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FRIENDS OF SRAVASTI ABBEY
SECOND ANNUAL BOARD MEETING, JUNE 22-26, 2005
AT SRAVASTI ABBEY

June 22, 2005 Day #1:

Purpose of today's meeting: to get a shared history, vision and hear reports on progress in various key areas.

Board members present are: Leah Kosik, Barbara McDaniel, Nancy Nesbitt, Nerea Keesee, Bill Wilmot, here, with the exception of Colin Lingle, who will arrive Saturday. Kathleen Herron and Kevin Conlin are the current co-chairs of the FOSA Board.

The facilitation team is Kevin, Kathleen, Bill and Barbara. Additional people attending included: Jan Howell, Melanie Trost, Debi Carpenter, Richard Justin, Miles Kelly, Ruth Schaefer, Dianne Pratt, Eric Yensen, Tracy Morgan, Tanya Lasuk, Sandy Lamson, and Barry Flaming. This is the 2nd annual FOSA meeting. Many people support the vision and are committed to seeing it flourish.

Venerable explained the vision and history of the Abbey. More information can be found on the Sravasti Abbey website. Barb gave the history of FOSA.

Main Purpose of the Abbey: Venerable Thubten Chodron explained that Sravasti Abbey is a place for monastics and those preparing for ordination to learn and practice the teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Other purposes are to provide lay practitioners the opportunity to study and practice the Dharma with monastics in a monastic setting.

Dharma Program:

This last year we've had many successful activities. The daily schedule includes morning and evening meditation and a time for personal studies or teachings. Dharma discussions happen regularly around the dining room table. The Vajrasattva retreat was very meaningful, with 7 participants at the Abbey, Venerable doing a personal retreat, and over 50 people (including 16 inmates) participating from afar.

We had our first weekend retreat for guests in May and another is planned for November. Zopa Rinpoche and Khensur Wangdak Rinpoche have taught here and several other monastics have visited the Abbey. Venerable is still in the middle of teaching “Wheel of Sharp Weapons.” We've begun to have four days of retreat each month for Abbey residents.

Monastic training program:

  • Monastic training – Sravasti is sponsoring, a three-week monastic training program entitled “Exploring Monastic Life” at the Abbey from August 8th – 26th for those who are newly ordained and those considering ordination. One novice nun and nine lay people will participate. Some of the topics will be the history of monastic life, how to develop a monastic mind, how to work with our attraction to the 8 worldly concerns, and how to have a meaningful life. After the course has concluded, we will see what happens—which partly depends on the attendees' next steps.
  • Lay training - There hasn't been a name established yet for this training; for now it will be referred to as the lay ministry program. This will be a program for lay people who want to be trained in leading meditations and discussion groups, introductory classes, talks at Dharma centers, etc. Abhayagiri Monastery has a three-year program, which is very rigorous, as does Shasta Abbey, and Venerable is looking into these as a model for the Sravasti Abbey lay training program. The program will include reading and practice requirements. She hopes to begin it in 2006.
  • National media: The question of how much to publicize the Abbey is surfacing, and we need to think about this aspect. Currently Venerable receives requests from people interested in ordination and Dharma guidance. Publicizing the Abbey will increase these requests. Publicizing the Abbey will make more people aware and attract more potential trainees to the Abbey. It seems clear that we cannot expand this effort until we hire an administrator for the Abbey to handle this increase in calls, emails etc.

Dissemination of the Dharma: Nerea

  • The objective is to spread Venerable's teachings through a variety of formats: website, books, CDs and possibly DVDs. Some CDs of her teachings have been made in Singapore and we're sending them to our founding donors. More are available at the Abbey.
  • Venerable has given many teachings which are on cassette and minidisk. These need to be digitized, transcribed, edited and turned into books. Currently, we need more volunteers for this task.
  • We have previous teachings Venerable has given and also the teachings she is currently giving. We also need to plan for the future. We will look into broadcasting teachings over the internet, especially when Venerable resides more permanently at the Abbey and reduces her travel schedule accordingly.
  • Unless we have a commercial business record and produce CDs (which Nerea is checking into), we will need a distribution plan for audio teachings. Currently we send out materials when people write to request them, but we don't do much publicity about their availability. There are centers which offer materials freely. That is something we would like to do, but we currently don't have the volunteers to work with distribution or develop the idea.
  • Venerable continues to work on books: two new ones came out within the past year: Taming the Mind and How to Free Your Mind: Tara the Liberator.

Financial Integrity: Leah

  • We reviewed the financial documents; the 2004 financial summary is on the website. Leah reviewed with us how to read the financial documents. Please, review the PDF files on the website and if you have any questions, let us know.

