Report on Workshop including Facilitators notes – September 19, 2015
Workshop title -Building Blocks to Succession Planning … Starts with a Healthy Conference
69 participants, including facilitators – 12 tables with 6 or less to a table

Introduction and explanation of workshop structure, done by Phil Bondy.  Started with two stories of successful President recruitments.
Council in transition - London.  Linda Dollard, Past President of London Particular Council, shares her journey of how and why she became President. At the end of her term, there was no obvious successor, but there were 4 strong candidates.  So London Council decided to have 4 Vice Presidents, instead of one President, in a transition year.  By summer 2016, it is anticipated that one of the four VPs will accept the role of sole President.

Complete - Brantford - Pat Lenz, incoming President of Brant Particular Council, shared how unexpected changes and the death of a conference president forced people to step forward into leadership roles.  Anita Reansbury accepted the role of president because no one else would.  Anita recruited Pat Lenz to help her revitalize Brantford council. Now after Anita’s term was up, Pat tells how she was approached by Anita, timelines, what discernment process she went thru, why she accepted.

Each participant, at their assigned tables, shared a personal story of an experience that enriched their Spirituality as a way to introduce themselves to their workgroup.  These were not transcribed as it was a personal sharing time.

Next, Small Group Discussions at each table commenced – 4 discussion groups, 3 tables for each topic - time limit 40 minutes, facilitators took notes.  At the end of the 40 minutes each facilitators summarized their table’s answers to the whole group.  Listed below in order are each full facilitator notes, followed by their summary report, then by Phil’s comments on each section, and then giving a closing summation.

Group A – Topic - Spirituality -
Why is Spirituality the Primary component to a healthy conference?

1. What is Vincentian Spirituality?
2. How is Spirituality displayed in your Conference?

Group A - Table One replies –

a - What is Vincentian Spirituality?

• Our mission and values
• Without our love of our neighbours in need, there is no spirituality
• If your heart is right, you won’t see/you will see beyond the large TV, etc.
• Pray for guidance before going on visit, can see clearer
• Listen to their story
• You are so thankful that you were able to sanctify each other
• A safe venue for two way communication
• Ozanam dinner
• Mass together
• Service awards, whole Particular Council
• [idea] No pass up to Particular Council
• Conference compete instead of cooperate with each other
• Distribute bags of food, certificates, toys, etc. at end of meal to knights of Columbus to assist, etc.
• treat as equals, guests, anonymous
• Christmas, thanksgiving meals
• Everything has to be integrated for the reason (see Christ in them)
• [the people we serve] Their feedback; gratitude in words and actions of kindness is a measure of our spirituality, return/some money/donation
• Reflection from St Vincent de Paul from this weekend, disciples servants of all, the least
• With love, respect, justice and joy
• getting people to become advocates
• giving neighbours opportunity to give back

Spiritual Advisor recommended.
Guidelines on website (ssvp.on.ca calendar)
Gospel, Reflection, Discussion, Prayer
Spiritual Advisor listens and advises when focus goes astray
Pray before home visits, helps us to concentrate on needs, not things we think they don’t need
Always operate with love, respect, justice and joy
in this way we sanctify each other

b.  How is Spirituality displayed in your Conference?

• On our website the calendar has a reflection for each day
• Lay person as a spiritual advisor
• Takes reflection from websites, does not modify
• Gets all people speaking
• Deacon as spiritual advisor
• Gospel related, choose wisely from SSVP variety
• [Spirituality is] Necessary otherwise [just] social
• Develop faith
• Beatitudes For Today - I was hungry… from Facebook … anon. (posted separately in the Spirituality section n the website)
• Question: Why are the needy on the church steps and not in the church?
• Challenge: Convincing conference members to continue to be impartial to neighbours in need and continue with diversity of special works
• Having spiritual advisor influence effective progress by communicating with adversarial members

Facilitator summary – in meetings, listen and stay on track, stay focussed.  If meeting gets off track or members get judgemental and critical, it may be SA role to call them back to order.  When out on visits, don’t look around and mentally criticize the surroundings and the furnishings in a home, concentrate on the person and what they have to say.

Group A - Table Two replies - Why is Spirituality the Primary component to a healthy conference?

• Can’t be a conference without prayer
• We are not an agency, SW [social workers]
• We feed ourselves prayer, together
• Call to holiness
• Driving force, intervene, for Jesus
• Self, person, God, share with individual
• Power of home visit
• Our conference is our chosen family

a - What is Vincentian Spirituality?

• Willing to journey
• Not judgemental
• Gentle
• Advocacy
• Seed planters
• We don’t give up

b- How is Spirituality displayed in your Conference?

