Task Forces Into New Initiatives

CNU Task Force to Initiative Transition: Proposed Process

Over the past year both the CNU Board and the Task Force co-chairs have had discussions about the relationship between “Task Forces” and “Initiatives.” After conversations with individual Board and Task Force members, a reorganization is suggested. Task Forces will be disbanded and replaced by Initiatives. This approach is intended to better involve CNU members, allocate staff resources and develop a clear and transparent methods to create new activities.

New Structure and Outlook
Initiatives are created and driven by the interests and passion of CNU members. Long term projects called Initiatives are sustained by CNU staff support. This structure recognizes that initiatives are not permanent.

Task Forces will be replaced with individual Initiatives, since those are the actions and projects within committees. This is reflected in the new CNU website

Each Initiative will have a chair or co-chairs that are responsible for moving the project forward by setting up meetings, working with staff to produce documents/publications, that advance the project.

Each Initiative should draft an “Action Plan” that includes a clear statement of purpose, desired outcome, description of how the Initiatives advances the Charter and a process describing how the outcome will be achieved. A chair or co-chairs should be identified in the plan. This should be summarized in a 1-2 page document that is reviewed by CNU staff and the Board.

The Chairs of each Initiative will be part of a new committee called the “Initiatives Committee.” The Initiative Committee will serve as an oversight body of all of the Initiatives and an intermediary between the Board and the Individual Initiatives (the Committee is described below).

To further coordination between the Board and the Initiatives, each Initiative should have at least one Board Member as an advisor. The Board member will be responsible for working with the Initiative chair(s) to advance the project, address issues as they arise and serve as a conduit of information between the Board and the Initiatives.

Initiative Committee
The proposed structure includes the formation of the Initiatives Committee comprised of the chairs of each Initiative.

The Initiatives Committee will have several responsibilities including serving as a support structure for other Initiatives and helping to select new Initiatives that are proposed by the membership or the Board (see process below).

The Initiatives Committee will meet four times per year: once in person at each Congress and then three times via conference call. At the in-person meeting at the annual Congress, the Committee should evaluate this process and structure Committee chairs will also work with staff on an as needed basis to implement their initiatives.

The committee chairs will no longer attend one Board meeting every year, but the Board will support the initiatives of the committee and will support events in conjunction with the Board meetings (e.g. the affordable housing summit).

New Initiatives
CNU will support a forum for new initiatives every year during the annual Congress. We began this process using the Open Space Technology methodology led by Jennifer Hurley at CNUXIV in Providence. We will continue to use this forum, to attract new member initiatives and if there is sustaining interest, to create new committees. This process proved to be successful: in 2006, the Affordability and Accessibility/Visitability Initiatives were born. This forum is now called the New Initiatives Forum.

Within one month of the Congress, CNU will begin a formal a “Call for Initiatives” process. Prospective Initiatives will be required to submit a proposed “Action Plan” that is submitted to staff. The Initiatives Committee will meet (via conference call) with CNU staff to review the proposed new Initiatives and recommend to the Board which initiatives have the highest likelihood of success based on a variety of criteria. The Board will review the recommendations and make a determination about which proposals become Initiatives of CNU.