Fundraising: now referred to as Inviting Generosity: Barb

  • This isn't about collecting money—it is a way to give people the opportunity to create merit and practice generosity. Inviting generosity expresses that intention and also includes everyone in this effort.
  • Here are some facts and figures from the past year:
    • We have over 500 donors
    • 25% of the donors have given more than 500 dollars each since the Abbey began.
    • In 2004, 24 people gave 4 or more times. People are regularly contributing.
    • We have about 25 people who are monthly supporters; currently supplying about $1,000 a month to the Abbey. The goal would be to have about $6,000 a month from monthly donations.
  • We have been sending two annual letters to invite generosity each year. We also send special communications a couple times a year to let our donors know what is happening. The e-news is another source of information so that helps people stay in touch with developments at the Abbey.
  • Goals for 2004 were:
    • Raise $7,500 dollars to furnish the meditation hall. This was the first attempt by the board to raise money and $4,600 was donated to furnish the hall.
    • Establish a way to receive monthly donations. This was met and is currently being used. We are grateful.
    • Continue the Abbey dinner parties. These parties did not continue this past year, but we plan to re-visit and re-establish this effort.
  • Projects we are currently working on and need support with are:
    • o Building a writing studio/retreat cabin so that Venerable can have privacy and a quiet place to write, do retreat, and practice when guests and staff are in the main house.
    • o Turning one of the bays in the barn into a multipurpose room. The living room downstairs has evolved into an office space, so a gathering place is needed. Last year during the Vajrasattva retreat the men slept in the workshop which meant we couldn't use it for three months. This multipurpose area will allow us to have a gathering space and will double as a dorm during retreat. We estimate we will need $30,000 do fund both projects. Watch for invitations to generosity for this effort.

Development of building plans—Maintenance of Facilities: Nanc

  • Eric, our architect, is preparing the master plan, which will include the plan for future buildings and a proposal for the entire layout of the Abbey.
  • We are currently building a writing/meditation cabin and a meeting/multi-purpose room in one bay of the barn. The idea for both buildings arose due to necessity.
  • Jan, our newest resident, is the Abbey contractor and is working with others to design the writing studio. She has been working with the Jim Hudson, who was the contractor for the meditation hall, Dave Ferre, who will build the cabin, the county, and others to ensure that things are done properly. She has been a wonderful addition to the Abbey.
  • Jan has kindly taken over construction which leaves Nanc open to maintain the grounds and the Abbey facilities. Right now we are working on eradicating the knapweed and cutting dead trees and gathering firewood for next year.
  • More volunteers are needed to help maintain the garden and facilities. We haven't had the time or people to take care of some general maintenance tasks. Cultivating relationships with volunteers is wonderful and takes time. We are currently seeking a volunteer coordinator for the Board. Nanc continues to do a great job of working with volunteers and doing the lion's share of the maintenance this past year.

Four requisites: Nanc

  • Food – In accordance with the ancient way that monastics receive food, the Abbey doesn't buy groceries and only eats what has been offered. Although some people thought it would be impossible to live in this way, it has worked out well. It's wonderful to witness people's delight in being generous. There is a good support system in Coeur d'Alene (a city nearby). We are grateful to the Treasure Valley Dharma Group and other local people who have been very kind and generous. When people bring food to offer we do some prayers together and this is very moving for those who offer as well as those who receive.
  • Shelter – Buildings and maintenance are discussed above.
  • Clothing – Ruth from Seattle brings plenty of clothes and makes sure that there is enough here for Venerable and other monastics when the time comes.
  • Medicine – Dharma Friendship Foundation in Seattle kindly covered the costs of Venerable's recent medical check up. We are looking into the Washington state health plan for people with low or no incomes to see if the Abbey residents can qualify for it.

Volunteers and the volunteer database: Nerea

  • The volunteers who come to the Abbey all enjoy working and practicing together. It's great to see how they relax and change by being in the Abbey environment.
  • Currently we do not have a comprehensive system to track, coordinate or manage volunteers. We don't have a volunteer chair on the board and need somebody to fill this role. Currently, volunteers are managed by various individuals: Nanc for volunteer service weekends, Nerea for transcribing, Jan for building, and Tracy for local efforts.
  • We plan to build or find a database to help manage the volunteers and to help the board stay in communication, manage events and projects, etc. Robin in Canada is interested in doing this.
  • We need feedback to develop and make this database possible. If anyone has ideas on what would be useful, please share them.

Developing the board: Kathleen and Kevin

  • We have two new members: Colin Lingle and Bill Wilmot. We still need a Volunteer Coordinator and a Secretary/Process person.
  • We want to create an orientation to the FOSA board. We are developing by-laws and articles of incorporation. We have a volunteer lawyer, Scott Woodbury, and Dan Black will also assist. Leah is leading this effort.
  • Thanks to Steven, Samia, and Dan for this past year of service on the board.
  • We plan to develop a list of accomplishments; a list of Rejoicing in our own and others' merits.

June 23rd, 2005; Day #2

Purpose of Today's Meetings: To further clarify the relationship between the Abbey and (FOSA) Friends of Sravasti Abbey

Today we examined the relationship between FOSA and Sravasti Abbey and have started to take steps to establish a support system that will function independently to support Venerable's vision for the Abbey.

INTRODUCTION OF TOPIC:

We started the day with the quote by His Holiness the Dalai Lama that is on the front of the Sravasti Abbey brochure: “The flourishing of the Buddha's teachings in a particular place is determined by the existence of fully ordained monks and nuns and male and female lay practitioners. Thus, the existence of monastics and the practice of Vinaya, the Buddhist monastic discipline, are very important. The situation for Western monastics is especially difficult because few monasteries have been established in the West. The best solution is for Western monastics to develop their own training programs, and we Asians can help from our side”. 2500 years ago, the original Buddhist monastics didn't have places to stay; they wandered from place to place, collecting alms to eat. The lay community went to the Buddha and told him that they wanted to support the monastics so that they could continue to practice, and thus some of them offered places for the sangha to live, invited them to meals, and offered clothing and medicine.

