Election for Jews' Next Dor Steering Committee (and Ratification of New Bylaws)
Jews' Next Dor
Election for Jews' Next Dor Steering Committee (and Ratification of New Bylaws)
When: 8pm - 10pm, Thursday, December 8, 2011
Where: Private Home in Cupertino -- RSVP for the address to JewsN...@beth-david.org
Jews’ Next Dor plans over 100 events each year because of the amazing volunteers, like you, who step up to lend a hand. As our group continues to grow, we have instituted an official leadership structure to give us the additional coordination we need to run smoothly. Our first Steering Committee was a smashing success, and now it is time to elect our next leaders who will serve from January to June. We also need to officially ratify our new bylaws that describe the structure under which we have been operating for the last six months. So, we need you: to participate, to volunteer, to vote, and to lead. The election is Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 8pm at a private home in Cupertino. Please make the time to join us and have your voice represented in the future of the group. We know there’s a lot of information here so please don’t hesitate to contact us at JewsN...@beth-david.org for anything elections or Jews’ Next Dor related.
- -> Voter Eligibility
Any Jewish young adult (20-39) who attended 3 or more Jews’ Next Dor events since December 8, 2010 is eligible to vote. You must be present to vote. A minimum of 14 eligible voters is required.
- -> What are Bylaws?
Bylaws define the fundamentals and governance structure of our group, such as who we serve, what we do, and where the buck stops for different issues. During this time of transition between leadership structures, we have been operating in a legal gray area when it comes to bylaws; now that our outgoing Steering Committee has completed writing new bylaws for our group, it is important that we ratify them right away. The proposed bylaws will be available for your review no later than November 17, 2011. After this date it is still possible that Congregation Beth David will still require small tweaks, so they will be subject to change; however, any such changes will surely be small, and a final draft will be available for your review no later than December 2, 2011. At the election, it will take a 2/3 majority vote to ratify the bylaws.
- -> What is the Steering Committee?
The Steering Committee oversees the vision of the group and sets our policies. They also appoint sub-committees to do the daily work of our organization (planning and publicizing events, managing our finances, etc.), and oversee those committees throughout the term. There are 7 spots on the committee; all 7 are elected every 6 months.
- -> Steering Committee Eligibility
Any Jewish young adult (20-39) who attended 5 or more Jews’ Next Dor events between December 1, 2010 and December 1, 2011 is eligible to serve on the Steering Committee. We encourage all candidates to be present at the election, but this is not strictly required.
- -> What’s Required of Steering Committee Members?
Each member of the Steering Committee will take on a significant role in our organization, to be specified as a group at a mandatory new-leader orientation, to be held on the afternoon of December 11, 2011. Each member should be able to allocate a minimum of 2 hours per week to committee work and meetings, outside of attending or planning individual Jews’ Next Dor events. Additionally, Steering Committee members are expected to attend an average of two Jews’ Next Dor events per month. Steering Committee members will serve a six-month term, from January to June, plus remain available to advise the next Steering Committee during the month of July.
- -> How to Submit Candidacy
To submit your candidacy, you must e-mail JewsN...@beth-david.org by November 24, 2011 (Thanksgiving Day) with: your full name; a professional-looking headshot; a description of the area(s) in which you are most interested in working; e-mail and phone contact information in case we need to follow up with you; and whether you’re a member of Congregation Beth David and, if not, whether you would be willing to become one (we’ll explain why below, but this is NOT inherently a requirement for eligibility). If you will not be able to attend the election, you may also submit by December 7, 2011 your two-minute campaign speech (see below for content requirements) in one of the following alternative formats: video recording (one continuous shot of your face with a plain background), audio recording, or text to be read by the election official.
- -> How Elections Work
Nominations can be made from the floor at the beginning of the election. Each candidate will be given two minutes to talk about a) what draws them to Jews’ Next Dor, b) what they are interested in doing for Jews’ Next Dor, c) skills and experience they possess to help serve these interests, and d) their vision for the future of Jews’ Next Dor. After all speeches have been delivered, ballots will be distributed to all eligible voters. Voters will indicate any and all candidates with whom they would be comfortable leading the group (be this number greater than or less than seven). The ballot will also contain space for write-ins. The seven candidates receiving the greatest number of approvals will be elected to the new Steering Committee. (By virtue of being an auxiliary group of Congregation Beth David (CBD), at least one member of the Steering Committee must be a member of the synagogue. This means that if none of the top seven vote-getters expressed at least willingness to be members of CBD, a lower vote-getter will be elected instead of the seventh-place vote-getter. Beth David offers discounted memberships to students, singles, and young adults under age 33, and is sensitive to financial hardship. We are happy to answer any questions about what Beth David membership entails.)
- -> Other Ways to Get Involved
In addition to the Steering Committee, there are other non-voting positions that will need to be filled after the election. These include Recording Secretary and Treasurer (who must be a Beth David member), sub-committee managers and members (for event organizing, marketing and publicizing events, volunteer training, scrapbooking and blogging, just to name a few), and occasional volunteers. Please let us know if you’d be interested in any of these opportunities; we’re happy to have you on board!
We look forward to seeing you at the election. Please RSVP and send any questions to JewsN...@beth-david.org.