Prepared by: François Beausoleil, trainer and consultant.  www.FrancoisBeausoleil.com

In Consultation with the Board of the BCNCC with feedback from BC's Certified Trainers and Giraffe Community Members

Please send your feedback to François at: Francois@FrancoisBeausoleil.com

Action plan:
Improving connection, direction and sustainability at BCNCC

Challenges, Opportunities, and Goals at BCNCC

Context: The Board integrated new members towards the end of 2009, and this change inspired people to investigate ways to create more connection in the group and to have a clear sense of direction for the organization, as well as plan for ensuring its financial sustainability.

Challenges: The absence of short terms projects and long-term vision contributes to unsettledness for some of the board members.  Building community and fostering connection amongst people across geographic distances is a concern.  The team is also uncertain about availability of human and financial resources. Conducting Board business primarily through e-mail and by telephone is less than satisfying in terms of connection and aliveness. BCNCC is also worried about the sense of extreme fatigue present for some of its members and eager to integrate a way to support self-care.

Opportunities: High desire on the part of some members of the board to change in order to create more efficiency and a more satisfying and enjoyable climate for all. NVC is growing fast, more and more people are attracted to it in BC, and in general. BCNCC could play a central role in coordinating information, providing support and network opportunities.

Desired Goals: The Board is interested in learning how to build trust, strengthen working relationships within the group, while building the NVC Community locally and at the level of the Province.  Coupled with that is a desire for clarity about the financial sustainability strategy.

Vision: Support the people who are contributing to the growth of NVC in BC, and build giraffe community among the public, facilitators and the NVC trainers.

Deliverables

Considerations and work hypotheses

BCNCC would increase the number of seats available on the board. Prospective board members would be presented with a list of expectations for each position so they could make an informed decision about their willingness to participate prior to the election. If a current Board member steps down from their position, that person would be asked to help with the transition.

According to BCNCC's constitution, Board members cannot receive financial benefit as a result of their board position. This means that Board members could not apply for paid positions with BCNCC without first resigning from the board.

BCNCC would hire someone as Executive Director ; this person would attend to various tasks such as administrative work, offering trainings and individual sessions, supporting the Board (including skill building), coaching practice group leaders, fundraising. etc. One scenario is that the ED would receive a financial contribution of 1000-2000$ per month for 6 to 12 months, and that it would be re-evaluated 2 months before the end of this period. The job's description would be defined later, and of course, only if there is a consensus around his/her hiring.

BCNCC would hire a part-time admin. staff person; this person would attend to various administrative work, including organizing and promoting BCNCC trainings. One scenario is that this staff person would receive 500$-1000$ per month for 6 to 12 months, and that it would be reevaluated 2 months before the end of this period. The job's description would be defined later, and of course, only if there is a consensus around his/her hiring.

BCNCC would find an office .  The Director, the admin. staff (and possibly volunteers) could work from there and small trainings could be held at the location.

BCNCC would sponsor  and organize some trainings led by the Director and/or other trainers.

This Action Plan, as well as the budget, would be presented to the AGM before being implemented.

Budget
A Budget for Years 1 and Yea 2 has been agreed upon during the March 7th, 2010 Board meeting.
Timeline (draft)
May 1st: AGM
May 15th:  Recruiting period starts for ED and Admin Staff.  Research for office space starts
July 1st: ED and Admin staff hired. BCNCC moves in Office
July 15th: Publicity is sent for BCNCC trainings, intros, practice groups
August:  BCNCC Trainings, intros, practice groups starts

Sense of Direction: Building the NVC Community (locally and provincially)
Recommendations on how could BCNCC play a central role in coordinating information, providing support and network opportunities (short-term projects and long-term vision)

Central role in coordinating information

1. short-term

• Website
• Newsletter: once a month, sent by email
• Net-Based Social Networking
• Word of mouth
• BCNCC would convey information to the best of its knowledge and ability as requests come from the public. This would be done by having a central phone BCNCC phone line and central email address.

2.long-term vision
Update the Website functionnalities

Providing support and network opportunities
1. short-term

• Hold 1 – 2 Gatherings a year for volunteers and anyone else involved in BCNCC to nurture and build the community.
• Regularly schedule NVC offerings  (starting in September 2010)
• Introduction to NVC: Once a month
• Support the creation of practice groups (possibly including a drop-in one)
• Offer Weekly Series.
• 12 workshops per year led by Certified Trainers.
• Offer 1 major event a year. (This could be a 2-day workshop co-led by 3 or 4 Certified Trainers)
• Develop Community partnerships with like-minded organizations
• Support local trainers

2.  Long-term vision

• Increase the number of weekly series and periodic workshops
• Continue to expand relationships in the community.
• Keep developing other short-term items in this section

Recommendations on how to build community and foster connection amongst people across geographic distances (short-term projects and long-term vision).
short-term

Find between 5 and 10 regional point-persons. These Regional point-persons would act as local resources as well as channels to inform BCNCC about local requests. They would also support organizing community events and trainings.