Let's think to support the Abbey not because we might get something out of it like retreats or recognition, but because it enables western monastics to study, practice and gain realizations, keeping the Dharma alive and pure in the West for many generations to come, so that it can be taught and spread as the Buddha intended. This is for the good of all beings. Also, in our future lives, we may be able to enjoy the Abbey and the Dharma and perhaps even ordain.

During last year's FOSA meeting, our past board chair, Steven Vannoy, said that we need to take the long view, that we are making a 300-year plan for protecting and spreading the Dharma. Another participant said that she wanted to help in hopes that her grandchildren would be able to meet the Dharma and have good relationships with monastics. What we are establishing is not only for ourselves, but for the benefit of many generations of practitioners.

VENERABLE'S VISION:

Venerable Chodron shared her vision for the next five to ten years. The general vision is as described on the website and in the brochure. Please refer to those. Lamrim and thought training will be the core teachings in the curriculum, with philosophical studies, Vinaya (monastic discipline), and tantra included when people are properly prepared. Communal living will be an important part of training. The Abbey will continue to have three months of retreat each winter.

The Abbey will still be undergoing construction during the next ten years. The Master Plan that Eric is preparing will show the development of the facilities in stages. Establishing and living in community during construction is different than having a community when the construction is completed. We also want to develop the community and the training program, and to some extent this depends on who come to lives at the Abbey, their particular strengths, talents, and interests. For example, if someone comes to live at the Abbey who knows Tibetan and wants to translate texts and teach Tibetan, or who does thangka painting, or who is involved in engaged Buddhism, that will influence what happens at the Abbey.

Venerable envisions gradual growth in the number of monastics and buildings as well as occasional weekend retreats for guests, and a three-month retreat every year for monastics and lay people.

VENERABLE'S TEACHING: The reasons for hierarchy and a central person to make decisions in monastic communities

(Note, the audio recording of her explanation will be posted on the website.)

Here are a few of her thoughts:

All societies have hierarchies. Hierarchy is not inherently “bad.” It can be abused, but can also contribute to peaceful communities. Our teachers are not our colleagues, just as parents are not and should not try to be colleagues to their children. When teachers or parents do this model, students and children lose out: they don't learn to respect others' good qualities; they don't learn humility or how to listen and take in advice from those who are more skilled that they are.

Monastics and lay people obviously have different lifestyles. Monastics take the precepts that the Buddha set out. We respect their commitment to the precepts, not necessarily the personalities of those taking them. The more we respect ethical discipline, the more we can develop it ourselves. The person on the receiving end of respect is not the one who benefits; actually, receiving respect can endanger their mind by building up their ego. The person giving the respect is the one who benefits the most because they ascertain good qualities and aspire to develop them. Monastics are trained to give respect to the Buddha and respect their fellow sangha members as well. “Sangha” as we use it refers to the monastic community; a literal translation of the Tibetan word for sangha, gedud, means “those intent on virtue,” that is, those who have taken the Vinaya vows and keep them well.

Respect is not fear based; if it is, it is not true respect. The Abbey is a Buddhist monastic community in the hands of senior monastics who are fully ordained. This is the best way for the monastic community to thrive and grow. If lay people or newly ordained sangha who don't know what living the “homeless” life means were to try to shape a monastery's vision or policies, monastic life wouldn't happen. Venerable directs how the Abbey is presented to the outside world. She wants to listen to everyone's ideas and suggestions, but decisions have to be made by a senior monastic. Over the years as more people receive the full ordination and live the monastic life, the decision-making process will evolve.

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS:

How can FOSA support this vision? In what ways can FOSA help the Abbey? Tomorrow we will take these goals and develop strategies around them and then assign tasks.

FOSA will foster/model support for the Dharma in the following ways:

  • 1. Invite generosity:
    • Develop a Capital Campaign for the monastic residence
    • Continue the financial support of monastics
    • Expand the concept of inviting generosity, including providing opportunities to create merit for both Buddhists and non-Buddhists.
  • 2. Supply the Four Requisites:
    • Continue to provide food, clothing, shelter and medicine for Abbey residents.
    • Take an active role in assisting with health insurance and supporting aging monastics
    • Invite generosity towards the four requisites
    • Develop better communication with local groups and other volunteers about these efforts
    • Better organize food donations by clarifying the Abbey's needs at any particular time.
  • 3. Communicate the vision to the wider world:
    • Improve communication through Public Relations Committee/Colin.
    • Create a mutual network of support for volunteers and supporters.
    • Model Dharma values in all we do and translate them into “regular” language for the world.
    • Communicate about FOSA to the world, as an opportunity for others to participate in something worthwhile.
    • Spread the vision of the Abbey.
  • 4. Communicate with the volunteers:
    • Orient volunteers better: clarify expectations and relationship with volunteers.
    • Communicate the stage of development of FOSA—we are new, still forming and open to new input and members.
    • Create avenues for other Dharma Centers to become more involved with the Abbey.
    • Expand the volunteer base.
    • Be clear and communicate widely about volunteer opportunities.
    • Provide more information about the Abbey culture and expectations, both before volunteers come and after they arrive.
    • Help volunteers with a mutual support network.
    • Express our appreciation to volunteers after they come
  • 5. Improve communication between board members:
    • Define FOSA culture, structure, decision-making etc.
    • Create a support network between board members.
    • Preserve and pass on the FOSA memory (past meeting notes, decisions, history etc).
    • Protect Board members from over-extending themselves.
  • 6. Communicate with the Abbey:
    • Clarify FOSA relationship with Abbey administrator, staff and residents and with Venerable.
  • 7. Support and help manage lay teachings and programs:
    • Contact students.
    • Organize lay programs.
  • 8. Put Dharma principles at the center of all we do:
    • Nurture a harmonious relationship with the land, local community, Dharma Centers and the rest of the world.
    • Create a climate of abundance, compassion and sharing vs. scarcity, anxiety, crisis and redundant efforts.
  • 9. Nurture & develop board members:
    • Train Board members about boards, roles, inviting generosity and other board skills, such as using Dharma values.

