Ad Hoc Committee Contributes to Impactful Progress

By Anne Miller Have you ever wondered how special projects are accomplished in the Junior League of Cincinnati?

When our leadership identifies an area of need that goes beyond the scope and capacity of established committees, an “ad hoc” committee is formed. As the term ad hoc means “as needed,” an ad hoc committee reports directly to a League leader and is generally created for a one-year term, specifically focused on one topic or project. It is common to have Ad Hoc committees on any given League year, but generally there are only a few, so many members may not be familiar with these strategic sprint cycles, who serves on these committees or why they are unique experiences. There are currently three different Ad Hoc committees hard at work. One is focused on understanding how we develop League leaders; another is focused on how we work with and develop relationships with external community partners and the other is focused on understanding training needs for our members. The women that participate on ad hoc committees are true League “super women” as they are almost always serving on the ad hoc in addition to their existing placement for the year. Women serving on ad hoc committees are asked to participate based on particular skill set or prior experiences and by self-selecting and raising their hand when the opportunity to join one becomes available. This year I have the privilege of being entrusted to lead the ad hoc committee for training. As the JLC is a training organization, a key part of our mission is to provide training to our members to enable us to be effective and powerful community service leaders. When we say we develop bestin-class, powerful community service leaders, we need to better understand what that means today in 2022, and going forward. We are asking questions like, “What skills do our members need to fulfill this commitment? How can we ensure that the training needed is being offered to our members?” Over the course of this League, year a small group will be working diligently with Active and Sustaining members, external community partners and peer large Junior Leagues from across the country to learn more about what we do well and how we can improve upon our mission to train community service leaders here in the Junior League of Cincinnati. Our committee, not unlike the other ad hoc committees, truly relies on engagement and feedback from our fellow League members. You may have seen a request from us to complete a survey. If you have not already, please take a few minutes to complete the survey as your feedback will directly impact our findings and final recommendations. A summary of all findings, feedback and recommendations will be presented to the Executive Management Team (EMT) and the Board of Directors in the spring of 2023, with the intention to implement any approved recommendations in the 2023-2024 League year.

This is my first experience leading an ad hoc and it has been my favorite placement yet. It is a unique experience unlike any League work I have had the privilege to be a part of to date. Every member of an ad hoc committee is keenly aware of just how important the work is for the betterment of the League, as the projects have been specifically identified as an area of need or future focus by League leadership. Ad hoc work is also unique in that it brings together committee members for collaboration from all levels of membership including New Members, Active and Senior Active Members as well as Sustaining Members, and often includes working with our Executive Management Team, Board of Directors, other peer Junior Leagues across the country as well as other area non-profit organizations. I have already been able to develop relationships with members I did not know well and have been blown away (literally, blown away) by the depth of talent in our league and the willingness of our members to give their time and talents so freely when they are already committed to other work. Thank you to all members for engaging in our survey and thank you to all League “super women” who are serving on ad hoc committees this year in addition to your League year placement. If you have any questions please reach out to me directly.

Committee Purpose

to identify and quantify current league training, to identify community partner expectations and to present a summary of findings and recommendations to the Executive Management Team and the JLC Board

From our mission statement:

What do best-in-class, powerful community service leaders look like in 2022 and beyond?

Are we providing this training today to our members? ...[We] strive to provide best-in-class, hands-on training enabling members to be effective and powerful community service leaders.

What specific skills do best-in-class community service leaders bring to their work?

What training do we do well and what do we need to do differently in the future? TAKE THE TRAINING AD HOC SURVEY HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD THE CHANCE!