Building & Grounds
Role:
Hold the overview as well as the historic memory of the ongoing development of NDF’s retreat facility, Wonderwell Mountain Refuge. Share the short and long term facility and ground needs of Wonderwell with the board as well as both recommend priorities and develop the best implementation strategies to meet the board’s strategic goals.
As of September 2023, the Role of this committee was expanded to include The Farm (formally Faraway Farm).
Responsibilities:
- Brainstorm and share with the board and staff best practices of facilities’ management
- Research and propose ways to ‘green’ Wonderwell and the Farm
- Gather information from the ‘on the ground’ building and grounds personnel to develop needs and create priorities
- Remain aware of any ongoing renovations and oversee them if and when possible
- Facilitate and promote (when possible) research on Wonderwell’s and the Farm’s historic value and funding opportunities in partnership with other NDF committees and staff
- Note and track the property taxes assessed by the Town of Springfield
- Work with the board to draft a short and long range plan for Wonderwell’s and the Farm’s maintenance and renovations
- Develop and recommend best uses for the Farm in the short term in conversation with other committees and staff
- Oversee any immediate needs of the Farm (such as picking up the current security system contract)
Members:
Kathe McKenna (Chair), Phil Morse, Karen Kharitonov, Carol Marsh, Thilo Marg Bracken, Leeli Bonney, Gregory Bruss
Ethics
Role (Charge)
The Ethic Committee articulates 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), 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), Matthew Bellows, Alida Bryant, Karen Kharitonov, Elaine Shein
Governance
Role
The Governance Committee 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
- Draft Board agendas
- Contact 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 an 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 & Equity
Role (Charge)
The Inclusion and Equity Committee (IEC) advises the Board of Directors on how to ensure that Natural Dharma Fellowship (NDF) fosters belonging and inclusion among all NDF Sangha members, staff and volunteers, and creates and maintains in-person and online environments that foster belonging and inclusion for participants and that value, welcome and support the richness of diverse races, cultures, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, perspectives, backgrounds and life experiences in our Sangha.
Responsibilities
- Provide guidance to the Board regarding the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion through dialogues and educational opportunities that encourage cultural literacy and competence.
- Suggest opportunities and resources to the Board and the Sangha for educating and empowering ourselves to recognize the traumas incurred by marginalized people, take compassionate and responsive action, recognize our interdependent and collective suffering, and heal the divisions that separate us from each other and our true nature.
Members
Matt Fritts (Chair), Suzanne Harvey, Amanda Lotz, Alex Marie, Gwen Reese
Contact with IEC-related concerns or to join this committee.
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) David Bayer, Karen Kharitonov, Jean Fazzino Lain, Kathe McKenna
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