BOARD MEETING:

The board met to discuss several issues. We had been surprised to learn from one person who was very active at the Abbey that she didn't realize she was a FOSA member. Having this person say that she didn't know she was a member was a clear sign that we have to explain to others what FOSA is, welcome them to FOSA, and enable them to feel more involved and a part of FOSA.

BELONGING TO FOSA:

To address this issue, we first reviewed the current FOSA documents:

  • FOSA Vision: “Friends of Sravasti Abbey are people who actively foster the well-being of Sravasti Abbey”.
  • FOSA Mission: FOSA provides consistent, strong and effective support to Sravasti Abbey through inviting generosity, managing public relations and maintaining the four requisites for Abbey residents: food, shelter, clothing, and health care.
  • FOSA Membership: FOSA members are self-proclaimed, able to select from a set of commitment levels that suit their personal needs over time, and support and share in the activities of the Abbey.

We also discussed what inspired people to join FOSA. It became clear that the FOSA board needs to communicate more with other members and possible members. Non-board members also need to step up and assist by telling people about FOSA and welcoming them to join.

Suggestions:

  • Orientation packet to FOSA
  • FOSA webpage on the Sravasti website and link from Thubten Chodron site
  • A way to contact and keep in touch with non-computerized people
  • Shared email place for FOSA
  • Personal contact by a board member or older member with new, prospective members;
  • Be welcoming and appreciative;
  • Host open houses at the Abbey,
  • Let potential and new members know about teachings and retreats

While Sravasti Abbey is a legal non-profit organization, with 501 (c) 3 status with the IRS, FOSA is not. The FOSA Board is currently researching how to write the articles of incorporation and By-laws and file with the state and the IRS to become a 501 (c) 3 corporation, so that donations to FOSA will be tax-exempt. Barb and Kevin have asked some other “Friends of…” organizations for their by-laws and paperwork to get ideas about how best to structure FOSA.

In order to become a legal entity, we have to clarify the relationship between FOSA and the Abbey and clarify the structure of FOSA. Given that FOSA is volunteer support for the Abbey, anyone who volunteers is a member, if they so define. One reason for making FOSA a legal entity would be to collect donations for purchasing food. In that way, the traditional system of the lay community offering food would be maintained, and donors would also get a tax deduction for money offered for food. Funds for building, etc. would continue to be donated directly to the Abbey.

Day 3, June 24, 2005, Morning Session

NEW MEMBERS: Several people joined us over the next two days and were introduced: Tanya (webmaster for Sravasti Website), Colin (board chair for Public Relations), Sandy from Sandpoint, Idaho, Eric Yensen from Caldwell, Idaho, and Susan Mitchell from Cataldo, Idaho.

Purpose of today's meeting: we had a group discussion about the main purpose of the board meeting: how to change conditions so that venerable can be at the abbey, practicing, developing the community, and training monastics.

BACKGROUND:

When Venerable travels, she does so to benefit others by teaching the Dharma—not to get donations. She strongly feels that Dharma should be offered freely and that teachers should not decide where to teach based on the donations they receive in various places. Hearing the Dharma should not depend on having to pay money.

Nevertheless, the dana she receives is a major source of income. Also, people who receive the mailings often give when Venerable is in their town, rather than mailing their donation to the Abbey.

Following this presentation, Venerable set out 3 different scenarios, stating that it is a helpful process for her to look at both ends of the spectrum and then the middle.

Scenario #1: Spend the next one to three years traveling, teaching, and fundraising, staying at the Abbey very little, and focusing on inviting generosity as she travels. Consequences of this choice: We could build facilities more quickly, but there would be a delay in monastic development and training; furthermore, community life here would not develop and it would be hard on her health to travel so much.

Scenario #2: Reduce travel to only attending her teachings given by her teachers and fulfilling her commitments to her teachers. Consequences: Venerable would be able to develop and train monastics here and cultivate a strong community life, but incoming funds for building facilities would diminish and the physical development of the Abbey would be greatly slowed.

Scenario #3: Maintain the current state of dividing time between travel and the Abbey. Consequences: none of the areas gets enough attention, and Venerable is often overwhelmed and pulled in too many directions with her diverse projects, jobs, and tasks.

