Why is there reluctance for Vincentians to allow themselves to be nominated?

Fear, Lack of Knowledge, Workload/Time, and Admin vs. Front Line Work/Other

• Fear! Fear of what they do know about the role; in an effort to resolve this issue, delegating responsibilities is necessary. Fear of the unknown; what does the job involve?
• Intimidated by expectations
• Sense of inability to be president, lack of self confidence

• Lack of knowledge; uncertain as to what they are getting involved with.
• Lack of understanding (job descriptions)
• Lack of training, need shadowing, engaging in chairing meeting, have job description, share your fulfilment, identify their gifts to potential candidate
• Lack of mentorships
• Lack of sense of vocation/calling (missing)

• Work load/Time
• Additional responsibilities too overwhelming
• As volunteers they often are involved in other organizations therefore they limit what they want to do

Administration vs. Front Line Work

• Fear of getting too involved in administration vs direct involvement at the grassroots level
• See president doing administrative skills, delegation of duties not effective

• Other - If president in office too long, don’t see part of big picture and don’t consider rule being enforced and terms, president doesn’t want to leave if no one steps forward as doesn’t want conference to fall apart; Potential candidates see conflict; past president mentors and doesn’t attend meetings
• Control issues among current Presidents
• Need to teach/get people familiar with organizational structure, job descriptions, training and the Rule Book

How are potential candidates identified? (Most vocal? Youngest? Last recruited? Appointed?)

• Pray!

• Good leader, communicator, organized, and has the calling to be a Vincentian
• Leadership potential, people skills, willingness to do it all, walk the walk
• Excited about work
• Invested in SSVP, mutual support, new and existing volunteers

• Make invitation
• Identify long before role ends; Invite to meetings
• Nurture, give some responsibility
• Member approached

• Other Recruitment tools
• Networking, President Website Peer to Peer excellent tool
• Create Awareness of Society in Parish, Hospitality Sundays with SSVP in parish, regular report providing info to parishioners and thank you
• Parish understanding of SSVP (e.g. collections at door) Opportunity to see Vincentians and ask about the Society
• Improve recruitment, Pulpit recruitment, what face is presented
• Recognize needs
• PC Presidents, look to the conference level, go out to the conference meeting
• Newness threatened; listen to fears and help get over fear

How should a succession planning process work in an ideal world? What steps must we take to achieve this?

Pray/Training/Mentorships and Respect Term Rules/Other

• Pray!!!!!!!

• Training/Mentorship - Empower, build people up, groomed
• Lateral move first to allow a possible new candidate to gain confidence and lessen the intimidation
• Have co-presidents/creative solutions
• Educate people
• Mentor the successor
• Have training sessions for president’s so they know what is expected of them
• Spiritual Advisor should have the conversation with membership, appeal to the vocation
• Have someone in training who might be willing to take on the role

• Respect Rule Terms - Start early to recruit and invite succession to ONRC meeting and train
• Let membership know well in advance
• From day you take office, work towards it
• Work with new members to have good grounding for knowing parish priest and other organizations at parish
• Get more conference people to attend ONRC and look at big picture, energize them
• Pave way for people from conference to attend AGA and attending workshops, be strategic
• Rules should be enforced/followed
• After 4 years (PC President), 3 years (Conference President), change is needed
• President should not appoint executive; allow grassroots movement

• Other - Particular Council Presidents need to review each conference situation
• Search out people with the right qualifications/skills sets
• SSVP needs to be well known and well respected; have to become better known to resonate with people and people be proud to join and take on leadership role
• Nurturing of our own conference members to help them face situation
• Commissioning, new blood, meaningful, rewarding
• Get to know prospective volunteers
• Nomination community, who feels called? Vincentian vocation. Let go and let God work
• Secret ballots; need to feel validated
• Encouragement of new members
• Review President Roles and Responsibilities in Rule Book
• Presidents website beneficial, use of Peer to Peer to connect with other Presidents
• Understanding of total organization
• Rejuvenate conference (invite/train, nurture., shadow, share)