• Sometimes generation, generation we are the only ones to help
• Home visits
• Spiritual readings, Spiritual Advisor
• Meeting and Greet, Action
• Witnessing where you are
• Always a Vincentian
• We belong, we serve everybody
• We say yes
• CLIENT --> FRIEND

Facilitator summary – conferences need prayer, not agencies or trainers, we feed ourselves with prayer. Self –Person- God = Trinity. We grow in the presence of God. There is power in home visits, in a willingness to journey with anyone.  Vincentian Spirituality from the Rule Book – don’t give up, plant the seeds, walk with them but don’t diagnose them, search out the poor.  Vincentians, always meet the needs where you find it.

Group A -Table Three replies – covered all three questions in one short answer.

• Reading the Rule Book at meetings
• Saying prayer before we serve
• Spirit led, spirituality is close to the surface
• Looking for positive things – checking on how each person is before serving
• No judging, serve everyone
• Willingness to journey with others to build community/friendship, see the fruits of relationship

Facilitator summary – Always say a prayer before you visit.  Be spirit led and spirit centred. Check their mood, ask about their day, their problems.  See the need and meet the need.

Phil’s summary remarks for Group A topic – Spirituality – If you don’t have spirituality as part of the kit in your journey together with a person or a family, you will not be successful.

Group B: Topic - Member Orientation

– there is an old saying – Use it or Lose it.  The same can be said about new Vincentians. Thorough Member Orientation is vital to Vincentian development and successful Succession Planning of All Positions.

1. What methods of Member Orientation have been successful in your conference?
2. How can member orientation be improved?

Group B - Table Four replies –

a - What methods of Member Orientation have been successful in your conference?

• Ask what person wants to do, focus on talents
• Flexible
• Go on call, is it right fit?
• Rule book
• No orientation at council level (should be???)
• Holding an orientation session once a year

b - How can member orientation be improved?

• Attend 1st available orientation; meet others/network day
• Find way to enhance spirituality, presidents lose home visits (? As recorded from notes – maybe spelling?)
• Invite person we serve to speak with incentives, how  helped, home visit include into orientation
• More flexible, 2-3 orientations catering to you
• Meet others/networking
• Great summary of all levels of SSVP
• Home visits
• Tie in member appreciation with orientation

Facilitator summary - Encourage new members, give them a job right away, and get them involved.  Empower them, involve them in meetings, and seek out their talents and their strengths.  New member input is invaluable.

Group B – Table five replies –
a - what methods of Member Orientation have been successful in your conference?

• Develop a relationship
• One on One mentoring
• Encourage member to listen
• Have something to do (a job)
• Family, the belong
• Clients becoming members
• Booklet, Instruction manual

b - How can member orientation be improved?

• Get them involved
• Accessible meetings (dates & times)
• Pick up on skills (spotting their talents)
• Sharing stories (Good news stores)
• New members input is valuable; encouraging their involvement

Facilitator summary – Ask members what they want to do, and listen to them.  Take them on visits and see where their talent lies.  Not everyone can do home visits.  Orientations should be mandatory, hold them frequently.  Have a member appreciation night and invite new members.  Invite a person you have helped t share their story with the group.

Group B – Table Six –
a and b question answers were combined.

• Use the 3 training modules on website
• Read a section of the rule each meeting; lead by different member each meeting
• Encourage at least one member per home visit team to attend conference meetings
• Use opportunities that present themselves for orientation
• Note: range of SSVP settings in our group; orientation; ongoing

Facilitator summary – Orientation should be ongoing, and cover different areas as learning occurs. Use the National material and deliver locally, but make sure the new member understands the National role in what we do.  Read a section of the Rule Book at each meeting. Have different members pick a section, learn it and share their learnings with the rest of the members.  Hoe to encourage attendance at meetings – mix up the teams, recognize opportunities and use them as they present themselves.  Small tokens of appreciation are appreciated.

Phil’s summary remarks for Group B topic – Orientation = Rejuvenation

Group C – Topic – Meeting Regularly, Active Participation and Contribution by Everyone

1. Why are these elements important for a Healthy Conference?
1. Meeting regularly
2. Active Participation
3. Contribution by everyone
2. Meetings can be viewed routine, administrative tasks, how do you keep meetings vibrant?

