of misconduct.
Members
Kathe McKenna (Chair), Joel Baehr, Brad Howell, Suzanne Harvey
Finance
Role
The Finance Committee provides the financial oversight and operations for NDF, including accounting, budgeting, reporting, internal controls, and investments.
Responsibilities
- Develop annual operating and capital budgets with NDF’s stakeholders/Board and then monitor adherence
- Develop multi-year operating and capital budgets
- Monitor the operating budget results and suggest initiatives and corrective actions
- Present useful and readable reports to the Board and NDF management
- Maintain a contingency plan so financial operations continue without interruption when there is a loss of personnel or equipment
- Arrange loans and lines of credit subject to Board approval
- Define major financial policies (subject to Board approval) to help ensure NDF’s assets are protected, and then ensure the policies are being followed
- Define an investment policy (subject to Board approval) then invest NDF’s funds accordingly
Members
Phil Malloy (Treasurer), Alida Bryant, Matthew Bellows
Governance
Role
Leads in assessing the knowledge, skills and attributes needed by the board in order to enhance its quality, effectiveness and viability to serve Natural Dharma Fellowship.
Responsibilities
- Board Members
- Contacts board members whose terms are expiring to assess their continuing interest in serving on the board
- Identifies potential board members and explores their interest in and availability for board service
- After consultation with the Lamas, nominates individuals to be elected to the board
- Designs and conducts orientation for new members and provides mentoring
- Provides ongoing program of board information and education about best practices for non-profit boards
- Board Effectiveness
- Initiates periodic assessments with the board of its performance
- Regularly reviews policies and practices regarding participation, By-Laws, conflict of interest and other board policies and practices and suggests improvements as appropriate
- Provides ongoing counsel to the board leadership on steps they might take to enhance board effectiveness
- Manages periodic board retreats to develop board skills and build community
- Board Leadership
- Nominates board members for election as officers and conducts elections
- Tracks the strategic planning needs of NDF
- Board Compliance
Ensures all board members sign off on the appropriate policies (such as the annual Conflict of Interest)
Members
Kathe McKenna (Chair), Tracie Palmer, Susan Malloy
Inclusion and Equity
Role (Charge)
The Inclusion and Equity Committee advises the Board of Directors on how to ensure that Natural Dharma Fellowship (NDF) creates and maintains activities and environments in which the richness of diverse races, cultures, races, genders, sexual orientations, abilities perspectives, backgrounds and life experiences are valued, welcomed and supported through participation in our Sangha.
Responsibilities
- Provide guidance to the Board regarding how to promote diversity, equity and inclusion through the language, content of public statements and social media presence of NDF.
- Provide guidance to the Board about structural and educational changes that will promote cultural literacy and competence.
- Provide guidance, resources and recommendations to the Board and the Sangha for educating and empowering ourselves to recognize the suffering incurred by marginalized people and embody compassionate action in response to this suffering. We will also provide guidance, resources and recommendations for training to tend to our interdependent, collective suffering.
Please Note: The NDF Inclusion and Equity Committee has compiled resources to support NDF members and others in overcoming the damage done by racism and healing the divisions that separate us from our true nature.
Click for Anti-Racism Resources
Members
Francine Rainone (Chair), Suzanne Harvey, Alex Marie, Kathe McKenna, Cara Snajczuk, Tracie Palmer, Naomi Bailis
Marketing
Role
The role of the Marketing Committee is to publicize Natural Dharma Fellowship events, including those at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge and those offered online, in order to build and increase interest in our programming, to raise awareness of NDF in the local, national and Buddhist communities, and to contribute to the sustainability of Wonderwell Mountain Refuge.
Responsibilities
- Plan event promotion, working from when an event is posted on the website, through the various marketing and registration processes, using original descriptive information taken from the website description page, updating and finalizing information, placing ads and social media posts, creating and distributing flyers
- Allocate the annual budget as appropriate to represent NDF and WW in:
- National magazines—Lion’s Roar, Buddhadharma, Tricycle
- Upper Valley and local businesses, yoga studios, cafes, libraries
- Upper Valley and local publications such as the Kearsarge Shopper, Valley News
- Coordinate Marketing strategies as needed with Wonderwell event managers and other NDF personnel and committees
- Conduct regular assessments/evaluation of the effect of advertising on participants in NDF programs and retreats (rely on reports from others, such as Wonderwell Registrar and Online Coordinator)
- Coordinate with Tech/Communications on e-newsletter and websites as they relate to marketing
- Report to the NDF Board of Directors
Members
Barbara Pontier, Suzanne Harvey
Personnel
Role
To establish a clear structure of roles and responsibilities held by individuals (paid or volunteer) with an eye to ensuring all NDF tasks are successfully managed. To ensure that individuals are supported in the exercise of their roles, that burn-out is minimized, and that accountability is ensured.
Responsibilities
- To assure that every job has a job description including role, responsibilities, who is the supervisor, whom the staff supervise
- To ensure that each staff person has a supervisor/mentor and that the practice of Deep Listening is employed in supervision
- To assess how each job fits into the overall management of NDF
- To follow appropriate legal procedures as a responsible employer
- To report to the NDF Board
Members
Jane Moss (Chair), Kathe McKenna, David Bayer, Barbara Waldorf
Stewardship
Role
The role of the Stewardship Committee is to support the Mission and Values of Natural Dharma Fellowship by raising monetary resources. The focus of the Committee’s activities will be to meet operational needs as well as to plan for the long-term needs of NDF.
Responsibilities
- Create and maintain a database of accurate, up to date information on donors and NDF members that facilitates future contacts
- Work with the Board, the Finance Committee, and any other relevant committees, to develop 1-, 3- , 5- and 10-year projections of the financial needs of NDF so that we can plan our activities accordingly
- Work with the Board and our Spiritual Directors to conduct an Annual Giving Campaign
- Create paths for Planned Giving that could be the basis of an endowment
- Engage in any other activities that facilitate the opportunity for people to engage in the practice of Dana