DISCUSSION:

We need to ask ourselves how we want Venerable to spend her energy and time in serving us and others. Up to now, Venerable has been the major conduit for inviting generosity. Wherever she goes, funds arise for this effort. Do we want her to invite generosity, do administrative work, and write email, or do we want her to focus on studying, practicing, writing books, and teaching the Dharma?

Vigorous discussion followed, including:

  1. 1) learning the amount of dana given when Venerable travels and the amount sent in response to FOSA's letters inviting generosity
  2. 2) learning what areas of work Venerable can turn over, let go of, or delegate
  3. 3) understanding the roles of abbess, monastics, and lay people
  4. 4) seeing how FOSA is able and willing to support Venerable and her vision for Abbey.

We are making progress toward the Abbey's vision. Eleven people will come to the Abbey in August for the Exploring Monastic Life program. We are also becoming more creative about inviting generosity.

Can we assume that FOSA can pull together, provide the resources needed to hire an Administrative Coordinator, and build facilities? There are models for better supporting senior monastics: for example, Tenzin Palmo has a large staff to handle her travel, schedule, communications etc.

Venerable leads with Dharma values and direction. Are FOSA members hanging back too much? Can Venerable look at where she keeps too much control of details? FOSA members need to look at where we act timid and don't step forward. Venerable asked how much she should push us to action. We need to find a balance.

The present situation will change when we have a full time Abbey Administrator, since that person will take a number of tasks off of Venerable's list, including making her schedule and travel plans. Leah is gathering information for the job description, which will soon be finished and sent to Dharma centers and other contacts. It will also be posted on the website. A few people are already interested.

Kevin made a proposal that FOSA invite Venerable to stay at the Abbey this next year and see how it goes. Our priority would be to support the vision of a monastic training program.

More Discussion: If we go with this proposal, affiliated Dharma centers can be invited to participate in this effort so that Venerable to spend more time at the Abbey and less time traveling to teach. Venerable expressed that she feels it is very important for her to go to Singapore and Mexico to teach and stay connected with her long-time students there. Leah asked how we can learn more from their approach to generosity as students in the US. Often, we have more and give less. Another proposal is that Venerable staggers the visits to Singapore, Mexico, Seattle, etc. so that she does not go to each place every year. She also travels to many places in the US. How can we encourage people in the US to visit the Abbey and benefit from the Dharma here, rather than have Venerable get tired from traveling so much? The Board will discuss this during its meetings over the next few months.

PROCESS: We split into two groups to brainstorm ideas for the key areas of Inviting Generosity and Developing/Supporting Volunteers so that Venerable can be at the Abbey more. The groups reported back:

Group #1: IDEAS FOR EXPANDING INVITATIONS TO GENEROSITY:

  • Work on our own practice of generosity. The development of the Abbey depends on the karma of many, many sentient beings. Let's increase our own heart of generosity in various aspects of our lives so we can create the karma for the Abbey to be a beacon of the Dharma
  • Cultivate and grow our relationships with the top 125 donors (who have contributed over $500)
  • Bill Wilmot is going to Singapore next month and will make a personal visit to the Singapore FOSA leaders
  • Increase awareness that the focus is Dharma, the Abbey and monastic training, not the personality of Venerable
  • Cultivate our relationships with Mexico and Singapore FOSA groups
  • Create a video about the Abbey
  • Create a kit for Inviting Generosity that would be sent out to the organizers of Venerable's teachings
  • Seek and develop relationships with responsible corporate donors, such as the businessmen who will meet with HHDL later this year
  • Educate ourselves and others about the importance of monastics (no pure Dharma without them)
  • Themes—monastics as an endangered species, Habitat for Monastics for Humanity, Help Ven reach her goal. Chaos.
  • In seeking generosity for this, remind people of the Dalai Lama and his support for this effort
  • Widen the donor base, approaching groups we haven't: youth, non-Buddhists, Canadians, etc.
  • Re-design the website to attract a more diverse group of people
  • Prioritize the audiences/groups we will approach
  • “Inviting generosity in a consumer world”
  • Make it easier to give
  • Remain mindful of the fact that we help people create the karmic cause for happiness when we encourage their generosity. We aren't asking for donations; we are giving people the opportunity to use their resources to support their values.
  • Use a “give five” type program: give 5% of income and 5 hours of time a month.
  • Realize generosity helps us all to realize our own goodness and Buddha-nature.

Group #2: IDEAS FOR EXPANDING VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

  • We are seeking a Volunteer Coordinator for the Board. If you are interested, contact Kathleen or Kevin.
  • Instead of thinking “if only we had a volunteer coordinator, the problem would be solved,” let's support the people who are already coordinating volunteers in their own areas, especially Nanc, Jan, Tracy, and Nerea..
  • Volunteering is also inviting generosity. People are happy to come and offer service at the Abbey. Sometimes we need to encourage them a lot so they can get away from their busy lives to come here, but when they do, volunteers are always happy they did.
  • Have a volunteer mentality.
  • Establish key contacts in local and affiliated Dharma centers (Coeur d'Alene, Boise, Missoula, Seattle, and Portland).
  • Establish a formal volunteer program—make it clearer and more available on the website.
  • Create an improved screening mechanism to check skills, ability to be at an Abbey, work well in community etc.
  • Publicize the volunteer program.
  • Convey info to new volunteers ahead of time about Abbey protocols, schedule etc.
  • Invite specific Dharma groups to work weekends.
  • Create better orientation for newcomers.
  • Have regular volunteer orientations.
  • Do presentations about this and the Abbey at the other Dharma centers locally.
  • Create a PowerPoint about volunteering at the Abbey.

