Chapter Leadership Roundtable (SC #10) April 26, 2015 - 9:30 AM PST 12:30 PST Video Chat
Attendees: Tim and Becca (Minneapolis), Gary (Calgary), Irsida (Detroit), John (New Haven), Frank, Cameo, Elisa, Alasdair, and Katherine (London), Tom (Chicago), Kim (Houston), Hector and Anita (LA), Salete (Lisbon), Mike (Boston), Gabriel (Guadalajara), Chrissa and Mara (Athens), Karl, Matthew, Colleen, and Maria (San Francisco), Danielle (Dallas), Rayya and Joe (DC), Rachel (Portland) Ju (Santa Fe), Michael (New Orleans), Nicole H., Taye (Abudja), Garrett (at large) Agenda: I. A brief update presentation (Garrett) II. Subcommittee introductions (The steering committee) III. Question Period (All) IV. Discussion: A Network-wide involvement initiative (All) Notes: 9:30 Gathering & Introductions. At least 24 channels calling in (30+ participants) participants have been involved in some cases since 2007 or 2004. 9:55 A brief update presentation (Garrett) Garrett screenshared this presentation, to which these notes were taken. Thanks to former HQ intern Tinna, now in Copenhagen, still very much involved, for making such a gorgeous template! •
Map (slide 2): 34 active chapters at the moment - still following up with some chapters to coordinate who wants to move forward
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Building Internal Community (3): the past 2 months have been dedicated to landing on how to collaborate, and addressing individual chapter needs. At SFI in
Detroit we worked together in a room for eight hours, trusting each other and making decisions together. Tremendous alignment of shared vision. •
Transitional Steering Committee Is (7): decision by consensus. Step by step progress to get it right. We’ve been meeting weekly to define values and process, org structure, collecting an advisory board, hiring a transition coordinator.
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10 Years of the Network (8): fostering design leaders; challenging the status quo; creating a dialog that led to work, cohesion, implementation; developing built work and design processes in local communities.
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Testimonials (9): “AFH means that I can contribute to our global community my talents and time. AFH helps to provide the connection to the communities who need volunteers like me.”
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Draft Mission Statement (12): ideas of empowering the full potential of designers and communities by implementing projects; ideas of community equity; questions of what design and architecture can be.
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Draft Vision Statement (13): “Design is a tool to visualize what’s possible. The design process can empower people to take ownership of their dreams, and advocate for positive, healthy change. We unlock the full potential of passionate designers while partnering with neighborhood groups to envision dignified places for everyone. Design is a right, not a privilege.”
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How We Work State[ment] (14): dynamic of chapter and network - a different dynamic from when HQ was umbrella. Network providing resources, training, advocacy, partnerships...allowing all chapters and members to flourish. Chapters develop own mission statement to best serve the community they’re in. So Network serves chapters; chapters serve communities.
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Possible collaborators (15): include Public Architecture, our fiscal sponsor; Curry Stone Foundation (sponsoring our conference meeting, transition coordinator); EWB, AIA, ASF, All Hands, Rose Fellowship, Net Impact, etc. - all starting conversations
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Internal subcommittees (16): Governance (a first step to how to organize); External Communications; Internal Communications; Development (finding partners, IDing our place in the PID sphere)
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Chapters Move Forward (17): excited to see many groups continuing their work PLZ share your tactics, help other chapters do similar. Plenty can still be done minus a formal legal entity.
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Interim Branding (18): use AFHYourTown to avoid any legal entanglements
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Draft Timeline (19): future includes hiring the coordinator (mid May) getting them acclimated, have structure and strategy defined by Aug. After which point a campaign will be launched and actively bring in old and new participants, may include a collective action project.
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Goals and Focus (20): creating feedback loops, developing metrics of success, providing professional development resources; dreaming up more crazy opportunities for wacky stuff people want to do.
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Let’s Build Something We Believe In!