• Organise at least one BCNCC training a year per region.  The number of region would be defined later.
• Organise teleclasses (this would be done by the Admin. Person)
• long-term vision
• Keep building the regional resources, possibly creating regional local resource centers.
• Nurture the partnership between BCNCC and the regions.

Recommendations on how to support the growth of NVC, and build giraffe community among the public, facilitators and the NVC trainers. (short-term projects and long-term vision)

How to support the growth of NVC
1. short-term

• Create new inclusion guidelines for future and existing BCNCC's Board Members. These guidelines would include:
• Ability to contribute:
• Time
• Talent (skills related to the role)
• Community connections
• Resources.
• Offer grants  to some members of the NVC Community in BC.
• Support local trainers

2. long-term vision

• Provide trainings in the community: schools, non profits, neighborhood centers, businesses, and government.
• Develop the partnerships to initiate systems change in: Education, Health, and Justice systems.
• Research already existing social change initiatives with whom BCNCC could be in partnership.
• Gradually increasing the size of the Board to  9 – 11 active members
• build giraffe community among the public, facilitators and the NVC trainers
• short-term
• Hold a Healing Circle between April and September 2010 to aknowledge pain of the past and underline the turning of a new page. (this might happen right after a facilitator's training).
• Follow other recommendations presented earlier in this document.

long-term vision
Keep developing the community, nurturing care and partnership though a web of NVC activities (see prior suggestions)
Strenghtened relationships within the group

A plan concerning how the Board can increase connection, trust and aliveness when they do business together

Benefit from the support of trainers during phone and in-persons meetings.  François Beausoleil and the Executive Director would play this role on an immediate basis.
Possibly hold Board's meetings through video-conferencing.
Board members will get indivual support on the self-care issue by Francois Beausoleil

A plan to create more efficiency and a more satisfying and enjoyable climate for all
Benefit from the support of trainers during phone and in-persons meetings.  François Beausoleil would play this role on an immediate basis.
Explore ways to share information faster through the members of the board.  Also, the presence of staff is likely to bring more ease for Board members.

A set of Organizational Culture Principles
Adapt from the BayNVC list of Organization Culture Principles:

• People are doing what they want to be doing: vigilant checking about full-hearted yes
• Transparency highly valued
• Personal sustainability --> each member thriving!
• Tending on-goingly to relationships & conflicts
• Tend to people first, relationships primary
• Quality of trust that there will be energy/attention to tasks as we focus on relationships
• Care & consideration & inclusivity
• Shared decision making, participation
• Openness to keep reviewing, making, keeping, breaking agreements with care
• Willingness to adapt agreements on case-by-case basis
• "Mistakes" become an opportunity for learning upset --> connection --> learning for future
• Holding our needs - how to grow in this at all levels
• Decisions & connections are based on needs
• Shared power
• Huge compassion for our shared humanity and when we're not living in line with these principles.

Clarity about the financial sustainability strategy
Plan for insuring sustainability:
A business model in place.
1.  Short-term
The business model would include revenues coming from:

• Grants
• Foundations
• BCNCC trainings (public and private)
• Membership (sliding scale from $12 to $20 per year, with option to donate more or to contact the organization if it is not affordable.)
• General Public Fundraising

New expenses, starting July 2010:

• $1000-2000/month for the Director
• $500-1000/month for Admin. Staff
• $200/month for a BCNCC executive office.
• Provide NVC training on an ongoing basis to at least 2 influential public or private organizations by December 2010

Long-term

• Create a fund that would be used to secure a location to hold trainings and host the organization's main office.
• A plan to address availability of human and financial resources
• The new inclusion guidelines for Board Members will include clarity about availability.
• The presence of staff is likely to solve a significant part of the human resources problem.
• The new business model would take care of conveying sufficient financial resources to the organization.
• A set of Organizational guidelines and Money principles
• Adapt from BayNVC: "no one is refused for lack of funds related to the teaching fees" (Agenda item for upcoming meeting)
• Money principles to be developed.

Self-Care
A plan to support self-care and balance for BCNCC's members.
Francois will provide individual coaching to Board members on the subject.

Follow-up Phase (until September 1st 2010)

• François will be available to support BCNCC through a monthly call (60-90 minutes)
• Dates and times to be decided later
• Email support
• One-on-one support phone calls will also be available during the Follow-up phase (the frequency and length of these will be agreed through connection between BCNCC and François; additional amounts of money might be involved).