Group C – Table Seven replies –

Qu a1 – Meet regularly -

• If do not meet regularly, will lose the interest of the members
• Will lose the opportunity to build relationships
• Can stay current
• If don’t attend, may get stale
• You can hear stories from others
• You are not isolated
• Meetings are an opportunity to share ideas, pose problems, share solutions
• Meetings create the ability for us to empower and boost each other
• Revitalize our spirit

Qu a2 - Active Participation

• Must engage each member
• Ask for input
• Each member has a voice
• They are valued
• Put each committee member on as an agenda item
• They can actively share with the team what they are working on
• They can be recognized for their contributions
• Contributions can be celebrated
• Encourage the members to talk about their experiences

Qu a3 - Contribution by everyone -

• Ensure each member feels a part of the family
• Feel a part of the fabric of the conference
• If the members don’t see their results, if they are not contributing, they will move on
• They need a sense of purpose/of identity
• Find a fit for every member
• Find them a role
• Part of a committee
• I have some responsibility and I have to report back/share with the team
• Get them involved
• Partner them together
• The Vincentian bonds will grow
• They can support each other
• Everyone has a role and everyone is valued
• Create committees, fundraising, Christmas event, systemic change

Qu b - Meetings can be viewed routine, administrative tasks, how do you keep meetings vibrant?

• Faith!, fun, food, family
• Go to another council meeting, conference meeting
• Observe
• What is vibrant
• What is working
• Expand the communication of the meetings passed the President
• Disseminate general information passed just the president

Facilitator summary –  meet regularly, if not you lose members and lose interest.  Opportunities to share ideas, pose problems, empower and boost each other. With active participation members have a voice and feel valued.  Talk about successes and recognize the work.  Feel part of a family and part of the fabric. Need to see results, sense of purpose, or they may leave.  Visit other conferences and see how they are run.

Group C – Table Eight replies –
Qu 1 a and b answers combined -

• Always focussed on business and not on helping people, not good
• Meet regularly and follow rule book re: agenda
• Reluctant to step forward as president, etc., but most members are willing to coordinate certain specific activities. That is how got people to participate
• Higher council levels always talk about business side and don’t even touch on individual that require assistance
• Assign specific time for spirituality and then case studies etc. and discuss other ways to help needy
• Important to allot specific time period for each topic

Facilitator summary -  Hold regular meetings, fill executive roles and then give everyone else a job. Rotate the chairs and even the exec roles.  Have a mass prior to meeting this affects the meeting tone.  Share positive stories not only negative ones.  Talk about something you did that touched your heart.  Change the meeting time to suit the attendees.  Change the agenda, surprise them at the meetings.   

Group C – Table Nine replies -
Qu 1 a and b answers combined –

• Give every member a job
• Fill the executive
• Rotate chairs of meetings
• End meeting on a positive note
• Meeting times so that younger students/working people can attend
• Start with Mass when possible
• Change agenda to keep meetings interesting
• Have speakers or outreach presentations
• Build the community/society/family idea

Facilitator summary – Hold regular meetings, but don’t focus on business, focus on people.  Follow the agenda given in the Rule Book. Use the calendar on the website to get readings.  Have a timeline/time frame for each agenda item.  Assign members to each section and change it around.  Share expertise on avenues of help in the community. Share committee reports.  Higher councils always seem to focus on the business side and don’t focus enough on the people and how to help them.

Phil’s summary remarks for Group C Topic – Meeting regularly with Active Participation –
ONRC has set the stage for ‘changing it up’ in meeting style. 

Group D: Topic – Succession - Respect the Rule

1. Share your story of how your succession process was achieved in your conference?
1. For the President
2. Spiritual Advisor
3. Treasurer
4. Secretary

Group D – Table 10  replies -  answers combined –

• 4/6 new roles starting now
• Share your story
• Identify role, skills needed, for example treasurer, skills based, onus on conferences; secretary/co-secretaries;

• Optional example of one who appointed his successor
• Example president, needs personal touch, identify person, plant seed; relationships/family/seeds; rule book reference
• Hurdles: I’m too busy; busy people often good for role; he/she makes time.

Facilitator summary -  4 of the 6 in our council are in new roles.    Family is important for planting seeds.  Identify the roles and the skills needed for each role – i.e. treasurer is more skills based; secretary is detail based, and could share the secretary duties among more than one person. Spiritual advisor could be a lay person.  President also needs special skills.  Be guided by the Rule Book and its terms and conditions. To overcome hurdles and to get things done, look for help from the Holy Spirit.

Group D – Table Eleven replies - answers combined –

• The personal touch: invite an individual to consider a position and ensure that they have solid backing/support should they decide to take on the role
• Share what the position involves and how others may be able to help
• When you have difficulty filling a role, be creative: shared roles; exchanging roles.  For example, Central Council president takes on Particular Council Presidency; Particular Council takes Central Council presidency
• If you must, remember you can hire someone if needed (example - treasurer)

Facilitator summary -  to counter the many hurdles and excuses, give a personal touch in explaining the role.  Consider reversing roles.

