Summary of Discussion on “Alternatives to address Trusted Servant (TS) vacancies”
Thus far, seven women have commented on the discussion document. The comments were diverse, touching on many of the ideas presented in the document. Comments can be grouped into six areas.
Specific duties of the Secretary position (& volunteers)
Our listkeepers have volunteered to cover several of the Secretary’s duties. However, others felt that the duties should be distributed more evenly across all Trusted Servants. Here are the duties and the TSs volunteering to cover them:
post form letters, …………………………………………… Sophie & Susan, danna
contact, Trusted Servant issues, ……………………… Sophie & Susan
contact, GROW member issues,
list of emergency phone numbers, …………………… Sophie & Susan, danna (website)
Mini Steering Committee
announcing vacancies monthly………………………… danna
recruiting & reporting
Group Inventory…………………………………………….. Sophie, danna
This assumes that Group Inventory tasks would be divided by week for the one-month exercise. This means that two weeks are covered, but the other two weeks are still orphans.
Frequency of GROW business meetings
The Discussion document suggested that our business meeting schedule could be changed to encourage participation. There was also a suggestion that the business meeting schedule be cancelled, with business matters handled by the Steering Committee on an ad hoc basis using the grow-business mailing list to communicate. One commenter felt that it was acceptable for the meeting schedule to change to no more frequent than quarterly.
Note: In its first year, GROW business was handled ad hoc by the Steering Committee without a mailing list. In 1998, a Group Conscience decision was approved to hold meetings quarterly on a business list. In 2008, a Group Conscience decision changed that schedule to twice a year to coincide with TS terms of office.
The women commenting on this idea rejected cancelling our April and October schedule. Some reported that GROW business and decision-making is superior to other online meetings.
Using grow-business all the time, not just during meetings
The most popular suggestion was to keep grow-business active throughout the year, not just in April and October. Commenters felt it would allow us to address issues more timely.
Commenters did not agree that the full-time business list was an appropriate substitute for regularly scheduled business meetings, confirming that they support the current April and October schedule.
One commenter felt that the full-time grow-business would still need a lead or chairperson to assure the Steering Committee was focused, that proposals go through the process outlined in our Business Meeting Guidelines, and to document discussions, votes, and Group Conscience decisions.
Eliminating Trusted Servant positions
The Discussion document suggested eliminating the “service” positions that are not essential to directly supporting our ongoing email meeting. Almost all commenters rejected this idea. One commenter felt that eliminating roles that are not essential seems like a good idea but that each of us would have a different view of what constitutes “essential.”
The document also suggested that TS positions be eliminated and the duties be transferred to other TS positions. One commenter felt that doing this might make the existing TS positions seem more complex or time-consuming, discouraging volunteers even more.
Suggesting a less radical approach, one commenter felt that discontinuing the services that a vacant TS position provides might make consequences of the vacancy clearer to our members and encourage more people to volunteer.
Recruiting Trusted Servants
Commenters generally felt that, with the changes made in the recruitment process, GROW is doing all it can to encourage volunteering. One commenter suggested that current TSs could personally identify and contact GROW members that are good candidates (a suggestion that was rejected in October 2021). She also thought that we might nominate GROW members to fill positions rather than waiting for them to volunteer.
The Discussion document also suggested changing the order in which vacancies are announced. By this scheme, TS positions that directly support the email meeting would be announced first, and announcements for other positions would be deferred until the most essential positions have been filled. (The Chair muses: what happens if no one volunteers for those essential positions?)
The Chair points out that no one commented on Proposal 6 to cover duties of the business chair. While many of the duties in this position are not easily broken down into discrete activities, there are areas where individuals could be of significant help. This would be particularly important if we decide to keep grow-business active all year and make Group Conscience decisions on an ad hoc basis.
preparing opening documents and sending the emails;………..
working with members on Proposals;………………………… danna
preparing minutes and summaries………………………………………
(The Chair recommends letting Minutes serve as the only record for the meeting); and
recording and counting votes……………………………………………..