Coordinating and Advisory
Purpose
The Coordinating and Advisory Committee (C&A) shepherds the work of the Yearly Meeting in alignment with the core purpose and the priorities articulated by the Yearly Meeting, and advises and coordinates the various committees, quarterly meeting leadership, staff, and other initiatives within the Yearly Meeting.
The members of this committee hold a particular responsibility to build a culture of inclusive and sustainable leadership development.
Procedures
- The committee meets once a month, either in person or by electronic communication.
- The work of the committee may require confidentiality as it discerns with tenderness how to proceed with an issue.
- C&A is responsible for supervising and evaluating the work of the Yearly Meeting Secretary. The committee delegates day-to-day supervision of the Yearly Meeting Secretary to the Supervisor of the YM Secretary, who ensures completion of the annual performance review of the Secretary.
- C&A, in cooperation with the Program Director or other relevant parties, helps to ensure that current and emerging clerks of quarterly meetings, monthly meetings, and Yearly Meeting committees (including ad-hoc and subcommittees of the Permanent Board) are provided with relevant leadership-development trainings, resources, and guidance.
- The committee refers some matters to other bodies for review, discernment, and action. C&A is accountable to Permanent Board and to Sessions.
- C&A strives to prevent duplication of effort and facilitate efficiency and effectiveness in the work of the Yearly Meeting.
- With a goal of ensuring alignment with Yearly Meeting priorities, C&A will regularly review each committee’s Purpose, Procedure, and Composition (PP&C), ensuring that every committee is reviewed at least once within a three-year period. C&A will do this work in consultation with the Committee. PP&Cs are approved by the Yearly Meeting.
- The C&A Committee plays a key role in the annual Funding Priorities Process for the Yearly Meeting, discerning recommendations which are approved by C&A and then presented to the Permanent Board by the Yearly Meeting Secretary, in keeping with the process approved by the Yearly Meeting.
- The Presiding Clerk may invite other committee clerks or knowledgeable Friends to participate as needed to support the committee’s discernment; otherwise, given the sometimes sensitive and confidential nature of C&A’s work, its meetings are not open.
- The Presiding Clerk reports regularly on the activities of the committee to Permanent Board and annually to Sessions.
Composition
- The committee is entirely ex-officio, made up of the current holders of these various positions: the Yearly Meeting Presiding Clerk, the Yearly Meeting Secretary, the Supervisor to the Yearly Meeting Secretary, the clerk of Permanent Board, the clerk of Ministry and Counsel, the Yearly Meeting Treasurer, the clerk of Finance committee, and the clerk of Yearly Meeting Nominating committee.
- The committee is clerked by the Presiding Clerk.
