Who's WHO and how to reach them...
VPT BOARD & WORKING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
* Indicates Board Member ** Indicates Board Member on Working Committee
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COMMITTEES
The following is adapted from the STRUCTURE PROPOSAL SUMMARY. A big thank you to the Structure Committee Members: Ronnie Phelps, Jane Johnson, Anne Scheibner, Joanne Sheehan, and Fr. Emmett.
Standing Committees
The Board of Directors would establish the following Standing Committees. Each committee would have a board member liaison, who may or may not serve as committee convener. In most cases, non-board members would be needed on each committee to accomplish the various tasks needing to be done. The Committees provide an opportunity for Members to participate actively in various aspects of VPT’s operations, and should assist in “grooming” individuals for future service as directors. Except in situations where the Board of Directors has specifically authorized a Committee to act on behalf of VPT, the Committees will work to provide recommendations for action by the Board of Directors.
Finance Committee: Oversee the development of the annual budget, ongoing payment of bills and loans, periodic financial reports to the Board and membership, annual reporting to the federal and state agencies and assess long term capital budget requirements of both the existing property and any proposed additions.
MEMBERS:
Fund Raising: (a subcommittee of the Finance Committee) Grant proposals planned by any of the three program projects must be cleared with this committee to avoid duplicate applications to the same grant sources and to maximize effectiveness of certain grants by coordinating efforts - gardening for urban youth in the summer program, for example, or a model environmental justice project that a co-op member might spearhead. The Fund Raising Committee would also maintain the list of Supporting Donors and engage in an annual appeal and/or other fund raising activities as needed.
MEMBERS: Ruth Tureckova, Beth Gentile, Nory Oakes
Facilities Committee: Work with the Facilities Manager to assess and carry out ongoing maintenance and improvement projects on the Voluntown property.
MEMBERS: Rick Gaumer, Jim MacBride
Land Use and Stewardship: Oversee the ongoing stewardship of the Voluntown property, including forest and pasture management, conservation of water resources, and development of sustainable energy practices such as geo-thermal, wind and solar and any other issues related to the stewardship of the land. NOTE: This may at some time in the future become the responsibility of the Land Stewardship Program Class, with provision for careful coordination between Facilities and Land Stewardship.
MEMBERS: Mary Hill (Garden),
Communications: Maintain the website, publish information such as pamphlets, newsletters, an Annual Report and other forms of advertising or publicity.
MEMBERS: Nory Oakes
Operations and Personnel Committee: Develop and review the Letters of Agreement between the Board of Directors and (i) each of the Core Programs, (ii) the Facilities Manager and (iii) anyone else resident on the property connected to any of the Core Programs such as a summer garden intern or an intern for CNVA program work. This committee would oversee annual reviews of everything – programs, performance of any staff, and any other accountability elements, and make recommendations to the full Board. This committee would also be the place to refer any conflicts (we recommend that the Board adopt a Conflict Resolution Process) arising among the various groups or individuals. This committee would also be in charge of board development training, including consensus decision making and conflict resolution training. These training workshops would be mandatory for all VPT board members and open to all other members of the VPT and could be made available to members of the wider community possibly for a fee.
MEMBERS:
Membership Committee: Develop the individual membership base for VPT. This would consist of anyone contributing $25 or more per year who participates in one or more groups or activities at VPT. Special provisions should be made for students and those on restricted incomes. Persons participating in any of the three Core Programs are welcomed to become Community Members, but joining as a Community Member is not required to be part of the co-op, summer camp or garden. The Membership Committee would help develop events and activities to further the development of the mission of the VPT and engage in outreach, especially to the local community. Such outreach already includes activities as yoga, handcrafts, movie nights, art shows. The current Working Group is the basis for this Membership category. The Membership Committee would develop the particular criteria an individual must meet in order to become a Community Member, including whether the Board of Directors should vote on accepting Community Members or who should have the “authority” to determine whether someone has met those criteria.
MEMBERS:
NOTE: We have not discussed a Nominating or Board Development Committee, (current members: Jackie Allen Doucot and Kit Johnson), which would help to identify potential board members and otherwise pay close attention to the health of the Board and the overall VPT corporate structure; it may be too much to ask of the Operations and Personnel Committee to handle board training although conflict resolution would be seem best located in this committee.
Core Program Agreements:
The Board of Directors of VPT will enter into written agreements or contracts with each of the three Core Programs, which in each case will address the following:
· What activities the Core Program will undertake on behalf of the VPT Mission for the year covered by the Agreement;
· What is the anticipated need for space;
· What is the anticipated need for funding for its program budget, and how it will raise those funds;
· Who will be responsible for which expenses, and how will the Core Program expect to meet its share of the expenses;
· What insurance coverage is needed for activities sponsored by the Core Program;
· Any other commitments each Core Program is able to make in the context of its programs and in the context of its
relationship to the other Mission Programs and to VPT; and
· What process will each Core Program use to choose its representative to the VPT Board.
