Sangha Management
Don’t let vital info get lost in transition
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Even though we know impermanence is one of the three marks of existence, sometimes we forget it in sangha management. For example: Leadership changes over time. That can be challenging enough without accidentally creating more problems when new board members aren't given crucial information or don’t have access to important documents. How do you ensure vital information doesn’t get lost in the transition? Give more than one person access to important accounts. Provide every new board member with a packet of important information about such things as dates for tax filing and contact information for support services. Sangha's official address - If the address is an ex-leader’s address, important documents may not be received promptly or at all. Geographically-based sanghas can have a P.O. Box, but if the sangha board members are more dispersed, an online P.O. service can help, as they can forward mail to any address. If you use bookkeeping software, be sure all reports are available elsewhere, on the cloud and/or physical files. Future members may not use the service, but the records still need to be available. Make sure meeting minutes contain sufficient information for future board members to understand how decisions were made, bank balances at the end of every year for tax purposes, and any other information that is often only contained in private emails between board members that future leadership teams will not have access to. Keep a record of board members’ full contact information, as well as their emergency contact information, and ask all board members to provide their emergency contacts with instructions on who in your sangha leadership team to contact about any pertinent changes in their lives that would adversely affect their ability to serve. When a board member leaves, be sure any access information to online accounts, government accounts, and bank access is transferred to an existing board member. Contact the bank for instructions on adding and removing signators. Do you have other suggestions from your own experience? If you are an Insight Meditation sangha leader, we invite you to share them on the Intersangha email group. (Not a member?  Contact us to be added to the group.) May your sangha last for generations to come! With mindful management, there will be less confusion, frustration, and unnecessary expense to undermine your best intentions. And your sangha will have the best opportunity to thrive.
The Wording of Board Minutes Matters
Board Meeting Minutes should record decisions fitting the board's duty to the organization. A vote should be made after a board member makes a motion and another member seconds it. Wording may seem unimportant, but it can create problems if not done appropriately. For example, one non-profit sangha whose members had no prior board experience reported an issue when they applied to add a signatory to the sangha’s bank account. The bank wrote and requested a copy of the minutes with the motion approving the change. Then it rejected the language as insufficient. The delay caused a challenge in doing business. When the board members finally understood the problem, they had to reconvene to consider and pass a motion with documented wording satisfactory to the financial institution. While a board meeting can include rich sharing and lively brainstorming, maintaining proper minutes fulfills the board members’ obligation to be honest convenors.