10:15 Subcommittee introductions •
Governance: four parts - business models, legal, interim needs for chapters, tracking via organizational flow charts. Will need a lot of consensus. Seeking as broad chapter involvement as possible in research/participation. Each element will need its own development track - very high level at this point. Precedent study including similar organizations, evaluating similarities with Chapter Network
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External Communications: Celebrating developments and milestones with fans, followers, press and partners - we’ve had opportunities already this year, had a release around SFI, will send another press release after this meeting. Will work on a timeline with transition coordinator. Scheduling roles and volunteer activities. Spread ownership of this process
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Internal Comms: Looking for ways for us all to share information; mapping existing assets, understanding time and activity; thoughts to build a database/site...making sense of the big picture to ID proper framework, the platform, not focusing on content precisely
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Development: Formalizing relationships, diversifying support. May include but not be limited to membership fees (though historically not terribly effective), corporate partnerships. Aligning with programmatic needs of network and chapters
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Interest in serving on a committee? Sign up via this form: https://chapternetwork.typeform.com/to/KajARQ
10:35 Questions on getting involved •
Meeting schedule moving forward? Proposal for Subcommittee to meet every two weeks, and Steering Committee meetings to stagger. (General approval)
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Publicizing subcommittee tasks/needs? GJ to work with External Comms committee; we’ll also need to define tasks, at subcommittee level, and skills needed. At present no FB page for Network - up to chapters to help promote
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Note: don’t be scared off by not having specific skill set (esp. for governance!), subcommittees to interface with professionals, but wider chapter member involvement needed for subcommittees to move the ball forward!
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Does Network have document describing how all this works? Concern of being too democratic. Could use a set of guidelines. Ie, real project scenarios to paint a picture of how things work - processes never made clear from HQ. Transition coordinator to help define all these processes. Telling the 2015 story will be one of the first tasks for this person. Also a brain dump of completed project data and procedures on task for Transition Coordinator. (But if, say, the questioner wanted to help put it together preceding the TC, hey.)
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Fiscal Sponsorship, considering John from Public Architecture is relocating soon? PA on board through use of funds donated for Transition Coordinator (four months). As Chapter Network efforts grow, we’ll need to seek out an org with larger capacity. Some orgs have already expressed interest.
10:55 An involvement campaign / event Idea is a volunteer effort that keeps everyone plugged in. It’s been difficult to translate global cohesion down to individual and aspiring members. Would like to gauge capacity of chapters to pursue. Ie, day of action (DOA); collective research project (like housing policies to end homelessness) •
More awareness of network at individual level would generate, perpetuate interest
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Multiple Days of Action? Every season or month, following a period of research? Regular themes affecting places worldwide
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Refugee Housing (local refugees connect back to events overseas)
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Policy involvement - a design resource for governments
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Would small chapters feel overwhelmed? In New Haven’s case, DOA would help involvement; manageability is a concern, lean toward one-day event scale. In Athens’ case, group growing now, timing of international event is great, though Athenians generally skeptical of intl initiatives - one DOA more effective here, probably. Angelinos see DOA as way to bring out members, activate, educate. Houston has core group that would dig in, would love opportunity to reach out to larger volunteer base, work and accomplish something. Dallas, DOA wonderful
opportunity to engage one of the many issues facing the city. DC has tradition of tree-planting day of service, also Parking Day (in Sept)...hearing the excitement of involvements, maybe a “sister chapter” program to highlight each other’s work? (Many agree - could organize around chapters facing similar issues.) Chicago visibility event would be extremely useful - questions now of the “new iteration,” event would lend to solidarity. Also opportunity to exhibit chapter/network to passersby. Parking Day good event for chapters of all sizes. •
Collect Parking Day practices - from chapter who’ve previously done it. GJ can reach out to Rebar, too.
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ID the primary goals of such an event. Short and long term benefits. Perpetuate partnerships too.
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Sister chapter - partner with one other chapter to learn from each other...for day of action
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Information gathering/survey, polling - use this day as a way to connect with community
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Capitalizing on summertime festivals - great opportunity to reconnect with communities, to network
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To do’s - compile event-specific notes to move forward
11:40 Wrap up Thoughts on doing more of these calls, shorter calls, or more effective ways of maintaining involvement and feedback? Send to GJ. Any other general questions - trajectory, energies? •
GJ to send out high level bullet points of this convo
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Also - the meeting has been recorded for reference
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Subcommittee meetings to pick up in a...couple weeks? Let’s take next week off!
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Much rejoicing
11:45 Adjournment