Day #3, Saturday, June 24, Afternoon Session:

Purpose of Session: to share information on Public Relations, website, database, disseminating the Dharma, and more on being a FOSA member.

PUBLIC RELATIONS DISCUSSION:

Colin Lingle, PR chair on the board: Almost everything we do is PR (Public Relations). Almost everything we do is inviting generosity. Primary goal of PR effort is to inform various groups about the Abbey, including monastics, potential monastics, donors, supporters, visitors, students, and volunteers.

  • Let people know that protecting the environment is important to us and that we conserve resources and take good care of what we have.
  • Create a network that can provide materials and information to promote the Abbey.
  • Objectives are to facilitate and promote Venerable's vision and teachings; to provide a meaningful example of how a Buddhist community lives; showing to the outside world Sravasti Abbey's values.
  • Create materials for press and website, such as: packet to support teachings/dana when traveling; annual report; cards for distribution; coaching FOSA members about educating others about the Abbey—what's the core, consistent message?
  • Expand, improve and update the website.
  • Set priorities for these items.

WEBSITE:

The Board thanked Tanya Lasuk for offering so much time and energy to manage the site over the past few years. So many people tell us how much they enjoy the website.

We addressed 3 major issues:

  1. 1. Navigation: Website is getting too cumbersome due to the amount of pictures, info, and difficulty in navigating it. Many important issues: how to invite generosity, offering service opportunities, and current news is often hidden, scattered, or difficult to find
  2. 2. Creating and maintaining an archive
  3. 3. New tools to make website more functional.

Tanya shared her history as web manager: Peter Aronson created the site in 2002 and the technology is older than what Tanya usually works with. She began in 2003. Venerable began sending her ideas and text for site after that. She explained the difficulties with coordinating website and what she is sent:

  • Currently Tanya needs to reformat most of the text and corrections sent to her. It takes a lot of time.
  • Pictures sent to her are too generic: they don't tell a story or are not captioned with what is going on in picture, when was it taken etc. She has made efforts to use the pictures to tell the story of the Abbey and current activities.

Priorities: What do we want users to have easy access to?

  • Monastic Community
  • What's New?
  • Volunteer Service
  • Inviting Generosity
  • VTC Website

Short term solutions:

  • Colin Lingle (Board Public Relations chair) will be the point person – takes suggestions to VTC – then goes to Tanya to execute them on the site.
  • Tanya has contact with an expert webmaster who has agreed to help her.
  • Tanya is getting comfortable with the new technology
  • Get an account on Flicker for our photos to her
  • Less scrolling (split pages)
  • Streamline redundancy of “buttons” (find out which ones are being “hit” by installing a counter)

Long term ideas and possibilities:

  • New technology (Front Page is possible good software program. Bill Wilmot knows about it)
  • Improved navigational tools, Site map, Search functions, Tree structures.
  • Web log by Venerable?

DATABASE:

Goal—to expand the discussion of the database to everyone who participates in FOSA. How do we make our efforts more effective and efficient? What we would like a database to do. Nerea will give this info to Robin who has kindly volunteered to develop it.

  • Better organize the annual board meeting (list of past attendees, handouts, etc.)
  • Shared email lists
  • Manage grocery lists for the Abbey so that when people want to offer they will know what is needed
  • Ways to identify skills, abilities, and interests of volunteers
  • Introductory material for volunteers, such as photos of past volunteer efforts
  • Central repository for all FOSA Board documents (make it password protected)
  • Event manager
  • Project log to show progress on shared projects, such as transcribing, and researching certain issues
  • Save donor information (on a secure site, password protected)
  • Suggestion Box (Who would receive, respond, manage?)
  • Calendar
  • Web-based audio for transcription
  • Updating and managing the wish list
  • Service Weekends (specific info, directions, food, visiting an Abbey etc)
  • Volunteer organizing: Introduction, photos, projects, offering service ethic
  • Volunteer skills (capture, update categorize)
  • Shared calendar for local Dharma groups to access
  • Doing data entry can be seen as generosity and kindness in making info more accessible to others
  • Easy method to add content to web pages and sites

DISSEMINATING THE DHARMA:

The board met to discuss this area with Nerea, who has been leading this effort well for the past nine months. The main issues are how to create, produce, market and distribute Venerable's teachings. Many of them are now posted on the Thubten Chodron website, which is maintained by a dedicated team of volunteers in Singapore. Nerea is leading the effort to create CDs and DVDs of the teachings. We agreed on two strategies:

  • Nerea will continue to research groups like “Sounds True” that professionally manage production, marketing and distribution. The limit on this method is that they choose which teachings they will produce based on the “market” for them. Nerea will continue a search for professional companies that would allow Venerable to have the final say and more control over what is produced and distributed.
  • Nerea will also head up exploring our own production of some teachings, looking to distribute them through Snow Lion and Wisdom Publications.
  • She will also investigate getting audio teachings on Lamrim Radio

Day 4, June 25, 2005

After discussing our vision, goals, and strategies over the last few days, we developed a task list of specific jobs that people volunteered to complete