Group D - Table Twelve –
Succession – Respect the Rule - Share your story of how your succession process was achieved in your conference
No table notes were handed in.

Facilitator summary – Reinvent and rejuvenate your conferences. Recruit, engage, nurture, train, empower, give them a voice especially the new members.  There are more hurdles than success stories.

Phil – final summations –
There are tons of hurdles, but we are all empowered to make changes.  Show your passion.  Encourage your conferences to get healthy.

Final Activity – A Contract with Yourself –
Take the last sheet and fill it out.  It is for your eyes only, you do not need to share this with anyone.  List the highlights for you from this workshop.  Make your own action plans for when you return home. Make your contract – between you and God.

Thank you for attending and participating in this workshop.

 

Note; the last two pages are an attachment and are complied of summary comments and point pulled from this larger document.

A summary of the comments and suggestions from the report backs –

Spirituality

• Our mission and values say it all: With love, respect, justice and joy
• Without our love of our neighbours in need, there is no spirituality
• We are spirit led, keep our spirituality close to the surface of all we do
• Pray before we serve, for many reasons
• If your heart is right, you won’t be judgemental, you will listen to the stories of those we serve;
• Offer opportunities for two way communication
• Willingness to journey with others to build community/friendship
• CLIENT à FRIEND
• The gratitude from those we serve, their words, their actions, is the true measure of our spirituality
• All of our work, from home visits to Christmas hampers, distributing bags of food and clothing to attending Mass together, special dinners and all, are examples of how we maintain our spirituality in what we do
• Our Spiritual Advisors, be they lay persons or religious, help keep our focus if/when we go astray
• Spiritual readings/reflections, off our website or done independently, help keep our focus

Member Orientation -

• Take new members on home visits, to show the work we do, see if it’s a good fit
• Be flexible on their tasks, not everyone is cut out for home visits, but are other areas they could help with
• Orientation sessions: hold 2-3 times a year, flexible times to accommodate people’s varying schedules
• Possibly tie in with Member Appreciation nights, so new members can see the dedication and commitment from older members; and older members can get a refresher
• Get people we serve to speak at Orientation Sessions, if comfortable, offer something to them for sharing their story and their time (an incentive)
• Include Spirituality, especially at the Council level (as some presidents no longer do home visits, or are more distant from them)
• Ensure orientations are on-going
• Use the training modules from national’s website (councils or conferences)
• Read a section of the Rule Book at each meeting
• Always use opportunities as they are presented
• Orientation for new members
• Rejuvenation for existing members

Meeting Regularly, Active Participation and Contribution by Everyone –  

• If not participating regularly, may lose members/get stale
• If not participating/meeting regularly, risk members move away from SSVP to another organization
• Sometimes meetings focus too much on business, not the personal
• Set time limits for each agenda item
• Follow the agenda in the Rule Book (Toronto CC has it online)
• Make time to read a section of the Rule Book at each meeting (perhaps rotate members to do this)
• Use spiritual readings from our website
• Meetings provide opportunity to share ideas, problems, brainstorm solutions, give recognition
• Chance to empower and revitalize each other
• Able to engage members, give each a value and a voice;
• Fill the executive!
• Given everyone a job, assign roles: a reason to come to meetings
• Members are usually willing to take on a project, to coordinate – they then have something to report back on
• Rotate the chair, learning experience
• Work as a team, build the bonds
• Include all as part of the Vincentian Family, the fabric of the Society
• Meetings can be Fun, with Food, Faith and Family
• Go to another conference or council meeting; see what’s different, what you could use at your own meetings, etc.
• End meetings on a positive note, a good news story
• Try meeting after Mass (everyone’s there)
• Be flexible with meeting times, not everyone is available during the day (students/those working)

Succession – Respect the Rule -

• Get to know people, plant the seed of future presidents/secretaries/etc.
• Identify the skills needed and the skills members have
• For example, treasurer needs to be good with numbers
• Respect the term lengths outlined in the Rule Book
• The people who say they are too busy to take on a role, are usually the ones best suited for the job
• People are rarely eager to take on the role, but may still take leadership tasks
• Personal invites to consider a position goes a long way
• Be supportive for the transition
• May need to be creative to fill the role (i.e. Central Council president becomes a Particular Council president or vice versa)
• Recruit, retain, retrain, rejuvenate
• Could hold a dinner each week to bring new people out, form new connections