A group of NCDD members are using this workspace to explore and collaboratively develop NCDD's Mission Statement, NCDD's Principles, Governance Procedures and By Laws. The group will report to the NCDD Steering Committee and will seek the input of NCDD members.
The following NCDD members make up the Governance & Mission Group:
*Paul Alexander (Facilitator) of the Institute on the Common Good, palexand@regis.edu *Nabil El-Khodari of The Nile Basin Society, webmaster@nilebasin.com *John P. Falchi of J.P. Falchi & Associates, jpfalchi@aol.com *Stephan Gilchrist of Portland State University, stephang@pdx.edu *Mark Hanawalt, communityheart@juno.com *Sandy Heierbacher of the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation, sandy@thataway.org *Don Klein, Ph.D. of The Union Institute and University, dklein@tui.edu *Len Krimerman of Grassroots Economic Organizing, lenmvgeo@mindspring.com *Aliah Ma Jon of Days of Dialogue - Los Angeles, shamballa@adelphia.net *Kevin Rafferty of Kevin Rafferty Executive Consulting, kr@kevinrafferty.com *Jim Rough of the Center for Wise Democratic Processes, Jim@tobe.net *David Schoem of the Michigan Community Scholars Program, dschoem@umich.edu *Aaron Traxler-Ballew of the University of Michigan*s Program on Intergroup Relations, Conflict & Community, atballew@umich.edu *Stacie Walton of Culture & Health Consulting, stacie_brazil@yahoo.com *Taylor Willingham of Austin-Pacific Consulting Co., taylor@austin-pacific.com
This group has four very important tasks: #Creating a Mission Statement or Statement of Purpose for NCDD #Defining a Set of Guiding Principles #Developing Governance Procedures #Writing By-Laws
Here's our plan for moving forward: Instead of trying to create the mission, principles, and everything else via this listserv, we plan to work in small groups of 3-5 people to tackle each task. The groups will utilize the Governance & Mission listserv (mission@email.edgateway.net) for feedback, and will share their progress and ask for input from NCDD's Steering Committee and NCDD members as needed.
Below are more details about the four tasks this group needs to accomplish.
Tasks for the Governance & Mission Group
(These tasks are modified from the Chaordic Commons.)1. Creating a Mission Statement or Statement of Purpose
The first step is to define, with absolute clarity and deep conviction, the purpose of the community. An effective statement of purpose will be a clear, commonly understood statement of that which identifies and binds the community together as worthy of pursuit. When properly done, it can usually be expressed in a single sentence. Participants will say about the purpose, "If we could achieve that, my life would have meaning."2. Defining a Set of Guiding Principles
Along with a mission statement, we need to agree on principles by which those involved will be guided in pursuit of that purpose. Principles typically have high ethical and moral content. The best will be descriptive, not prescriptive, and each principle will illuminate the others. Taken as a whole, together with the purpose, the principles constitute the body of belief that will bind the community together and against which all decisions and acts will be judged.3. Developing Governance Procedures
How can NCDD be managed and how can decisions be made in a way that involves the membership without sacrificing efficiency and effectiveness? What kind of organizational structure will ensure that NCDD can be a self-organizing, dynamic, evolving entity?4. Writing By-Laws
The By-Laws we establish in order to meet the requirements of becoming a legal nonprofit organization will be based on our mission statement, principles and agreed-upon governance procedures. The By-Laws will incorporate, with precision, the substance of the previous steps.