Management of Volunteers: Board Contact-Kevin and Nanc

  • Identify Volunteer Committee (Kevin, Melanie, Tracy, Colin, Debi)
  • Volunteer Program (Nanc)
  • Volunteer Orientation (Nanc)
  • Clarify who gets what information with respect to volunteers (Kevin, Nanc)
  • Abbey packet with practice, etiquette/info for visitors and volunteers (Nanc, Nerea, Jan)

Board of FOSA: Development-Board Contacts-Kathleen and Kevin

  • Create external communication network from Board to others (Kevin)
  • FOSA document depository (Leah, Tonya, Kevin)
  • FOSA organizing documents (Leah, Tonya, Kevin)
  • Board recruitment/orientation/development (Kevin, Kathleen, with Venerable)
  • Define and promote FOSA Membership (Sandy)
  • Four Requisites: Board Contact-Nanc
  • Better organize food (Nanc, Tracy, Melanie, Barb)
  • Health Insurance (Kathleen, Jan, Diane)
  • Planning long range care for older monastics (Kathleen, Melanie)

Public Relations: Board Contact-Colin

  • FOSA/Sravasti Abbey Presentation (Colin, Miles, Barb)
  • Revisit “elevator statement”
  • Orientation packet
  • Business card/VTC Information card about the Abbey (Nerea, Colin)
  • Video (Colin, Miles, Diane, Barb)
  • Website revision/development (Bill, Colin, Tanya, Barb)
  • Prioritize target audiences ( Colin)
  • Thank you card support (Tracy)

Abbey Land Management and Maintenance: Board Contact-Nanc

  • Tax exempt/forest exemption tax issues (Leah, Jan)
  • Stewardship grants/environmental issues (Nanc, Tracy, Eric)
  • Timber management (Nanc, Ruth, Tracy, Eric)
  • Identify environment committee (Nanc, Ruth, Sandy, Eric)
  • Knap/noxious weed control (Nanc, Eric, Ruth, Tracy)
  • Complete administrative assistant search (Leah)

Abbey Buildings: Construction and Maintenance: Board Contact-Jan

  • Construct writing studio/sitting area by Sept. (Jan)
  • Inviting Generosity: Board Contact-Barb
  • Raise $30,000 to cover writing studio/sitting area by Sept. (Barb)
  • Reinstitution of dinner parties (Lupita)
  • Research “planned giving” or “You Can't Take It With You but it will be here waiting for you when you get back” (Jan, Leah, Diane)
  • Cultivate corporate donors (Bill, Barb)
  • Donor Relationship Committee, calling top 125 donors (Bill, Kevin, Kathleen, Colin, Tanya, Dianne, Barb, Susan)

Disseminate the Dharma: Board Contact-Nerea

  • Research sites for dissemination of the dharma
  • Identify Dharma Dissemination Committee (David via Richard, Debi, Nerea)
  • Transcribe teachings (Kathleen, Nerea, Sandy, Debi, Barb, Miles, Melanie)
  • Teaching packet to be sent prior to Venerable going anywhere to teach: (Colin, Barb)
  • Help Nerea with production of CDs. (Barb and David via Richard)

Other:

  • Managing Abbey events (Abbey Administrator, Nerea, Tracy)
  • Coordinate next annual meeting (Kathleen)
  • Gather a “Rejoice in Accomplishments” list (Kevin)
  • Develop relations with regional and affiliate dharma centers (Leah, Richard, Miles – Seattle), (Kathleen – Portland/Mexico/Singapore)
  • Draft request to Venerable to remain at Abbey for a year to develop monastic program (Kevin)
  • All board members update bios for Abbey webpage by 7/11 and send to Colin.

TASKS BY INDIVIDUAL COMMITMENT:

BILL

  • Stay on the board
  • Webpage simplification (with Tanya)
  • Invite generosity –top donor calls
  • Visit FOSA in Singapore
  • Work with Missoula group – invitation to FOSA membership
  • Corporate donors- make contacts

RICHARD

  • Point person for FOSA in Seattle
  • Will work with DFF board on communication between DFF and Venerable
  • Simplify and improve relations with DFF (hopefully with Leah)
  • Committee for Disseminating Dharma - may get partner to help with producing some teachings (CDs)

NANC

  • Stay on board
  • Repair and maintenance of buildings and machinery at Abbey
  • Coordinate offering service weekends
  • Volunteer Committee (content of volunteer program and orientation packet)
  • Garden and food supply
  • Knapweed control
  • Environment committee
  • Firewood supply
  • Forest health

LEAH

  • Serving on board
  • Accounting oversight
  • Process Abbey donations into donor database
  • Reports to Barb about donors
  • Abbey Administrator search
  • Coordinating the 501 (c) 3 application for non-profit status (IRS paperwork, state paperwork)
  • Research of forest exemption tax issues
  • Database involvement

KEVIN

  • Stay on board
  • Attempt to live values of the Abbey
  • Work with database design/implementation
  • Coordinate rejoicing list
  • External communication from board to other constituencies
  • Track and help create repository for FOSA documents
  • Board co-chair
  • Board orientation & development (with Kathleen)
  • Call top contributors for generosity and appreciation
  • Participate in the Volunteer Committee
  • Draft letter to VTC to be off the road for a year
  • Coordinate that effort with Mexico and Singapore with Kathleen

TRACY

  • Grant acquisition on environmental issues (currently working on this)
  • Water rights
  • Helping map trails, etc.
  • Volunteer Committee: continue to coordinate local volunteers
  • Help manage Abbey events
  • Promote membership of FOSA locally
  • Food
  • Thank you cards/fliers/greeting cards
  • Contact with Yakima Bodhi Center

KATHLEEN

  • Stay on the board
  • Generosity – calling major donors (less than 10)
  • Overseeing the strategic plan (with Kevin)
  • Coordinate next annual Board meeting
  • Health plan for aging monastics / health insurance
  • Help prepare for Vajrasattva 2006
  • Board orientation & development (with Kevin)
  • Transcribe & edit teachings
  • Keep practice commitments
  • Contact with Mexico and Singapore about plan for VTC and tasks for the Abbey
  • Prepare and disseminate report from this meeting

NEREA

  • Transcription / editing / paper editing / working with DFF on digitizing
  • Keep Abbey computer systems working
  • Help arrange Venerable's travel
  • Phones and basic administrative duties at Abbey
  • Managing Abbey events (Abbey contact)
  • Orientation for visitors: packet and verbal
  • Business card for Venerable to distribute (with Colin)
  • Dissemination of Dharma
  • Master Plan
  • Facilitate working with Mexico (Lupita in Torreon) on reinstituting dinner parties

COLIN

  • Stay on board
  • Develop print materials for teaching packet & FOSA / Abbey presentation packet
  • Website revisions/ development with Tanya
  • Develop inviting generosity materials w/ Barb
  • Annual report (design and printing)
  • Support volunteer, inviting generosity, and Dharma committees (editing, proofing, etc.)
  • Find a graphic designer
  • FOSA logo
  • Explore video leads

TANYA

  • Assist in inviting generosity (help call donors and whatever Barb tells her to do)
  • Access on web server for documents
  • Maintain and modify website in support of all tasks
  • Technical support / guidance regarding the web / internet (including database)
  • Photo editor for website

SANDY

  • Environment committee
  • Transcribing and editing
  • Define and promote membership of FOSA locally

ERIC

  • Environment Committee and related issues (noxious weeds, stewardship grants, etc.)
  • Talk with Dan Black about Dan's availability to work with FOSA
  • Think about the forest here…provide info as he can

JAN

  • Develop a monastic mind
  • Monastic retreat manager
  • Construction manager for writing studio & wood bay
  • Water rights with regards to Department of Health permits
  • Forest Exemption tax status
  • Health insurance
  • Planned giving
  • Building maintenance and repair with Nanc

DEBI

  • Bookkeeping
  • Transcribing
  • Volunteer Committee
  • Contacts with Sounds True
  • Disseminating the Dharma

MILES

  • Work on connection with DFF and Abbey (organizing volunteer service parties)
  • Sravasti Abbey presentation to DFF, with FOSA info too
  • Video
  • Transcribing and recruiting transcribers

DIANNE

  • Typing, organizing annual meeting notes
  • Donor Relationship Committee
  • Research planned giving program
  • Video – has contacts
  • Health plan issues for Abbey residents

MELANIE

  • Transcribe and edit
  • Food acquisition – organizing Missoula contribution
  • Initiate coordination of Missoula FOSA folks
  • Volunteer Committee
  • Long-term care for monastics

BARB

  • Board member
  • Chair the opportunities to invite generosity
  • Raise $30,000 for writing cabin
  • Organize food and groceries
  • Organizing Abbey events
  • Donor Relationship Committee
  • Cultivating corporate donors
  • Abbey presentation
  • Video
  • Editing teachings
  • Writing / documentation

RUTH

  • Environmental/timber/weed/stewardship

SUSAN

  • Food
  • Donor calls

BOARD MEETING EVALUATION COMMENTS:

What we appreciated about this meeting:

  • Positive group energy,
  • collaborative spirit,
  • camaraderie,
  • inclusion of ideas by everyone,
  • meditations,
  • great food,
  • candid discussions,
  • like-minded people working together with experienced facilitators in a process that helped bring out creative, useful ideas.

The meeting was smoother than last year, more successful, and had a general sense of cooperation and a common goal. We are more organized as the purpose becomes more developed and clear. The meeting structure worked well, especially the combination of large and small groups.

Other highlights were: a wonderful mix of committed friends, participating in practice morning and night at the Abbey, sending Venerable off to Deer Park with katas in the early morning, enthusiasm of group, dedication and energy of group, tone of meeting was very compassionate, there is less separation between board and others, clearer info on what is expected and needed, food coordination worked well.

What we would change: Have a group walk, have a teaching by Venerable, and encourage people to attend the whole meeting. Challenges to the process are to be expected: we are in samsara. How can we better include Mexico and Singapore FOSA's? Be clearer about the purpose of the meeting and participation in FOSA as dharma practice. How about a FOSA meeting away from the Abbey, with the Board interacting with Venerable? Also: distribute “air time” more evenly, clarify where FOSA is situated in the whole picture, clarify the Western models vs. Eastern models of process/content, and not trying to cover so much content at one meeting.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Kathleen Herron at katyohern@aol.com . Thank you.

 
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